DESCRIPTION:
Sonic warfare from a singular collaboration.

"As far as I'm concerned my perfectionism, or attempted perfectionism, in what we are trying to do live isn't just selfish ego," Kevin Martin, better known as The Bug and King Midas Sound, told us last year. "It's as much—more, actually—about me wanting to give an audience the best possible scenario, and to give them the most intense experience I can possibly deliver." Anyone who's seen Martin perform live in the last decade or so will know he's not kidding. For sheer teeth-gritting, trouser-flapping, sonic bombardment, there really isn't anyone like him. Martin draws inspiration from his experiences at dub soundclashes and concerts by groups like Swans, where the physical effects of sound on the body are as crucial as the tracks themselves.

His King Midas Sound project, which features vocalists Kiki Hitomi and Roger Robinson, shows the dichotomy Martin creates between his recorded music and his live shows. 2009's Waiting For You..., the group' first album, was a gorgeous blend of soul and dub that gently smoldered; the live show connected to the record, meanwhile, was a thrilling barrage of noise and low-end. The group returned earlier this year armed with a concept: they planned to release four albums, each in collaboration with a guest musician, beginning with the esteemed Austrian artist Fennesz. Edition 1 took the group's sound to an alien place, a dense environment based on drifting vocals and kaleidoscopic soundscapes. As the group began to perform live across Europe this autumn, the record's latent force was inevitably brought to bear.

For their RA Session, we set up at Bloc's venue in East London to give Martin and co the sonic headroom they'd need to let loose. They laid down a potent three-track set that captures the King Midas Sound experience, from apocalyptic torch songs to portentous drones and back again.

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Credits:
Director - Patrick Nation
Producer - Debbie Butts
Editor - Guy Clarke
Camera - Charlie Moore, Mattia Ramberti, Dan Higginson, Patrick Nation, Debbie Butts
Sound Engineer - Goh Nakada
Colourist - Adam Clarke