Kevin Richard Martin, better known as the The Bug, has collaborated with Joseph Kamaru (a.k.a KMRU) on a new album for Phantom Limb.
Martin first became aware of the Kenyan musician after watching the short 2020 documentary “Under The Bridge.”
He found his approach to sound and music “so instantly impressive,” he says, and that his spoken voice possessed a “captivating, lilting, tonal quality, with his soft-spoken accent,” he says.
Following this, Martin dug into Kamaru’s records, and eventually reached out to suggest they team up for an album.
The result, called Disconnect, combines dub and ambient with Kamaru’s vocals. They are a surprise, because they come from a musician who specialises in instrumental ambient music.
“I think I surprised Joseph by suggesting he contributes vocals,” Martin says.
But the album’s vocals, “sitting somewhere between intonation and spoken word,” we’re told, “capture the ear and fizz with simmering power.”
Disconnect follows Martin’s run of Machine EPs.
You can read more about Kamaru here, in his XLR8R feature and his podcast here.
Tracklisting
01. Differences
02. Arkives
03. Difference
04. Ark
05. Differ
06. Arcs
Disconnect LP is scheduled for June 14 release. Meanwhile, you can stream “Differ” in full via the player below and pre-order here.
