London Zoo

Bug, The Bug | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ninja Tune
• ASIN: B0012RCMOC
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,551 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > World Music > Reggae > Dance Hall
  • #25 in Music > Dance & DJ > Techno > General AAS
  • #25 in Music > Dance & DJ > Techno > General

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Bug, aka Kevin Martin, has built up all kinds of cred in the 20 years he's spent tinkering around the edges of space jazz, ambient techno, and sub-genres (dancehall, illbient, grime, etc.) that float under the radar of the casual dance fan. His raging experimentation and massive, thumping drum machines are volatile and ominous, a taste that takes a little time to acquire. On London Zoo however, Martin merges the dark brashness of his beats with a game cast of MCs and vocalists bent on slamming The Man and venting about a political and spiritual malaise. It's an effective combination of music and words, and produces a relatively approachable—and exceptionally timely—record. The emphasis on dub and reggae patois makes the lyrics hard to discern, but there’s no missing the flowing, wrathful passion. "Angry" sets the pace early, as Tippa Irie tears into Bush, Katrina, and a manufactured climate of fear. Flowdan's Rasta delivery makes an impact as well, especially the dub-step bomb throwing session "Jah War." Martin understands tonal contrast, and so Zoo’s women are just as hot; check out the brutal dystopia of "Poison Dart," with Warrior Queen's filthy, spitting diatribe. Meanwhile, quieter non-vocal tracks like "Freak Freak" give the listener a needed breather. London Zoo is a volcano of a record, belching bass and vocal lava flows into the air with righteous fury. Buy this and watch your sub-woofer erupt.--Matthew Cooke

Product Description

London Zoo was born of three key moments. An introduction to the thriving Dub-Step scene (of which The Bug is very much a pioneer before it carried a name) and it's 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. 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Steppin' out, September 16, 2008

By 

Gobbles (Earth Capital) - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Zoo (Audio CD)

'London Zoo' could be the album to bring broad public awareness to the underground dubstep scene. Not that I myself feel that it's really necessary to commercialize it, but on the other hand, I am not one to whine about more people enjoying the genres signature slow, hypnotic grooves and rumbling wobble-bass lines.

Now, The Bug's interpretation of hard dub comes in a more hooky and easily digestible, jungle-like form (at least on this album), often heavily reliant on excellent guest vocalists, most notably Flowdan, Tippa Irie and Warrior Queen, and often following general song-patterns - not at all what we're used to from Rusko, Caspa, Skream, Benga, Cotti and Cluekid's 2-4 hour mixes. The tracks here are also less just about the BASS which might upset some of the more hardcore steppers, and I too feel that some heavier bass-hooks could have been beneficial for the album, as a form of introducing a more original dubstep-y feel. But as mentioned before, this album is probably intends to show a more accessible side of it all.

And after listening to dubstep on and off for about 2 years, I have to admit that it _can_ get weary with the nearly constant reliance on wobbling bass, almost any artist (I've heard) have had for the entirety of the genres existence. Even though that, of course, what was got me into it, it's lovely to hear something a little different.

And that small leaning towards a more pop-oriented audience paves the way for the tracks on 'London Zoo' to actually show something that, up to this point seemed alien to the dubstep scene: Hit potential.

Tracks lasting your average 4-6 minutes, sporting memorable choruses and danceable rhythms. The first one that comes to mind as appealing to the broad club audience is "Poison Dart" featuring Warrior Queen, as well as the hysterical rant - the album opener "Angry" with Tippa Irie.

And my personal favorite, the much remixed "Skeng", also simply have to bring some attention to 'London Zoo'. The pure awesomeness of this track is almost overwhelming. Flowdan's baritone Jamaican flow is such a pleasure to listen to backed up by a very, very! dope slow-rolling beat, it consumes you, leaving you utterly stunned - in fact, Flowdan is probably what saves the album for me. I'm not totally into the jungle-dance stuff, although on a purely objective level I admit it's well done.

All in all, I can highly recommend 'London Zoo' to folks who want to discover a lighter side of dubstep. But for a more "old-school" record, with equally manageable track lengths, check out Fabriclive.37

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bugged!, September 9, 2008

By 

DirtySanchez "DigginBeats" (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: London Zoo (Audio CD)

The Bug's first release on the Wordsound label was well wicked. He made an alternative score to the movie the Conversation. No wonder he went with the name the Bug. That movie is F$%^ked Up! London Zoo drops us right in the middle of the dubstep scene. This album sounds best in a cloud of smoke. The track that will twist your noodle is Poison Dart feat. the Warrior Queen. The Bug and Warrior Queen need to do a full-length project. Their chemistry is aggressive, yet very calming. Don't Sleeeeeep!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As someone new to this genre, November 25, 2008

By 

Jason Harrington "Trucker Hater Magazine" (Little Rock, AR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: London Zoo (Audio CD)

My wife and I listen to a lot of electronic indie pop, and we have very different standards though we both look for similar qualities of smart and exciting music. This CD was our introduction to the dubstep genre, and in fact we are not people who often gravitate towards any genre that could be considered post-reggae or related to world music. We agree on M.I.A. and Santogold, but we are not into The Clash or that whole side of punk devoted to skanking, etc.

We disagree on this album. For her it was a little too much "rastafarian shouting" but for me I was blown away. I agree with her that this vocal accent and attitude is typically indicative of a very one-dimensional sound, but in this case I feel competely different about what I heard than my wife did.

I could do without the first song and the last song, as well as the other song that had "normal singing," but in the center of the album something really awesome happens that is hard to explain. The music keeps deepening and the brooding mood of the musical compositions along with the menacing quality these masculine vocal styles is all very overwelming and quite intense no matter if you hear it on the dancefloor or in your recliner. It's dark, crude, and reasonably violent, but also extremely consistent (minus the missteps I mentioned).

I will say that the American critics tend to be very clingy to anything that seems loyal to another country or any kind of indigenous flair. Basically tribal music or anything like that is worshiped by critics. This time however they got it VERY right. This is a serious record full of carfully moded details.