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Twin heavyweights Kevin Richard Martin (The Bug) and Joseph Kamaru (KMRU) unite for Disconnect, a powerful study of dread, hope, and profound sonics that marries depth-trawling dub with Kamaru's voice, ambient sensibilities, and negative space.Kevin Martin first became aware of Kenyan ambient musician KMRU Inchwatching the short 2020 documentary Under The Bridge,Inch he tells us. InchWhich, aside from immediately finding Joseph's approach to sound and music so instantly impressive, I also found his spoken voice possessed a captivating, lilting, tonal quality, with his soft-spoken accent.Inch Following this, Martin dug into Kamaru's records, and found not only a kindred spirit in skilful exploration of sonic space, but also a fan of The Bug. So began a mutually respectful relationship, initially held in Instagram DMs and reciprocal admiration for each other's work and eventually blossoming into an invitation sent by Kevin to Joseph to collaborate on a new album.The results - debut collaboration album Disconnect - collect a back-and-forth creative dialogue that started life in Martin's studio. InchI think I surprised Joseph by suggesting he contributes vocals,Inch Martin tells us. This ability to identify, isolate and exploit the nonstandard is a trait shared by both musicians and employed to devastating effect on Disconnect. It's vocals, sitting somewhere between intonation and spoken word, capture the ear and fizz with simmering power. They are indeed a surprise, coming from a musician specialising in instrumental, field recording-laced ambient musics, but tell intensely evocative stories, weaving poetry into the pair's grandiose greyscale musical architecture.InchThe album originated from an exploration of a text I wrote during my sound art studies, delving into the complexities of Otherness,Inch Kamaru explains. InchThe project served as a response to Audre Lorde's
