In Gibson's Neuromancer, when Case & Molly meet the two surviving founders of Zion, there is talk of hearing a “mighty dub” in the Babel of tongues signaling the “final days”. If indeed we're living in these ‘end times’, as many predict, then there can be no more of an appropriate soundtrack for the coming apocalypse than The Bug's ‘London Zoo’
The Bug is the main project for Kevin Martin, a producer who over the years has also been behind a diverse range of projects. He is part of Techno Animal / Ice / God (all with Justin Broadrick of Godflesh / Jesu), King Midas Sound, Razor X Productions (with The Rootsman), Pressure and Ladybug to name a few. Then there is the running of his Pathological Records label, collaborations with noise jazz outfit 16–17, Pete ‘Sonic Boom’ Kemper's E.A.R project, John Zorn, Kevin Shields, El-P and Antipop Consortium. He has recorded for labels as diverse as Virgin, Rephlex, Position Chrome/Mille Plateaux, Word Sound, Hyperdub, City Slang, Tigerbeat 6, Grand Royal, and now Ninja Tune. He has been personally asked to remix Thom Yorke, Grace Jones, Einsturzende Neubauten and Primal Scream, and has compiled jazz & dub compilations for Virgin Records. The new album ‘London Zoo’ is the fruition of all these activities…
‘London Zoo’ was born of three key moments. An introduction to the thriving dubstep scene (of which The Bug was very much a pioneer before it carried a name) and its key producers (via Kode 9) where Kevin realized there was others on the same sonic trajectory as himself, an introduction to Warrior Queen via his work with Wayne Lonesome on the Razor X Productions project, and a Mary Anne Hobb's Breezeblock session which introduced him to Flowdan (Roll Deep), and Ricky Ranking. All three of which figure heavily in the end result and live presentation.
Although the obvious entry point to the album will be the dubstep tag, particularly after the success of the three lead up singles (‘Jah War’, ‘Skeng’, and ‘Poison Dart’) in that scene, it's a record that clearly reaches past and brings together/celebrates reference points from dancehall, grime, hip-hop, and noise onslaughts. A record that could have only come out of London sound-system culture but whose appeal spans past any singular city or scene.
From the opening strains of ‘Angry’ (featuring reggae legend Tippa Irie) it's clear that the world has been served notice from the heart of the UK capital. A position further strengthened as Ricky Ranking (best known for his work with Roots Manuva), Flowdan, Warrior Queen, Spaceape, Roger Robinson, Killa P, and Aya step up to lay waste to the boombastic rhythms put before them, eventually culminating in ‘Judgement’, where Ricky Ranking leaves us with a prophecy…“so much people are losing their minds, because we're living in a serious time. I guess it come in like a judgement sign, the people have killing on their mind”…living in end times indeed. Best start building the Marcus Garvey tug now.
Review:
Kevin Martin's previous album as the Bug, 2003's Pressure, was a vital,
visceral blast of digital dancehall and exploratory dub; 2008's London Zoo is
darker, grittier, tougher, and all the more exhilarating for it. The basic
template is similar: rough-hewn electronic productions that are rooted in
dancehall and hip-hop but don't feel remotely conventional, laced with
hard-hitting toasts and vocals from a bevy of sharp-tongued guests. But Zoo
ratchets up the intensity in both sound and substance, creating a striking
symbiosis of sense and sonics wherein the dread and righteous rage expressed by
the vocalists are equally evident in Martin's furious, foreboding beats and
basslines. In both regards, London Zoo is an extremely potent, relevant record
for its time, capturing an energetic spark that feels tied to the creative
renewal of dubstep (a genre that Martin may have helped to germinate, and which
in any case scarcely existed at the time of the last Bug album) as well as the
tormented spirit of a city ground down and galvanized by recent socio-political
developments, both local and global. Look no further than the opening lyrical
salvo – “So many things that get me "angry"" – from veteran British
reggae MC Tippa Irie, who rails about everything from suicide bombers to global
warming to Hurricane Katrina over a kinetic ragga thump. As insistent as it is,
"Angry” feels practically mild (and certainly peppy) in comparison to much of
what follows: the ferocity of Warrior Queen (the doggedly propulsive
“Insane,” the hypnotic, bass-blasted “Poison Dart”), the apocalyptic,
steely-eyed R&B of Ricky Ranking (ominously funky “Murder We” and
solemnly soulful closer “Judgement”) and, especially, the grim, severe
tracks which feature Flowdan of the grime collective Roll Deep – the dread
sermonizing of “Jah War,” the industrial menace of “Warning,” and the
utterly bone-chilling “Skeng.” Such is the album's strength – the power
and inventiveness of Martin's productions, the astuteness and aptness of his
guest selections – that any one of these tracks could be singled out as a
highlight. (And the remainder aren't far behind; the washed-out calm of “You
& Me” and lone instrumental “Freak Freak” do offer a respite of sorts,
as they're merely spooky rather than gut-wrenchingly tense.) Taken as a whole,
London Zoo is simply a masterful statement, and one that cries out to be heard:
as intense as it is, it's hardly inaccessible – hooks abound in the vocal
contributions and Martin's grooves, while sometimes discordant and oppressive,
are never less than riveting.
All Music Guide – K. Ross Hoffman