Cirkus

by Jason Ankeny Electronic soul project cirKus signaled the creative rebirth of trip-hop pioneer Neneh Cherry almost a decade following the release of her most recent solo LP, 1996's Man. The group's roots lie with Cherry's husband and longtime collaborator, producer Cameron "Booga Bear" McVey, who began recording the basic tracks in London with engineer and DJ Matt Kent, aka Karmil. In time the duo recruited Kent's girlfriend, Lolita Moon, to contribute vocals, and eventually McVey persuaded Cherry to sign on as well. Largely out of the limelight while raising the couple's children in Malmö, Sweden, Cherry nevertheless agreed to a brief European club tour in early 2005. Dubbing the project cirKus, the quartet initially issued a handful of demo sessions via the Internet before issuing their full-fledged debut album, Laylow, on their own Tent Music label in the fall of 2006.