KMRU :: Natur (Touch)

The listener is transported in a rolling ambient vastness connected to natural elements and morphed field recordings, for a breathing, lively and emotional embrace which progressively reaches a mesmerizing climax.

A mysteriously rumbling, cryptical and ascetic musical journey

KMRU is the project of Berlin based sound artist Joseph Kamaru and I must say probably the most stupendous successful story in the latest development of electronic ambient music. In less than five years Kamaru obtained high praises from major indie labels in the place (Editions Mego, Mute, Touch) reaching a position which makes him a dignified leading figure in intricate and intimate electronic music with a drone flavors.

I’ve rarely seen the reputation of a sound producer edified so quickly in the musical league. It would be definitely interesting to grab some infos from Kamaru himself to know more about his musical trajectory and to understand better what makes his production a strong asset for nowadays and future of adventurous electronic music with a dense chilling impulse. KMRU is a project which is quite inevitable for those who browse new materials and new sound signatures in the ambient (at large) galaxy. KMRU also collaborated with a handful of numerous experimental music and ambient artists, including Seefeel but also Abul Mogard (I actually discovered his music through this specific collaboration back in 2020 for the label Vaagner).

Soberly entitled Natur is welcomed by the emblematic Touch imprint for a beautifully conceived/packaged edition. Natur is built as one extended piece processed as an assemblage of micro-sounds, abstract noises, and sinuous sound waves intertwined with the sonic background. The general tendency makes it intellectually meditative but less accessible than his previous release Dissolution Grip (OFNOT, 2023). An almost fuzzy feeling rises at the surface, especially during the first 15 minutes of the album then the listener is transported in a rolling ambient vastness connected to natural elements and morphed field recordings, for a breathing, lively and emotional embrace which progressively reaches a mesmerizing climax. Micro noises are always rampant but without being that harsh. The ending almost offers a cerebral mantra-like and spaced-out reverbed ambience to connect with the cosmos and universe as a whole. A mysteriously rumbling, cryptical and ascetic musical journey to lift the spirit.

Natur is highly recommended to followers of Touch music (notably with artists such as Jana Winderen for the dynamic communication between sound mapping / sound ecology with sonic sound spectralism) but it can also seduce lovers of contemporary minimalism with a radical droning edge such as Tony Conrad, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Kevin Drumm, and Ellen Fullman.

Natur is available on Touch July 26, 2024. [Bandcamp]