Joseph Kamaru, better known as KMRU, is an ambient musician. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and later relocated to Berlin, Germany.

Kamaru in August 2021

Musical career

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As a child, Kamaru played the guitar and sang in a choir.[1] He first discovered electronic music in high school, after finding a copy of FL Studio on the school's computers.[1]

Kamaru is known for being prolific;[2][3] he published almost twenty releases on Bandcamp between 2017 and 2021.[3]

Kamaru was part of an Ableton Live ad in 2019, in which he recorded field recordings from a broken piano.[4] His 2019 extended play Erased used piano, field recordings, and synthesized drums.[3] In 2020, Kamaru released the albums Saal, Peel, Opaquer and Jar.[4][3] Released on Editions Mego, Peel was created in 48 hours and blended organic and synthetic textures.[3] In 2022, Kamaru toured with Big Thief.[5] The same year, he released a collaborative album, Limen, with Aho Ssan.[5] In 2023, Pitchfork described Kamaru as a "widely referenced figure in contemporary electronic music".[2]

In 2023, he released Dissolution Grip, which represented a sonic shift away from field recordings.[6] The album received critical acclaim from the publications Loud and Quiet and Pitchfork.[2][6]

Personal life

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His grandfather, also named Joseph Kamaru, was a well-known benga musician.[7] After his death in 2018, the younger Kamaru reissued some of his albums, attempting to introduce a new audience to his music.[1][3]

Kamaru was born in Nairobi, Kenya.[3] He later moved to Berlin, Germany, in October 2020.[3][1] He moved to begin attending Universität der Künste for a Master's program of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts.[1]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Euphoria (2017)
  • Variations [Installation] (2019)
  • Saal (2020)
  • Variations [Radiophonic] (2020)
  • Peel (2020)
  • Jar (2020)
  • Logue (2021)
  • Temporary Stored (2022)
  • Don't Linger They Might See You (2022)
  • Epoch (2022)
  • Glim (2023)
  • Dissolution Grip (2023)
  • Stupor (2023)
  • Natur (2024)

Collaboration albums

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  • Noize (2017)
  • Erased (2019)
  • OT (2019)
  • Luft (2020)
  • Continual (2020)
  • Odra (2020)
  • Drawing Water (2020)
  • Ftpim (2020)
  • Inter Alia (2021)
  • As It Still Is (2021)
  • There Was Nothing in Between (2022)
  • Imperceptible Perceptible (2022)
  • Windbags/Lune (2024)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Sherburne, Philip (April 27, 2021). "Meet KMRU, the Ambient Musician With His Ear to the World". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Weidenbaum, Marc (October 4, 2023). "KMRU: Dissolution Grip". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Wray, Daniel Dylan (March 10, 2021). "Explore the Intimate Discography of Ambient Producer KMRU". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Nguyen, Kevin (December 20, 2020). "This was a good year to listen to ambient music, whatever that is". The Verge. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Merucci, Mike (December 16, 2022). "The Art of Listening | An Interview With KMRU". Impact 89FM. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Crossland, Jake (September 25, 2023). "KMRU - Dissolution Grip - Album Review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  7. ^ Schoop, Eli (September 29, 2023). "KMRU, Dissolution Grip". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved July 27, 2024.