The Caretaker (musician)
| The Caretaker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Kirby |
| Also known as | Billy Ray Cyrix, Butcher Claus, Butcher Claws, CV[ev], Dr. Fred, Edgeley Musher, The, Leon And Hits, MC V/Vm, Notorious P.I.G., The, Pole (disputed), Stranger, The, V/Vm Allstar Marching Band, V/Vm And The Hog Chorus, V/Vm With Garry's Glitter |
| Born | 1974 |
| Origin | Stockport, England |
| Genres |
Experimental music Ambient Dark Ambient Ballroom Hauntology |
| Instruments | computer, sampler, turntable |
| Years active | 1996 to present |
| Labels | V/Vm Test Records |
| Associated acts | V/Vm |
| Website | Official site |
The Caretaker is a long-running project by electronic musician James Leyland Kirby alongside his better-known project V/Vm. Initially the project was inspired by the haunted ballroom scene in the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining, with the first several releases consisting of dark ambient with intermittent orchestral segues and flourishes.
The Caretaker releases the majority of his work on the V/Vm Test Records label.
Recently, The Caretaker has shifted attention onto the processes of the brain's function in recalling memories. This has been typified by the release Theoretically pure anterograde amnesia, which was released in 2005 as a series of 72 free MP3 downloads. In 2006 this was pressed up as a limited edition 6 CD boxset with an additional 12 tracks. Those who suffer from 'theoretically pure anterograde amnesia' will still be able to recall memories laid down before the onset of anterograde amnesia, but will exist in a transient world where anything beyond their immediate attention-span disappears permanently from their consciousness. The release itself found much critical acclaim: it was record of the week in Stylus Magazine,[1] received a favourable review in Grooves Magazine,[2] and was given an honorary mention at the ARS Technica awards for Digital Musics in Austria, 2007.[3]
Older works have received critical acclaim in publications as diverse as Russian Playboy and the BBC,[4] and the project was a favourite of legendary BBC Radio DJ John Peel, who regularly played audio by The Caretaker on his shows.
Discography
As The Caretaker
- Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom (1999)
- A Stairway To The Stars (2001)
- We'll All Go Riding On A Rainbow (2003)
- Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia (2005)
- Additional Amnesiac Memories (2006)
- Deleted Scenes / Forgotten Dreams (2007)
- Persistent repetition of phrases (2008) (Release info)
- An Empty Bliss Beyond This World (2011) (Release info)
- Patience (After Sebald) (2012) (Release info)
- Everywhere at the end of time (Stage 1) (2016)
As Leyland Kirby
- Sadly, the Future is No Longer What it Was (2009)
- Eager to Tear Apart the Stars (2011)
- Breaks My Heart Each Time (2014)
- We Drink to Forget the Coming Storm (2014)
As The Stranger
- Bleaklow (2008)
- Watching Dead Empires in Decay (2013)
External links
- The Caretaker discography at Discogs
References
- ↑ http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/the-caretaker/theoretically-pure-anterograde-amnesia.htm
- ↑ http://www.groovesmag.com/review_detail.php?id=00000370 Archived November 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.aec.at/en/prix/winners_honorary.asp Archived November 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/hbdp/ Archived December 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.