With his solo project The Bug and band King Midas Sound (imagine Björk and Skunk Anansie howling into the wind together), Kevin Martin’s heady renderings of dub, ragga, grime, dubstep, hip hop and techno were canonised with 2008’s London Zoo – one of the few albums to emerge from dubstep unscathed by withering fashions – and set the bar pretty damn high for whatever was to follow. Now, word’s come that his new album, Angels & Devils, is set to be some of his most adventurous and punishing to date.
Looking at the track list, he hasn’t skimped on decent collaborations either. Death Grips, Liz Harris (of Grouper), Gonjasufi, copeland (formerly of Hype Williams), Flowdan, Miss Red, Justin Broadrick (of Godflesh and Jesu), Manga (of Roll Deep), and Warrior Queen all feature; a line-up as heavyweight as Martin’s sound. To mark the news of the release, and in anticipation for how many things we’re going to break in the room as soon as it drops, we caught up with The Bug from his new base in Berlin about the dichotomies in play on his latest work, and how pain fuelled him.
You can stream a first listen to the Gonjasufi and Death Grips collaborations from Angels & Devils below.
THUMP: Why did you relocate to Berlin? How’s living there compared to “the London zoo”?
The Bug: Well, for various reasons. Mainly because of the present UK government and it’s questionable Prime Minister. Right wing idiots blaming “foreigners” for the problems of the country, instead of the obvious culprits: overpaid corporations, greedy bankers, gold digging politicians. It’s making it impossible for non EU passport holders to live there. My girlfriend is Japanese and couldn’t stay in England anymore due to those visa issues. Many of her Asian friends have had to leave the country too. So, that was the catalyst.
More generally though, Berlin is far cheaper than London and I’d ended up living in a complete shithole there called Poplar. It’s a melting pot of very poor and unhappy residents, dangerous street gangs and shitty housing. I realised my life in London for some time had nothing to do with living. It was just been a case of barely surviving.
It was time for a change. I’ve always had a soft spot for Berlin – its alternative history and don’t give a fuck attitude – and I’d built up many musical allies here over the years of touring here. The Hard Wax crew, the Shitkatapult folks, the Small But Hard freaks, Digital Hardcore noise fiends, Mark Ernestus, Modeselektor…. Berlin’s been great. In comparison to London, every day in Berlin seems like a Sunday. It’s relaxed and spacious, and now it’s given me a son. So, mein kinder ist ein kleine Berlinner!
How’s working in the studios at Nalepastraße like? How did that influence the work for Angels & Devils?
The Bug: I like the atmosphere of the Funkhaus alot. It’s a nice location on the banks of the spree and it’s isolated, importantly. I didn’t move to Berlin to party. I moved here to set up a home and work. I love the idea of the community of artists and the beauty of some of the rooms – not mine, unfortnuately – but I rarely surface to chat to anyone. I go there to work and bolt the door, ha.
I did the mixdowns for the whole record last summer there, although I had to be wheeled there in a wheelchair everyday by my girlfriend as I snapped my Achilles tendon and couldn’t walk for three months. I guess the pleasure and pain definitely combined in the mixdown process.
Who did the art direction for Angels & Devils?
The Bug: I did, but I worked very closely with an incredible illustrator and artist called Simon Fowler, who had worked with Earth and Sunn O))) before. The aesthetics are a crucial part of the whole package. it has to strongly reflects the themes therein.
Did your collaborators visit you in Berlin?
The Bug: Mostly all the vocals had already been recorded in London, but Miss Red recorded her vocal for me here, and the instrumentals that feature, were written here also…
My immediate impression of this record is that you’re dealing with some strong contrasts…
The Bug: Yeah, the album was constructed to explore extremes, both sonically and, very importantly, emotionally. I decided I wanted to approach the album with two halves in contrast and conflict. In hindsight, the idea was probably partly inspired by Eno’s incredible album Low for David Bowie, which was also produced in Berlin. I wanted to confound expectations on one hand, and push the music to further, more intense areas on the other. I guess it’s simultaneously zonal and misanthropic, ha.
The Bug – Angels & Devils is out on Ninja Tune on August 25th
Interview conducted by Walter W. Wacht: @wwwacht
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