The Bug - Absent Riddim (2022)

This new The Bug (Kevin Martin) album called Absent Riddim is 17 different versions of a beat/riddim thta at the origin was for a Absent in Body remix. With a different vocalists on each tracks. Usual Kevin Martin collaborators and others. Impressive crew (J.K. Broderick, Dälek, Roger Robinson,Dis Fig, Ethan Lee MacCarthy, Nicholas Bullen, Moor Mother, and Nazamba and Jaimie Brach who sadly both passed away during the making of the album). The album is also paying tribute to one riddim Jamaican dancehall albums. Convincing exercise from the great master of industrial dub, and from his guest vocalists as well.

The BC page.

 

G36 vs JK Flesh - Disintegration Dubs (2021)

G36 vs JK Flesh - Distintegration Dubs is a split album with Justin Broadrick as JK Flesh (the name he uses for his more electronic music) and Kevin Martin with Gorgonn, his live collaborator in The Bug, as G36. Unsurprisingly, this is dark and heavy industrial dub music. And of course it is excellent.

The BC page.

 

 

The Bug - Fire (2021)

After a more quiet / ambient and I'd say less memorable In blue, bass music legend Kevin Martin is back with a really strong The Bug album, aptly called Fire. The heavy and dark industrial dub sounds are perfect soundtracks for an awesome team of vocalists from the jungle/ragga/dubstep/hip-hop scenes, from the poetic spoken words of Roger Robinson to the fast rapping of grime finest Flowdan, with also Moor Mother and other good vocalists. Recommended stuff.

The BC page.

 

Zonal - Wrecked (2019)

Zonal is formed by Kevin Martin (The Bug, King Midas Sound) and Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu, JK Flesh) who teamed already in Techno Animal, and they are joined by Camae Ayewa (alias Moor Mother) on the first half of the album, the rest being instrumentals. As expected the result in this first album called Wrecked (released by Relapse), is industrial hip-hop/illbient/dark trip-hop, in a more quiet style than Techno Animal was. Both half of the album (the first half with Camae Ayewa vocals and the second instrumental one) are very good. Maybe the first half being more interesting and memorable. It's not the best album they made (either together or not) but still it's excellent and if you like what they did before you'll enjoy this one as well.

The Bandcamp page.

King Midas sound - Solitude (2019)

On their new album, their third, called Solitude (the central theme is a meditation about loss), King Midas Sound is just Roger Robinson doing spoken words (and the words are excellents) and Kevin Martin (Techno Animal, The Bug, etc.). The music is even more minimalistic than their usual and the ambient electro dub is actually often getting closer to drone than to dub, and the tone is quite bleak. But it's beautifull. It's really good and my favourite KMS album up to now. Quiet music rarely get as addictive as this.

The BC page.

The Bug - Concrete Desert (2017)

Concrete Desert is a collaboration between Kevin Martin (The Bug, Techno Animal, etc.) and Dylan Carlson (Earth) is released under the name The Bug and by the techno label Ninja Tune but actually it is closer to the most minimalistic Eath albums (like Hex), it sounds more like Dylan Carlson guitar drone / americana / ambient soundscape fearturing Kevin Martin adding some noise aelements and a few discreet beats. I would have liked more of the heavier dub / industrial elements from the Kev Martin musical world but anyway it is still a really good ambient album. I enjoy it like it is for now... but hope in the future another collaborative album, maybe this time with a different dosage.

The Bandcamp page.