The Bug is the main music project of London-based UK producer Kevin Martin, who works across electronic and bass-heavy sounds. Martin also appears in a number of other groups and projects, including Techno Animal, The Sidewinder, God, Ice, Curse of the Golden Vampire, Zonal, King Midas Sound, Black Chow, Cult of the 13th Hour, Pressure and Experimental Audio Research. Across these projects he explores combinations of grindcore, industrial, metal, hip-hop, dub, jazz and ambient.

Style and influences

The Bug’s sound draws on dancehall, noise, grime and hip hop, with more subdued influence from dubstep and the dubtronica and broken techno of Basic Channel and Pole. The wider project is associated with ambient dub, breakbeat, breaks, club, drone metal and dub.

Releases

The Bug’s first album, Tapping The Conversation, appears in 1997 on Wordsound as an alternative soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film The Conversation. In this version of the project, The Bug consists of Kevin Martin and DJ Vadim. A second album, Pressure, follows on Rephlex in 2003 and includes both more ambient, dub-flavoured tracks and ragga-driven pieces.

From 2001 to 2004, Martin works with UK reggae soundsystem veteran The Rootsman on a series of limited-edition 7-inch singles under the name Razor X Productions, released on Razor X. These recordings include vocal contributions from Jamaican MCs such as He-Man and Wayne Lonesome and are gathered with later material on the Killing Sound album, released by Rephlex in 2006.

In 2004, The Bug collaborates with Warrior Queen on Aktion Pak. In 2005, Martin works with Mark Stewart and Keith Levene. He releases music on Rephlex, Tigerbeat6 and Klien Records, and also starts the label Lady Bug for releases featuring female vocalists and MCs.

Club and radio work

The Bug produces radio sessions, including a clash with Soundmurderer on John Peel and a 2006 Breezeblock session with 10 MCs. In 2006, he launches the monthly London reggae club night BASH with dubstep producer Loefah.

Later material

Warrior Queen’s dubplate Poison Dart spreads through dubstep clubs in 2007 and is picked up by Ninja Tune. In the same period, Skeng gains club attention. The third album, London Zoo, appears on Ninja Tune in 2008.