Dissolution Grip is the fourteenth studio album by ambient musician KMRU. It was released on September 29, 2023, via OFNOT.
| Dissolution Grip | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by KMRU | ||||
| Released | September 29, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 28:38 | |||
| Label | OFNOT | |||
| KMRU chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and recording
editJoseph Kamaru, better known as KMRU, is an ambient musician from Nairobi, Kenya, who later relocated to Berlin, Germany.[1] His grandfather, also named Joseph Kamaru, was a well-known benga musician.[1] Kamaru is known for his work with field recordings,[2]
The sounds of Dissolution Grip began as field recordings.[3] During the recording process, Kamaru looked at the waveforms of the recordings and wrote "scores from the shapes, gradually turning the scores into raw synth sounds".[1][2] The bonus track "Along a Wall" was recorded at a shack in Kamaru's estate in Nairobi, Kenya, while it was being struck by strong winds.[1]
The album was released on September 29, 2023, via Kamaru's then-newly created label, OFNOT.[4]
Music
editDissolution Grip is an ambient, drone, and experimental album.[2] It consists of two long-form pieces, and the digital bonus track "Along a Wall".[4] Critics noted the influence from Kamaru's past work with field recordings.[1][4][3] The album's sound is distinct from typical ambient works through its distorted textures.[2]
The opening track "Till Hurricane Bisect" runs for fifteen minutes and is titled after an Emily Dickinson poem.[1] It uses layers of relaxed synthesizers which slowly distort into a "shoegaze-y wall of sound".[2][1] The track ends suddenly.[1] The thirteen-minute title track uses "rippling waves" of ambient synthesizers, which gradually build in intensity.[1] Eli Schoop of Bandcamp Daily identified Tim Hecker's Konoyo (2018) as an influence to the song's mood.[1] The track climaxes with a noise ending.[1] On, "Along a Wall", Kamaru electronically manipulates recordings of wind shaking his building.[3]
Critical reception
editJake Crossland of Loud and Quiet rated the album eight out of ten points.[3] He described the album as "absorbing" and "comforting".[3] Zoë Beery, writing for Resident Advisor, praised KMRU's sonic evolution and use of texture.[2]
Track listing
editDissolution Grip
- "Till Hurricane Bisect" – 15:05
- "Dissolution Grip" – 13:33
Dissolution Grip (Digital Edition)
- "Along a Wall" (Digital Bonus) – 12:22
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schoop, Eli (2023-09-29). "KMRU, Dissolution Grip". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e f Beery, Zoë (October 30, 2023). "KMRU - Dissolution Grip". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c d e Crossland, Jake (September 25, 2023). "KMRU - Dissolution Grip - Album Review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
- ^ a b c Cetin, Marissa (2023-08-15). "KMRU launches label, OFNOT, with new album, Dissolution Grip". DJ Mag. Retrieved 2024-07-27.