|  Under
various guises (Ice, God, Techno Animal), Kevin Martin has worked with
people like
Bill Laswell, John Zorn, Kevin Shields, Anti-Pop Consortium,
Porter Ricks, Godflesh, Alec
Empire and Company Flow’s El-P, among
many others. His inimitable remixes include DJ
Vadim, Palace Brothers
and Jon Spencer’s Blues Explosion while his expertise was sought
to compile the definitive Macro Dub Infection, Jazz Satellites and Isolationism
compilations for Virgin.
Previous releases as The Bug include the ‘Low Rider’ 12”
on FatCat (1998), an album for New York label Wordsound (entitled Tapping
the Conversation) and a remix of Sensational (recently signed by Mike
Patton’s Ipecac label) for Wordsound. The Bug has remixed DJ Vadim,
Sensational and the Sofa Surfers.
------------------------------------------
“"I've always exploited my obsession with bass frequencies,"
explains the Bug. "How bass moves people, and provokes intense physical
reactions." Ever since his first outing, 'Seismic', in 2001, The
Bug has amassed the support of such electronic heavyweights as Andy Weatherall,
Adrian Sherwood, Kid 606 and Aphex Twin. In fact Rephlex were so impressed
that they quickly snapped 'Pressure' up, whilst 606 has licensed the album
to his Tigerbeat 6 label in the US.
The Bug was indelibly marked by the skullcrushing impact
of seismic UK dub sound systems (Jah Shaka, Aba-Shanti - i, Iration Steppas
etc.) throughout the 90s, and became increasingly obsessed with Ragga's
bionic gyrations. Distilling these influences in 'Pressure', The Bug has
formulated a fearsomely original future shock for electro mainliners and
yardcore fanatics alike. Enlisting maniacal MCs, blissful crooners and
a metaphysical poet, the spectrum of vocals exemplifies the freethinking
range of this intense album - a synthesis of electronica and bashment
into mutant dancehall for the 21st Century.
From the thug-step ragga of 'Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons', to the electronic
dub of 'Live & Learn', via the dancehall punk of 'Killer', 'Pressure'
ignites bashment anthems, exhausts the echo chamber and mercilessly exploits
basstronic frequencies. "Previously I've just been attacking minds
with my music," grins The Bug. "Now it's an all out sonic war
on mind and body..."
(Official biography from the Tigerbeat6 Records website) |
