Words by David C. Obenour
We share a curiosity to know from whom we have come from. Those who carried some small or spiritual part of us before there even was an us. Our parents, grandparents, following the narrative back generations to better understand ourselves and our place in existence. For sound artist KMRU, his lineage traces back through his grandfather with whom he shares his given name.
Passing away in 2018, Joseph Kamaru remains revered in his native Kenya where his music spanned more than four decades of inflection and influence. Taking to Bandcamp where he chronicles his own music, KMRU started to research and archive his grandfather’s music for an extended and global audience. With each upload, more connections were made and stories shared – helping to further build on the legacy of his grandfather. These initial efforts have now culminated with the physical release of Heavy Combination 1966 – 2007 on Warp Records imprint, Disciples.
Off Shelf: As the grandson of Joseph Kamaru, can you tell us about you and your family’s relation with him? How he as a person and as a professional musician, shaped your relationship to music?
KMRU: His personal and professional lives were deeply intertwined. I’m speaking from the period after I was born, not from the earlier years when he was performing frequently. As a person, he was incredibly relatable, people would recognize him whenever he visited home and he would take BodaBodas [motorbikes] to come home. Despite his public presence, he lived a remarkably normal life and always made time to visit my mum, his only daughter. Looking back, I realize that my connection to music was quietly shaped by him; his tapes were a constant soundtrack to my childhood and family travels.
OS: In the liner notes you said that after his passing you felt an urgent need to protect your grandfather’s legacy, can you talk more about the root of that? What you see as his legacy and how you hope to preserve and promote it?
K: Protecting and carrying the name Kamaru was one of the most important things my grandfather ever told me to do. At first, it felt like a responsibility, but over time its become second nature. Carrying his name is a way of keeping his music and life alive, much like my own practice aims to do. It’s embracing the life of Kamaru / KMRU as an art form in itself.
OS: How did you first decide to use Bandcamp as an archival source for his recordings? How did that project grow and evolve as you worked on it and released it to the world?
K: Bandcamp is where I shared most of my own music, so it felt natural to archive my grandfather’s work there as well, broadening its reach and hopefully raise some funds to sustain the reissues. Along the way, the project took many unexpected directions, revealing itself through encounters with people who knew my grandfather, fellow musicians in Kenya, and even strangers sharing personal stories! It’s been a special experience, getting to know him more deeply through his music and the memories of others. The project’s growth has been gradual, and I feel it’s still unfolding. Heavy Combination only feels like the beginning.
OS: What did you find to be some of the most meaningful connections you made this way?
K: Firstly, my mum, she has been incredibly supportive from the very beginning of the reissues, helping me gain a deeper understanding of my grandfather’s life and music. Maina wa Mutonya and Megan Iacobini de Fazio have also been part of this journey. I’m grateful as well to the many Kenyans on Twitter who followed the project’s thread, and to the artists, strangers, journalists, and parents who shared their personal encounters with my grandfather. Each of these connections has been deeply meaningful, showing just how many people were touched by his music. I’m always learning something new about my grandpa.
OS: There’s a sharp and clean approach to the album art designed for these digital uploads. While limited to digital releases, can you talk about your approach to presenting this music visually?
K: The artworks for the reissue project were inspired by archival footage I had, along with scans from newspapers, family photos, and abstract images that offered a fresh visual interpretation of his music. The process was quite intuitive, as I handled everything myself, from editing the photos to mastering the music and uploading it online. I had the idea of keeping the imagery simple, with minimal information details for each release. It became a system that worked naturally for cataloguing the reissues.
OS: Working with Disciples on Heavy Combination, can you tell us about how you sourced the art and photos included with the release?
K: Going through the family photo archive was a very different process from working with the audio files, as it came later on. One of his sons, Maina, sent me several photos from his home archive. Most of the images were familiar, except for the one that became the cover art. I had never seen it before. It still feels like a mystery, as I don’t know exactly when or where it was taken. Through this process, I’ve also connected with some of the people he worked with, including his video producer, Samuel Nduti, who ran Nduti Onestop, and Mzee Peter, who photographed him frequently during concerts.
OS: Can you talk about the deluxe versions of Heavy Combination? What they included and what made them feel meaningful to share with listeners as a visual accompaniment to the music?
K: Theres a double sided A3 poster, postcards, sticker and badge… I think they’re just subtle add-ons to the main release. Most of it all is meaningful and I feel the heaviest part of the project is in the music and liner notes.
OS: Looking at your own releases as a musician, many feature covers that you’ve done yourself. How is your aesthetic related and unrelated to what you helped oversee for the art for your grandfather’s music?
K: The visual representation of my releases has always been important to me, its evident with my artworks. I keep a collection of images that I’ve taken and are personal too me for different projects. For Heavy Combination, I wanted a bold image that would make the title stand out. The image fit well and it was also a new photo for me, so it made sense to have it as the artwork. It was a real team effort with the label and Karolina Kolodziej, who handled the layout, brought the old archival images to life beautifully!
OS: Your own music you make is haunting and deep, making use of ambient tones and field recordings. I also noted you heard some stand out field recordings in the music of your grandfather. Can you talk about those? Do you feel any of your own approach is shaped by that?
K: I realized his use of field recordings subtly in tracks like Safari Ya Japan Pt 1 or Ndeheruo Ngaari… it’s so subtle! There’s also lots of commentary, voices that aren’t sung, spoken or in conversation, somewhat feeling like a field recording. Its so intuitive…
My way of using recorded sounds could somehow be related but there isn’t a direct link with my field recording practice. I also didn’t get to know the stories behind the sounds used although in the music the field recording sounds act as accents the songs.