James Leyland Kirby

Aliases: The Caretaker, V/Vm, The Stranger etc.

The Caretaker project began in late 1996, undoubtedly inspired from the ballroom scene in Stanley Kubrick's "Shining". The first release played and extended this theme of altering 1920's and 1930's ballroom music creating an eerie and haunted soundworld. Subsequently the sound has become darker and often more abstract over time, moving away from the initial idea of a haunted ballroom into territories involving the mind and its abilities to recall memories.

Currently The Caretaker is inspired by the topic of "Amnesia" and the brain's abilities to recall situations from the distant and immediate past. This work is best recalled in the monumental "Theoretically pure anterograde amnesia" release, a release which accurately echoes and recreates aurally the disease itself which is no mean achievement.

The Caretaker is building an ever expanding following for his audio memories. Fans of the darker isolationist ambient work of modern composers such as William Basinski, Nurse With Wound, Aphex Twin, Fennesz and Brian Eno would find elements to admire and enjoy and also parallels to The Caretaker's output. It can be a harsh world at times but ultimately exposure is always rewarding. Immerse yourself in the darkness and give into the spirits and tales recalled and retold in his unique way.

• 1997 - The Stranger - 320 Kbps
• 1997 - Split Series #1 [with Third Eye Foundation] - 320 Kbps
• 1997 - Machine Component 4 - 320 Kbps
• 1998 - Chart Runners - 320 Kbps
• 1999 - Selected Memories From The Haunted Ballroom - 320 Kbps
• 1999 - AuralOffalWaffleTenPintsOfBitterAndABagOfPorkScratchings - 320 Kbps
• 2000 - The Green Door - 194-297 Kbps
• 2000 - Sick Love - 320 Kbps
• 2000 - Falco Tribute - 256 Kbps
• 2000 - The V/VM Christmas Pudding - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - A Stairway To The Stars - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - HelpAphexTwin/1.0 - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - HelpAphexTwin/2.0 - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - Achy Breaky Hard Drive - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - Dr. Fred Plays His Favourite Medical Drama Themes - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - sick Love Will Tear Us Apart - 320 Kbps
• 2001 - Hate You - 256 Kbps
• 2002 - Sometimes Good Things Happen (blue)* - 320 Kbps
• 2002 - Sometimes Good Things Happen (sepia)* - 320 Kbps
• 2003 - We'll All Go Riding On A Rainbow - 320 Kbps
• 2003 - HelpAphexTwin/4.0 - 320 Kbps
• 2003 - Dimitri Shostakovich "The Missing Symphony" - 320 Kbps
• 2004 - Stigma - 320 Kbps
• 2005 - Theoretically Pure Anterograde Amnesia - 320 Kbps
• 2006 - The Death of Rave (The Source) - 256 Kbps
• 2006 - White Death - 320 Kbps
• 2007 - Deleted Scenes / Forgotten Dreams - 320 Kbps
• 2008 - Persistent Repetition Of Phrases - 320 Kbps
• 2008 - Recollected Memories From The Museum Of Garden History - 320 Kbps
• 2008 - Bleaklow - 320 Kbps
• 2008 - There Was A Fish...In...The Percolator - 192 Kbps
• 2009 - Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was - 320 Kbps
• 2009 - Recollections From Old London Town - 192 Kbps
• 2011 - Eager to Tear Apart the Stars - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - Intrigue & Stuff Vol. 1 - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - Intrigue & Stuff Vol. 2 - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - Intrigue & Stuff Vol. 3 - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - Bonus Tracks 1 - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - An Empty Bliss Beyond This World - 320 Kbps
• 2011 - White Death - 320 Kbps
• 2012 - Patience (After Sebald) - 320 Kbps
• 2012 - Extra Patience (After Sebald) - 320 Kbps
• 2013 - Watching Dead Empires in Decay - 320 Kbps
• 2014 - We Drink To Forget The Coming Storm - 320 Kbps
• 2014 - Breaks My Heart Each Time - 320 Kbps
• 2014 - Intrigue & Stuff Vol.1-4 - 320 Kbps
• 2014 - The Death Of Rave (A Partial Flashback) - 320 Kbps

* - Both the "right" and the "wrong" version (blue and sepia, though I don't know which is right, which is wrong).

Ask for download links in comments.