Kevin Martin will release his first solo album as The Bug in seven years on Ninja Tune.
Fire is the third part of a series that began with 2008’s London Zoo and moved through 2014’s mind-melting Angels & Devils. Its 14 tracks will “immolate the synapses and flail the body,” we’re told, and they’re filled with the aggression and unsettling frenzy that the British producer has become so widely known for. They broadly cover dancehall, noise, grime, and hip-hop.
But beyond this, Fire is a response to the unique circumstances of the past year and a chance for Martin to reflect on his own journey from reclusive sound-obsessive to family man. In a period of enforced isolation, it captures his thirst for contact, and more importantly for the mayhem that can only happen between people, noise, and bass. By rebuilding his studio through lockdown, he ended up with a new album.
“I’ve always been addicted to the physicality and intensity of sound. I started The Bug because I wanted to make music for a soundsystem I had in storage, and the live experience of The Bug has always been something I wanted to reflect on record,” Martin tells EDMjunkies. “I like friction, chaos, fanning the flames with sound, and this album is the most reflective of the live show in terms of intensity and the sheer fuck-off attitude of those shows.”
The album features Martin’s longtime friends like Flowdan, Roger Robinson, Moor Mother, Manga Saint Hilare, and Irah & Daddy Freddy alongside new names to the stable like Logan, Nazamba, and FFSYTHO.
Tracklisting
01. The Fourth Day (feat. Roger Robinson)
02. Pressure (feat. Flowdan)
03. Demon (feat. Irah)
04. Vexed (feat. Moor Mother)
05. Clash (feat. feat. Logan)
06. War (feat. Nazamba)
07. How bout dat (feat. FFSYTHO)
08. Bang (feat. Manga Saint Hilare)
09. Hammer (feat. Flowdan)
10. Ganja Baby (feat. Daddy Freddy)
11. Fuck Off (feat. feat. Logan)
12. Bomb (feat. Flowdan)
13. High Rise (feat. Manga Saint Hilare)
14. The Missing (feat. Roger Robinson)
Fire LP is scheduled for August 29 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Clash” in full below via the player below and pre-order here.
