KMRU – The ‘Monday Is OK’ Mixtape

10Minute Read

Music

“A mixtape of unreleased music and a few collaborations with friends which I thought would be a perfect mix for a Monday listen.”

KMRU, also known as Joseph Kamaru, is a sound artist originally from Nairobi, currently based in Berlin. Kamaru explores sound to convey various interpretations in his work, drawing from his listening experiences in Nairobi and beyond and is grounded in the ‘discourse of field recording, noise, and sound art.’

Working under the guidance of Jasmine Guffund at Berlin’s Universität der Künste (better known as UDK), KMRU looked at waveforms and embarked on a process where he would “write scores from the shapes, gradually turning the scores into raw synth sounds.”

Kamaru’s ambient-experimental music has taken him to the Barbican, Berlin Atonal, Présences
électronique, and seen releases on Editions Mego, Subtext, Seil Records.

His new LP ‘Dissolution Grip,’ released on his OFNOT imprint, marks a shift in his approach, blending field recordings with synthesized sounds, hinting at his evolving musical direction.

With all that in mind, we thought we’d ask Kamaru to put us together this week’s mixtape for a Monday… let’s get stuck in.

Listen and read the interview below:

Ransom Note · KMRU – The Ransom Note ‘Monday Is OK’ Mixtape

Please introduce yourself…

Who are you:

Where are you:

What are you:

I’m Kamaru, (KMRU), from Nairobi based in Berlin but in Vienna at the moment. I work, play and perform with sound.

Tell us about the Monday mixtape you’ve put together for us.

The mixtape features lots of unreleased music and a few collaborations with friends. I thought this would be a perfect mix for a Monday listen.

If it were to be drawn what would it look like?

Sun rays reflecting onto walls

If it were a food what would it be?

Probably Soup

Boiling cauldron simmers hearty vegetable soup recipe generated by AI

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

On a commute or in transit.

What should we be wearing

Orange socks ..lol

Where was it recorded?

I tend to record mixes when I’m on the move, and this happened to be recorded on my way to Hamburg.

What do you feel about Mondays in general, excited…or?

I’m always excited for new weeks and Mondays always feel motivating ..sometimes, I appreciate Mondays a lot if my weekends are calm. But always excited for what the new week brings.

Who got you hooked on electronic music?

This was a communal thing with friends in Highschool where we’d share music with each other..or play the new electronic music’ ..most of this then was EDM music but always changed based on what people were listening.

Your doctor says you need more exercise….what do you take up for exercise?

swimming or skipping …

If you could travel in time…where in time would you go? Why?

Maybe in the past, when time was null

How does your brain work when making music? How does it work when you aren’t?

This can be hard to decipher but I know I find myself in some deep sound void, although I’m crafting and building this world of sound. I can get lost in it..which is always beautiful other times I’m quite conscious of what’s been crafted.

I think this is also how I try to perceive the world but based on situations around me. I think it’s all connected.

What are you obsessed with at the moment?

My bike..haha

Anything else we need to discuss.

Get some sun when it’s out there, slow down and eat fruits 🙂

Also have new music out Dissolution Grip and also a new project – Stupor out this month.