The Bug is actually a London-based DJ
and producer who has taken his deep love of dancehall and
reggae and twisted it around his industrial influences.
To call the music on London
Zoo, his third release under the moniker of The Bug,
just another Reggae album would be an injustice to the beauty
of what he has created.
Bringing his background in Avant-Jazz with the band GOD
to his need to exploit the sound system for all it has got,
he has created a unique sound that bears his signature.
Bringing in Bass lines influenced by hip-hop, dancehall,
grime, noise and his own imagination, his sound becomes
more than just another album to be blasted through giant
speakers at some club. His beats are almost spiritual in
their depth; you feel them all the way to your soul. His
sound is more London underground than it is reggae influenced,
but he has found the perfect collaborators for his sound
by using reggae vocalists.
Tippa Irie provides a deep raspy vocal to the first track,
"Angry." The music on the album is straight-forward with
a driving bass beat and hand claps — sort of like a grimy
"Macarena."
Except for the chorus, I needed to break out my Rasta-to-English
dictionary, but even with out knowing what he is really
saying I think I get the message. He's angry. One of the
stand-out vocalists on the album is Warrior Queen. She performs
on two of the tracks, "Insane" and "Poison Dart," which
give us a glimpse at what a big deal she is and could become.
Both songs give her plenty of room to seduce us with her
smooth delivery and range of modulation.
Listeners are however not beaten over the head with chest-thumping
beats on every song. The Bug also gives us moments of pause.
The song "Too Much Pain" has a real minimalist production
to it. It's kinda trippy and freaks me out a bit, in a really
good way. Another song you can get lost in is the instrumental
"Freak Freak." It sounds like a techno lullaby. The music
on London Zoo is
really fascinating and fun to listen to. It's dynamic and
keeps you on your toes. Ultimately the songs on this album
are written to be played at very loud decibels. You can
dance to this without question. The Bug is not afraid to
create music that defies typical definitions and can feel
free to give into his beats.
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