King Midas Sound

King Midas Sound

King Midas Sound is a United Kingdom-based group formed by Kevin Richard Martin with vocalist and poet Roger Robinson, later joined by Kiki Hitomi. Martin first begins developing the project while looking for vocalists for London Zoo (2008), and Robinson already has a prior collaboration with him on Techno Animal’s Dead Man’s Curse title track in 2001. Hitomi, who is from Dokkebi Q, also works with Martin in The Bug and in the 2011 project Black Chow.

Sound and style

The group’s music combines dub and dancehall foundations with electronic bass pressure and the darker atmosphere associated with dubstep and trip-hop. Their sound is described as ghostly and diffuse rather than hard-edged, with songs built around urban unease, religion, sin and salvation, and the possibility of moral or spiritual renewal.

Albums and collaborations

Their debut album, Waiting For You, is released on Steve ‘Kode9’ Goodman’s Hyperdub label. It carries elements associated with Martin’s work in The Bug, but presents them in a more spectral form. Roger Robinson’s vocals are a central part of the record, including tracks such as “Cool Out” and “Earth a Kill Ya’”, where his delivery and written lines shape the album’s tone.

In 2011 the group releases Without You, a rework album built from the debut record. It includes new vocal versions and remixes by Cooly G, Kuedo, Mala, Kode9 & the Spaceape, Flying Lotus and Green Gartside of Scritti Politti.

Members

The group consists of Kevin Richard Martin, Roger Robinson and Kiki Hitomi.