Friction and
contradiction

The Bug pulls people together to tell
why London’s tearing itself apart

SURVIVAL INSTINCTS: The Bug

by JACK OATMON

The last time I spoke to Kevin Martin, aka the Bug, in November of 2006, he described a “fucking suicidal” recording schedule of working on four albums simultaneously with a slew of MCs and other producers. Likewise, this time I caught him holed up again in his London studio, hammering out his thunderous, teeth-clattering dub and ruminating on the paradoxes of urban concentrations. Martin’s sound and style create heavy emotional and cultural tension by constantly uniting new artists in the mix. The stacked roster on his new record, London Zoo, epitomizes that angst-ridden artistic feedback loop.

“The first time I worked with a lot of these MCs, it was for a session with [BBC Radio 1’s] Mary Anne Hobbs,” explains Martin about the guests. “I was asked to put together a dream line-up of MCs, who are now on this record. They’re such contrasting figures, but there were weird parallels in the way they were synching up in the studio, and I wanted that to be reflected on this album. I like the fact that there’s a collision of cultures in what we do. I like the friction that it engenders.”

Though Martin excels at collaboration, he says millions of people don’t make for likeminded bedfellows. The adversity of the city is central to his new record. “Much of London likes to think of itself as a cosmopolitan city, but there are still massive problems of racism in how people are treated.”

As Martin speaks his next sentence, I can hear the sound of police sirens wailing in the background, almost as if to illustrate his point. “London encourages an exploitative mindset. People move here to get something out of the city and in the end, they’re quite happy to get something out of each other.”

The album thus speaks of both unity and urban isolation, and showcases the contrast between the two. “I know a lot of people, but there are very few that I regard as close friends. That’s indicative of how you have to survive in this city.”

With Warrior Queen and guests at
Zoobizarre on Tuesday,
July 29, 9 p.m., $12