- The missing link between free jazz, dancehall and grime.
- Kevin Martin's third album as The Bug, London Zoo, cemented his status as a visionary working on the peripheries of dance music. But while most Resident Advisor readers might know him for eternal bangers like "Skeng," Martin's musical roots are from another world altogether. His old label Pathological Records' first release found common ground in Coil's post-industrial magick and the inspired metal of Godflesh and Napalm Death. Later he cemented the relationship between free jazz and noise with a release from one of Europe's most important tenor players, Peter Brötzmann, and his son, Caspar. Then there was a spoken word record from no wave high priestess Lydia Lunch and an appearance by AMM royalty Eddie Prévost. Martin left his home town of Weymouth with not much more than a PA system, but within a few years, he was making connections between players and styles that reflected an inspired vision of music.
After a fertile period working with kindred spirit Justin Broadrick as Techno Animal, Martin launched The Bug, and was promptly picked up by Aphex Twin's Rephlex. It kicked off a project that's been synonymous with Martin ever since. For this Exchange, however, we focus on the constellation of influences that shaped his perspective in the late '80s and early '90s, providing an insight into the thinking that shaped the unique electronic music of his later years.
TracklistTechno Animal - Dream Forger
Zonal - Necrophiliac