The Bug (musician)
| The Bug | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kevin Martin |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Dub, industrial, dancehall, jazzcore, hip hop, dubstep |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, musician, journalist |
| Instruments | Computers, vocals, turntables, synthesizers, saxophone |
| Labels | Ninja Tune, Hyperdub, Rephlex |
| Associated acts | King Midas Sound, Roger Robinson, Flowdan, Daddy Freddy, Earth, Warrior Queen, GOD, Ice,16-17, Techno Animal, Pressure, Godflesh, Justin Broadrick, Death Grips, Curse of the Golden Vampire. Loefah, Miss Red |
Kevin Martin is a musician, record producer and journalist, often known under his recording alias The Bug from England, UK. Martin moved from Weymouth to London around 1990 and is now currently based in Berlin, Germany. He has been active for over two decades, in the genres of dub, jazzcore, industrial hip hop, dancehall, and dubstep.
His projects include GOD, Techno Animal, Ice, Curse of the Golden Vampire, Pressure, and most recently, King Midas Sound (with Roger Robinson and Kiki Hitomi) and The Bug vs Earth.
Martin first became interested in music as a teenager going to Handsome Dick's, a record store in Weymouth, Dorset, England, UK. At the same time, he was introduced to Joy Division, the Sex Pistols, Captain Beefheart, the Birthday Party, and Throbbing Gristle. He has described his initial interest in music as stemming from his difficult family situation during his childhood, and said, "It seemed like everything that I hated about English conservative monoculture was being burned and turned upside down through music," and, "Post-punk music was tearing up rule books and asking questions of everything, particularly structure in terms of music, art, politics, you know, the law."
Martin first began making music because he was attracted to a do-it-yourself (DIY) aesthetic. He first worked with a four-track recorder and effects pedal, and said, "[I] was interested in everything that wasn't harmony, melody, and conservative musical structure. Dub seemed to tear everything to shreds, burn it up, and rearrange the embers." (referring to dub music). He described his early experiences of music in London as being very influential for his style and appreciation of music, especially experiencing Iration Steppas and The Disciples in the early 1990s. He described his experience in the London music scene as taking a while to sync his ears up to ragga and digital dancehall, two genres of music for which he has become well known.
GOD was a jazzcore group that was part of the grindcore and industrial metal scenes. Justin Broadrick, formerly of Napalm Death and later of Godflesh, eventually joined. This was the first of Martin's collaborations with Broadrick, Techno Animal and Ice being subsequent. John Zorn also worked with this group.
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