James Leyland Kirby

**James Leyland Kirby** (commonly known as Leyland Kirby), born May 9th, 1974, in Stockport, England, is a British dark ambient musician who created the long running musical project **The Caretaker**. His work as **The Caretaker** is characterized as exploring memory and its gradual deterioration, nostalgia, and melancholia. He also created other projects such as **V/Vm**, **The Stranger**, and some music under his own name (**Leyland Kirby**). He currently resides in Krakow, Poland. He is most famous for his alias **The Caretaker** and the last project under the moniker, Everywhere at The End of Time, The project was inspired by a haunted ballroom scene in the 1980 film "The Shining". Most of his Album Covers was painted by one of his friends, Ivan Seal.

## Early Life

James Leyland Kirby, known as “The Caretaker”, was born on May 9, 1974, in Stockport, England. From a young age, Kirby demonstrated a knack for experimental music production, cranking out releases at an impressive rate.

One of his early projects was V/Vm, which was known for its manipulations of various sounds, ranging from pigs feeding to pop music. One of his notable works under this alias was a drastically misshapen version of Chris DeBurgh’s “Lady in Red”, which was featured as NME’s single of the week in September 2000.

In 2009, Kirby started the History Always Favours the Winners label, which became home to dozens of releases credited to his various aliases like The Caretaker and The Stranger. This period also saw the release of the Leyland Kirby series "Sadly, The Future Is No Longer What It Was".

Throughout his early career, Kirby used an assortment of additional aliases for one-offs and short-term projects. His innovative approach to music and his ability to constantly evolve his sound have made him a respected figure in electronic music.

In the late 1990s, Kirby began a project that would become his most well-known and influential work: The Caretaker. This project was inspired by the haunted ballroom scene in Stanley Kubrick’s film “The Shining”. Using old ballroom pop records from the 1930s, Kirby manipulated and treated the samples to create a unique sound that evoked feelings of nostalgia and melancholy.

The Caretaker project became a deep exploration of memory and its deterioration over time. One of the most notable works from this period is “An Empty Bliss Beyond This World”, an album that received widespread critical acclaim for its hauntingly beautiful soundscapes.

In 2016, Kirby embarked on an ambitious six-part series titled “Everywhere At the End of Time” under The Caretaker alias. Each album in the series represents a different stage of dementia, providing a poignant and deeply moving commentary on memory loss.

Through The Caretaker, Kirby has not only pushed the boundaries of music but also provided a profound commentary on memory, nostalgia, and the human condition.

## Trivia

* Kirby’s project, The Caretaker, was inspired by the haunted ballroom scene in the 1980 film The Shining.
* Kirby’s work has received critical acclaim in publications such as The Wire, The New York Times, and BBC Music.
* He used to collect 78rpm records and was able to get much incredible music from a shop called the ‘78 Record Exchange’ before it closed down.
* Controversial aspects, such as copyright concerns and recordings of pigs feeding, were a prominent part of the V/Vm alias.

## External Links

* Kirby's Bandcamp Page
* Kirby's Facebook Page
* Kirby's Soundcloud Page
* Kirby's Twitter Page
* Kirby's website (currently inactive due to James losing editing access)
* Kirby's YouTube Channel