Music Listings

cirKus
New Album
Medicine -- Out March 7th

For a man who thought he'd be dead by 30, producer/musican Karmil is very much alive. The driving force behind the band cirKus, Karmil contends he owes his life to band mates Burt Ford, Neneh Cherry and Lolita Moon. "When I met them I was a mess," he says, “but we helped each other make beautiful music and now it’s my life.”

cirKus, an amalgamation of both established and younger musicians, will release a new album Medicine (Tent Records) on March 7th. Karmil’s finely honed production skills and immersive hip-hop and DJ background are very much in evidence; Ford, Cherry and Moon add a mysterious, at times even unsettling aspect to the melodies, draping layers of ethereal vocals over Karmil’s beats. “Everybody does lead vocals and then Karmil cuts them up,” explains Burt.

Medicine exudes a nocturnal feeling befitting a record produced by night in a studio built into an old invasion wall in Gothenburg, Sweden. The tunes -- composed by Karmil and Ford, with Ford penning the lyrics – offer a mélange of heartfelt electronica. Songs range from the head-bobbing “Bells”, to the moody “Johnny icon” (showcasing Lolita Moon’s languorous vocal tones), to the dub-step influences of “Unattended Bag”, to the bouncy synth on “Hardly Breathing”, while “Grid Lock” is a treat for Neneh fans.

The roots of cirKus began in Camden in 2002; their genesis was slow and organic. At that time Karmil was making tea at Burt’s then North London recording studio. Each evening after everyone left, Karmil would re-arrange the equipment and produce his own material. When Burt heard the results, he was quickly seduced by Karmil’s night projects. For his part, Burt had a reciprocally alluring effect on Karmil: “when I heard his voice I was bowled over; his delivery is totally unique”.

Burt invited the renegade producer to move into a small office/bedroom in the family home. Bits of equipment gradually found their way into Karmil’s tiny room. “Before I knew it there was a studio in there and he didn’t turn up for work in the day anymore,” says Burt, who was excited by the young producer's fanatical determination to make music 24/7. “All the things that I was missing on my other collaborations at that time instantly came together when I started working with him.” Night after night, upon returning from daytime studio obligations, the pair would get down to collaborating on Karmil’s freshly recorded music, only ever grabbing a quick couple of hours shut eye.

Before long Lolita Moon was introduced to the project and started adding vocals. “It was her first bit of singing,” says Karmil, “They were really good times for us. There were a lot of tears and insecurities but the music was therapy for us all.”

When Karmil’s bedroom got too small for what was becoming a band, they moved to Sweden taking up residency in Neneh’s family home in the Swedish countryside. The house, formerly an old school, had a little library that became their new studio. “The main house is full of remnants from Neneh’s stepfather, the jazz musician, Don Cherry, so it’s an inspiring place to be,” explains Burt.

At this point Karmil lured in their final member, “Neneh would bring us food over and one day ended up laying the vocals down on a track – this inevitably led to her singing on more and more stuff,” says Karmil, “She’d grown sick of the whole music biz merry-go-round, but took little coaxing into singing once she’d sussed she could be part of a group.” This period produced cirKus’s debut album, 2006’s Laylow (unreleased in the UK).

More than 200 live shows later, cirKus have travelled a long way. “We’ve played places as diverse as Moscow, La Reunion (a small island in the Indian Ocean), Montreal, Casablanca, Paris and Sao Paulo,” says Karmil. “The culmination of years of studio work and live performances has produced something we’re hugely proud of and excited by,” he adds.

When cirKus come to town they bring noise and excitement. Their new album, Medicine, is the perfect antidote to linear living and cirKus are qualified to dispense it.

For further information please contact Sarah Lowe at Fifth Avenue PR
Tel: 0208 960 5802 or fifthavenuepr@googlemail.com






 

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