# KMRU

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**Joseph Kamaru**, better known as **KMRU**, is an [ambient](/source/Ambient_music) musician. He was born in [Nairobi](/source/Nairobi), Kenya, and later relocated to [Berlin](/source/Berlin), Germany.

## Musical career

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](/source/FL_Studio) on the school's computers.[1]

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

Kamaru was part of an [Ableton Live](/source/Ableton_Live) ad in 2019, in which he recorded [field recordings](/source/Field_recording) 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](/source/Editions_Mego), *Peel* was created in 48 hours and blended organic and synthetic textures.[3] In 2022, Kamaru toured with [Big Thief](/source/Big_Thief).[5] The same year, he released a collaborative album, *Limen*, with [Aho Ssan](/source/Aho_Ssan).[5] In 2023, *[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))* described Kamaru as a "widely referenced figure in contemporary [electronic music](/source/Electronic_music)".[2]

In 2023, he released *[Dissolution Grip](/source/Dissolution_Grip)*, which represented a sonic shift away from field recordings.[6] The album received critical acclaim from the publications *[Loud and Quiet](/source/Loud_and_Quiet)* and [*Pitchfork*](/source/Pitchfork_(website))*.[2][6]*

## Personal life

His grandfather, also named [Joseph Kamaru](/source/Joseph_Kamaru), was a well-known [benga](/source/Benga_music) 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](/source/Nairobi), Kenya.[3] He later moved to [Berlin](/source/Berlin), Germany, in October 2020.[3][1] He moved to begin attending [Universität der Künste](/source/Berlin_University_of_the_Arts) for a Master's program of Sound Studies and Sonic Arts.[1]

## Discography

### Albums

- *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](/source/Dissolution_Grip)* (2023)
- *Stupor* (2023)
- *Natur* (2024)
- *Kin* (2026)

### Collaboration albums

- *Peripheral* with Echium (2021)
- *Limen* with [Aho Ssan](/source/Aho_Ssan) (2022)
- *Disconnect* with [Kevin Richard Martin](/source/Kevin_Martin_(British_musician)) (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

1. Sherburne, Philip (2021-04-27). ["Meet KMRU, the Ambient Musician With His Ear to the World"](https://pitchfork.com/features/rising/meet-kmru-the-ambient-musician-with-his-ear-to-the-world/). *Pitchfork*. Retrieved 2024-08-03.

1. Weidenbaum, Marc (October 4, 2023). ["KMRU: Dissolution Grip"](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kmru-dissolution-grip/). *[Pitchfork](/source/Pitchfork_(website))*. Retrieved 2024-07-29.

1. Wray, Daniel Dylan (2021-03-10). ["Explore the Intimate Discography of Ambient Producer KMRU"](https://daily.bandcamp.com/lists/kmru-discography-list). *Bandcamp Daily*. Retrieved 2024-08-03.

1. Nguyen, Kevin (2020-12-20). ["This was a good year to listen to ambient music, whatever that is"](https://www.theverge.com/22175193/ambient-music-2020-pandemic-quarantine-at-home). *The Verge*. Retrieved 2024-08-03.

1. Merucci, Mike (December 16, 2022). ["The Art of Listening | An Interview With KMRU"](https://impact89fm.org/115364/music/the-art-of-listening-an-interview-with-kmru/). *[Impact 89FM](/source/Impact_89FM)*. Retrieved 2024-08-03.

1. Crossland, Jake (September 25, 2023). ["KMRU - *Dissolution Grip* - Album Review"](https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/kmru-dissolution-grip/). *Loud And Quiet*. Retrieved 2024-07-27.

1. Schoop, Eli (2023-09-29). ["KMRU, *Dissolution Grip*"](https://daily.bandcamp.com/album-of-the-day/kmru-dissolution-grip-review). *Bandcamp Daily*. Retrieved 2024-07-27.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [KMRU](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KMRU) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KMRU?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.