Bleep

The Bug goes head to head with Earth for a full-length session of metallic, bass heavy destruction on Ninja Tune, trust when we say it's pure murder this one!!

With the echoes of their 2014 collaborative 12" Boa / Cold still ringing in our ears, The Bug meets Earth for a much needed full-length offering of their unique collaboration. Fittingly titled Concrete Desert, the sounds within coil around a tight-fisted backdrop of drone-metal surroundings and fierce, chopped out dancehall riddims that reflect a sort of infected Blade Runner style L.A. amid an urban decay of sandblasted global warming blues.

As you would expect, both artists call on their respective backgrounds within the specific spheres of soundsystem bruising and all round heaviness. From The Bug's crowning glories as a master of apocalyptic grime, acid dancehall and rugged poison dart pressure. The parallels are drawn perfectly with Dylan Carson's historic discography of jagged metal and soundscraping noise. Between the duo the outcome is an album that rips vast shards of thunderous riffs out of the earth (no pun intended!) and reigns them down onto the street level concrete below. When played at a (correct) loud volume there is a truly crushing velocity akin to nine million rainy days all falling down on you at once.

Drafting in elements of The Bug's rolling trap like ball bearing snare rolls with Earth's signature axe yielding notes make tracks like Snakes Vs Rats and the zonal ambience of American Dream seemingly feel like your hi-fi is about to explode under the combined weight of these two heavyweight titans, making Concrete Desert carry a sort of devilish velocity to its stark, dreamlike haze.

Not content with knocking out one of the heaviest records of the year, The Bug calls upon JK Flesh for two of the LP's highlights ‘Dog’ and ‘Pray’. Bringing a taste of his upbringing within the confines of central Birmingham in the 70s / 80s, it is on these pieces that he verbalises what the label calls "the void at the core of that urban hell". A fitting way to describe the vibe that runs through these head to head to head collaborative pieces.

Concrete Desert blends the ideas that have been circulating within the studios of artists such as Raime, Alessandro Cortini, G.H. & KTL with a first for sub-bass style snares with creaking ominous drones When mixed with the obviously shared love of artists that weight down on the heavier side of life - Napalm Death, Sleep, Merzbow - The Bug & Earth have turned out a full length that once you hit play, its sure to crush everything within its wake.