Tapping the
Conversation is a 1997 album by Kevin Martin under his still running alias, The Bug. Martin (and co-producer DJ
Vadim) takes the listener through a dark, staticky tunnel hole of beats and
noises that would make the perfect mood setter for a schizophrenic, NSA honeymoon getaway. Despite the relentless and nightmarish tone of practically
every song (with titles like “Invasion of Privacy” and “Fake Auto Crash”), what’s
most impressive is Martin has created a rather listenable piece of work for
someone who doesn’t mind getting their ears a bit dirty.
More recently, Martin has released “Angels & Devils”
under the Ninja Tune label, a breakout moment for an artist who has always been
committed to operating on the most distant fringes of (already) underground
music. In an interview with FACT
magazine, Martin explained, “on the one hand, I genuinely want music that I can
use as sonic warfare…on the other hand, I want to listen to shit at home that
transports me elsewhere without necessarily being antagonistic.”
The Bug - listening from the more recent album