CirKus

Lore & Background

CirKus began when DJ and producer Karmil was recruited by Burt Ford (Neneh Cherry's husband Cameron McVey) as an assistant recording engineer. They started working on their own material at Karmil's home studio in London, with Ford singing. Karmil's girlfriend Lolita Moon (Neneh and Cameron's daughter Tyson) was then asked to sing on some tracks. Eventually Neneh Cherry joined the team, contributing rapped and sung vocals. Ford and Karmil convinced Cherry to move to Sweden, and the band settled in Cherry's country house near Malmö, where they recorded their first album, Laylow, released in 2006. The group is currently based between Stockholm and London.

Reader's Guide

CirKus represent a family-oriented project within the trip hop genre, bringing together Neneh Cherry's established career with the production skills of her husband and daughter. Their debut album Laylow received negative reviews from the BBC, which described it as 'mostly uninspired and smoothed to an unpleasant sheen.' Despite this, the band continued and released a second album, Medicine, in France in March 2009. Their significance lies in the collaborative, home-studio approach and the blending of electronic and acoustic instruments, including the use of Ableton Live for drum loops and samples. The group's legacy is modest, primarily noted for its familial connections and the integration of Cherry's vocal style into a new context.

Did You Know?

• Lolita Moon is the daughter of Neneh Cherry and Cameron McVey.
• The band recorded their first album at Neneh Cherry's country house near Malmö, Sweden.
• Their debut album Laylow was described by the BBC as 'mostly uninspired and smoothed to an unpleasant sheen.'
• The band uses Ableton Live to run triggered drum loops and samples on stage.