Not keeping to reality

Multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ from Lewisham, Bradley Miller, is one of the most intriguing talents in the music scene right now, writes Claudia Lee.

Mr Miller, who was born in Lewisham Hospital and grew up in the borough,  goes by the stage name cktrl – which stands for can’t keep to reality – and has defied every box that has been imposed on him.

Having just featured in London Jazz Festival’s Jamaican Jazz Series, playing at Bush Hall in Uxbridge Road on November 17, cktrl is one to watch for 2024.

His music skips between both classical and jazz, but at its heart is his talent.

Mr Miller, who now lives in Brockley, told the South London Press: “I’m big on practice and showing up for my craft – a lot of artists in mainstream music don’t give that time anymore.

“I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and we reiterated to each other how important it is to live in our practice.

“I can do what I do because of hours of practice.”

Mr Miller learned to play the clarinet at primary school, and later picked up the saxophone.

He said: “I spent hours of my youth practicing.

“If you play an instrument seriously, you play at jazz clubs or you study at the Royal College of Music. What’s necessary to be good requires time – you could start something now and go viral straight away, which is fine, but when you see that person live it’s not the same.

“When people put the time in, you can see it and feel it.”

A new-age composer, Mr Miller creates a serene union between jazz and classical, using an array of instruments – piano, saxophone and clarinet – sometimes layered with vocals.

In his 2022 single Love and War it is often difficult to distinguish between Mr Miller’s  instrumental lead and the tremors of a woman’s voice.

Mr Miller grew up working in the now-defunct Uptown Records in Soho.

He said: “I was making loads of UK club music at the time – anything from grime funky to dubstep.

“A record shop seemed like a good space to start.

“I would get different dubplates cut from music I had been working on at home.

“I made so many connections there.”

Inspired by the abundance of culture flowing through Lewisham, Mr Miller said he spent a lot of time as a “sponge”, soaking up anything he could from other artists trying to break into the music scene.

He said: “There was a record shop in Lewisham market, which is not there any more, and there were loads of sound systems.

“I used to be on Genesis Radio and we used to do it from their legendary studio in the basement – so much of Lewisham’s music royalty has passed through there.”

Although he was surrounded by talent, Mr Miller created his own distinct voice.

He said: “I’ve always done my own thing, never been peer pressured to do anything.

“People make music for different reasons, mine is free from a concern about being famous – it’s pure.

“I’m not thinking about things I know others do. It’s an honest place.

“When you speak to people about  creativity, people talk about their inner child.

“I’ve always operated from that place – there’s no constraints.”

In 2020, Miller released his EP, Robyn. An immersive soundscape of heartbreak, carefully crafted with each note and breath holding its own place.

Background symphonies lift the mellow tone of the clarinet but never take away from the solo that takes very much centre stage.

The craft of the piece makes time stand still, sucking you in to each beat and pause.

Mr Miller said: “It’s been amazing – every time I put on a show it’s sold out, it’s a vibe, people want to show up for me.

“I want to shout out Appleton Estate – they have been super supportive of me as an artist, and other new creatives.”

 

 

Picture: Bradley Miller is cktrl, Pictures: London Jazz Festival/Supplied by Appleton Estate