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for|the American musician|Kevin Martin (American musician)Infobox musical artist|image= || name = The Bug|birth_name = Kevin Martin|origin = United Kingdom | image_size =| background = solo_singer| occupation = Record producer|Producer , Musician , Journalist | instrument = Saxophone , Computer , Vocals , Phonograph|Turntables , Synthesizer | genre = Dub , Industrial , Dancehall Jazzcore , Hip Hop , Dubstep | years_active =| label = Ninja Tune , Hyperdub , Rephlex | associated_acts = King Midas Sound Daddy Freddy God Ice (band)|Ice Techno Animal Pressure Godflesh Justin Broadrick Curse of the Golden Vampire | website =| notable_instruments = Kevin Martin is a London -based British people|British musician , record producer , and journalist , often known under his recording alias The Bug . He moved to London around 1990,Clayton, Jace http://bombsite.com/issues/114/articles/4717 'Kevin Martin' in " BOMB Magazine " Winter 2011, retrieved 7/21/2011 and he has been active for over a decade, in the genres of Dub music|dub , jazzcore , industrial hip hop , dancehall , and dubstep .
His projects include God, Techno Animal, Ice, Curse of the Golden Vampire, Pressure, and most recently, King Midas Sound . London Zoo review, The Wire , July 2008, p. 44. He has collaborated with such figures as Daddy Freddy , John Zorn ,Allmusic|class=album|id=r73127|pure_url=yes allmusic ((( Possession > Overview ))) Justin Broadrick , Experimental Audio Research ,Jason Ankeny, Experimental Audio Research bio, Allmusic. Allmusic|class=artist|id=p182845|pure_url=yes Access date: September 14, 2008. El-P , Blixa Bargeld , Alec Empire , Dälek , Vast Aire , Warrior Queen, Anti-Pop Consortium , DJ Vadim , Cutty Ranks , Roll Deep|Flow Dan , Mark Stewart (musician)|Mark Stewart and Keith Levene .
Early life
Martin first became interested in music as a teenager going to ''Handsome Dick's , a record store in Weymouth , England , UK. At the same time, he was introduced to Joy Division, the Sex Pistols, Captain Beefheart, the Birthday Party, and Throbbing Gristle. He has described his initial interest in music as stemming from his difficult family situation during his childhood, and said, "It seemed like everything that I hated about English conservative monoculture was being burned and turned upside down through music," and, "Post-punk music was tearing up rule books and asking questions of everything, particularly structure in terms of music, art, politics, you know, the law." Clayton, J. http://bombsite.com/issues/114/articles/4717 " BOMB Magazine " Winter 2011
Martin first began making music because he was attracted to a do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic. He first worked with a four-track recorder and effects pedal, and said, "I was interested in everything that wasn’t harmony, melody, and conservative musical structure. Dub seemed to tear everything to shreds, burn it up, and rearrange the embers." (referring to Dub Music ). He described his early experiences of music in London as being very influential for his style and appreciation of music, especially experiencing Iration Steppas and The Disciples (band)|The Disciples in the early 1990s. He described his experience in the London music scene as taking a while to sync his ears up to ragga and digital dancehall, two genres of music for which he has become well known.
Musical projects
God
God was a jazzcore group that was part of the grindcore and industrial metal scenes. Justin Broadrick, formerly of Napalm Death and later of Godflesh , eventually joined. This was the first of Martin's collaborations with Broadrick, Techno Animal and Ice (band)|Ice being subsequent. John Zorn also worked with this group.Allmusic|class=album|id=r73127|pure_url=yes allmusic ((( Possession > Overview )))
Techno Animal
An industrial hip-hop and ambient music|ambient-music collaboration with Justin Broadrick that also collaborated with Dälek , Vast Aire , and Anti-Pop Consortium . John Jobbagy also participated in the group.
Ice
Ice included Martin on vocals, saxophone, synthesizer, and turntables; Justin Broadrick on guitar; David Cochrane on bass; and Lou Ciccotelli on drums. Its first album, Under The Skin , was somewhat similar to the industrial metal of Broadrick's Godflesh , but with a more experimentalist bent, notably via Martin's free jazz -influenced saxophone. By Bad Blood (In Bloom/ Reprise Records|Reprise / Warner Bros. Records ), its second album, the band had absorbed a great deal of hip hop music|hip hop influence, and nearly all the songs featured contributions from guests well known in underground hip hop , including El-P. However, the experimentalism continued, with singer Blixa Bargeld of legendary industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten appearing as well, often alongside the emcees. According to critic Ned Raggett,Allmusic|class=album|id=r377122|pure_url=yes the experiments aren't always successful, but he credits the band for expanding its sound.
Curse of the Golden Vampire
Originally a collaboration between Techno Animal and Alec Empire in an industrial hip-hop vein. The second album, Mass Destruction, featured only Martin and Broadrick and moved into a more vicious breakcore and digital hardcore style with elements of grindcore , industrial hip-hop , and noise music|noise / power electronics (music)|power electronics .
The Bug
The Bug's music draws influence from dancehall , noise music|noise , Grime (music)|grime , and hip hop music|hip hop . More subtle influences include dubstep and the dubtronica and broken techno of Basic Channel and Pole (musician)|Pole .
The Bug's first album, Tapping The Conversation , was released in 1997 on the seminal Wordsound label. The album was conceived as an alternative soundtrack to the 1974 Francis Ford Coppola film The Conversation . In this incarnation The Bug consisted of Kevin Martin and DJ Vadim was in more of a downtempo and trip-hop vein.
From 2001-2004 The Bug collaborated with UK reggae soundsystem veteran The Rootsman on a number of limited edition 7" singles, released on the Razor X label. These releases were characterised by their harsh, aggressive nature both musically and vocally (vocal artists including Jamaican MCs such as He-Man and Wayne Lonesome).
The Bug's second album, Pressure was released on Rephlex Records in 2003. It included a number of more ambient, Dub music|dub -influenced tracks alongside the ragga -tinged onslaughts.
The Razor X singles were compiled on the Killing Sound album (along with newer material) which was released by Rephlex in 2006 .
Bug projects have included collaborations with a number of singers and MCs including Cutty Ranks , Roll Deep|Flow Dan , Warrior Queen (singer)|Warrior Queen and Ras B. In 2005 he collaborated with Mark Stewart (musician)|Mark Stewart and Keith Levene and has released records on Rephlex, Tigerbeat6 and Klien Records. The Bug produced some radio sessions, including a clash with Soundmurderer on John Peel and a 2006 Breezeblock session with 10 MCs.
In 2006, The Bug launched a monthly London-based reggae club night entitled BASH, in collaboration with dubstep producer Loefah . 2008 saw the release of London Zoo (album)|London Zoo , the third full release from the project, to critical acclaim.
Pressure
A dubstep project, with releases on the Hyperdub label.
He also compiled the Macro Dub Infection (parts one and two), Isolationism (album)|Isolationism and Jazz Satellites CDs for the Virgin Ambient series .
King Midas Sound
King Midas Sound is a musical crossover project, composed of Martin, London/Trinidad poet Roger Robinson and Japanese artist and singer Kiki Hitomi. Their first 12" release "(HDB014) Cool Out" and debut album Waiting For You... are both released through Kode9 's Hyperdub label. "Meltdown" also featured on the 5 Years Of Hyperdub CD release in 2009.
Influences
Kevin Martin discussed his admiration for Jah Shaka , Adrian Sherwood , King Tubby , Lee "Scratch" Perry|Lee Perry , Swans (band)|Swans , and Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy .Interview with Kevin Martin, David, Dubstep.fr, June 27, 2007. http://dubstep.fr/index.php/the-bug-itv-part1 Access date: August 28, 2008.
Journalism
He has previously written for music magazines such as Muzik and Jockey Slut .
Partial discography
God
Albums
Loco (GOD album)|Loco live album (Pathological, 1991)
Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons - 7" Single (Klein, 2003)
Buckle Up - 12" Single (Buckout, 2003)
Gun Disease - 12" Single ( Rephlex Records , 2003)
Aktion Pak - 12" Single ( Rephlex Records , 2004)
Dem A Bomb We - 12" Single ( Soul Jazz Records , 2005)
Fire - 12" Single (Klein, 2005)
Poison Dart - 12" Single ( Ninja Tune , 2007)
Jah War - 12" Single ( Ninja Tune , 2007)
Skeng - 12" Single ( Hyperdub , 2007)
Ganja / Flying - 12" Single ( Ninja Tune , 2008)
Infected - 12" Single ( Ninja Tune , 2010}
Run - 12" Single (Swamp81, 2010)
Remixes (incomplete)
Harrowdown Hill - Originally by Thom Yorke
Satellite - Originally by The Kills
Malarkey - Originally by The Earlyman
Emergency Room - Originally by Ford & Lopatin
Make Some Noise - Originally by Beastie Boys
Black Stacey - Originally by Saul Williams
Le Haine - Originally by Asian Dub Foundation
King Midas Sound
Albums
Waiting For You... (Hyperdub, 2009)
Without You (Hyperdub, 2011)
Singles & EPs
Cool Out (Hyperdub, 2008)
Dub Heavy - Hearts & Ghosts (Hyperdub, 2009)
Lost (Hyperdub, 2010)
Goodbye Girl (Hyperdub, 2011)
References
reflist
Reviews
http://brainwashed.com/index.php? option=com_content& task=view& id=6930& Itemid=90 The Bug review at Brainwashed (website)|Brainwashed.com
http://www.reggae-reviews.com/bug.html The Bug reviewed on reggae-reviews.com
http://auralstates.com/2008/09/the-bug-london-zoo-ninja-tune.html The Bug - London Zoo reviewed at Aural States, Recommended Album
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/142132-the-bug-london-zoo reviewed at Pitchfork Media , rated 8.6 out of 10.
http://www.ninjatune.net/ninja/artist.php? id=135
http://www.uncarved.org/dub/bug/bug.html
External links
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kevin+Martin Kevin Martin at Discogs
MySpace|thebuguk
http://www.uncarved.org/dub/bug/bug.html John Eden interviews Kevin
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/maryannehobbs/galleries/27/ photos from the 2006 Breezeblock session
http://www.posteverything.com/sackbutblues/article.php? id=5568 Bug interview on Post Everything
http://www.tigerbeat6.com/index.php? id=2_20 Tigerbeat 6 Bug Primer
GOD (UK band)Techno Animal Persondata | NAME =Martin, Kevin | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH = | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Kevin Category:Dancehall musicians Category:Dubstep musicians Category:English electronic musicians Category:English record producers Category:Living people Category:Virgin Records artists Category:Ninja Tune artists Category:Reprise Records artists Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
nl:Kevin Martin (muzikant)
Copyright Citations
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