Joseph Kamaru, better known as KMRU, is an

ambient Ambient or ambiance or ambience may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ambiancé'', an unreleased experimental film * ''Ambient'' (novel), a novel by Jack Womack Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgr ...

musician. He was born in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya, and later relocated to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany.

Musical career

As a child, Kamaru played the guitar and sang in a choir. He first discovered electronic music in high school, after finding a copy of

FL Studio FL Studio (known as FruityLoops before 2003) is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by the Belgian company Image-Line. It features a graphical user interface with a pattern-based music sequencer. It is available in four different ...

on the school's computers. Kamaru is known for being prolific; he published almost twenty releases on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

between 2017 and 2021. Kamaru was part of an

Ableton Live Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation for macOS and Windows developed by the German company Ableton. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for compos ...

ad in 2019, in which he recorded

field recording Field recording is the production of audio recordings outside recording studios, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It can also include the recording of electromagnetic fields or vibrations using diff ...

s from a broken piano. His 2019 extended play ''Erased'' used piano, field recordings, and synthesized drums. In 2020, Kamaru released the albums ''Saal'', ''Peel'', ''Opaquer'' and ''Jar''. Released on

Editions Mego Mego was an experimental electronic music independent record label based in Vienna, Austria. The label has been superseded by a new company, Editions Mego, which was set up both to keep Mego albums in print and to issue new albums, run by Peter ...

, ''Peel'' was created in 48 hours and blended organic and synthetic textures. In 2022, Kamaru toured with

Big Thief Big Thief is an American indie folk band formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 2015. The lineup comprises vocalist-guitarist Adrianne Lenker, guitarist Buck Meek and drummer James Krivchenia. Founding bassist Max Oleartchik left the band in 2024 ...

. The same year, he released a collaborative album, ''Limen'', with Aho Ssan. In 2023, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' described Kamaru as a "widely referenced figure in contemporary

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

". In 2023, he released '' Dissolution Grip'', which represented a sonic shift away from field recordings. The album received critical acclaim from the publications ''

Loud and Quiet ''Loud and Quiet'' is a British bi-monthly music magazine that focuses on new music from underground indie, alternative, electronic and hip hop artists. History and profile The magazine was founded in January 2005 by Stuart Stubbs as a home-print ...

'' and ''Pitchfork''''.''

Personal life

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

, Kenya. He later moved to

, Germany, in October 2020. He moved to begin attending

Universität der Künste The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

for a Master's program of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts.

Discography

Albums

* ''Euphoria'' (2017) * ''Variations nstallation' (2019) * ''Saal'' (2020) * ''Variations adiophonic' (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

* ''Peripheral'' with Echium (2021) * ''Limen'' with Aho Ssan (2022) * ''Disconnect'' with Kevin Richard Martin (stylized as KRM:KMRU; 2024)

EPs

* ''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

{{Reflist Living people Musicians from Nairobi 21st-century Kenyan musicians Ambient musicians Experimental musicians Musicians from Berlin Kenyan expatriates in Germany Year of birth missing (living people)