With the ambience of Burial threatening to distill dubstep into a ghostly presence, inhuman and intangible, The Bug's 'London Zoo''s sheer human urgency is a much welcome return.
Kevin Martin, producer genius steps forward once again for the next installment of the gritty and dark experiment of The Bug. This album features MC's Tippa Irie, and Ricky Ranking and more fittingly; Spaceape and Warrior Queen. The dubstep roots have always been evident in The Bugs music but a shift to danchall / ragga style production is large part of this record. It is a uncompromising and harsh record and not safe for consumption between the hours of 7am-9pm. It's not without relief as 'Judgement' and 'You and Me' choose a slower pace, building on static menace and atmospherics to give the listener breathing space and unnerving climax. Musically a big part of this record is densely thick sub-bass and oily snares as well as much needed atmospherics, whirring noises and static. Standout tracks are 'Poison Dart' featuring warrior queens feminist brutality and Spaceape on 'Fuckaz'.
London Zoo is not unlike Spaceapes and Kode 9's future-scapes but this record seems so much more urgent, more real, claustrophobic, violent and hints on the changes of the world since 2003's last Bug record ''Tapping The Conversation'. The lyrics are righteous, and themes include the Taliban, the 7/7 attacks, the distrust of the public and hatred of public figures.
Robin Van Rijn
The Bug MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/thebuguk
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