When asked to describe the sound of The Bug, Kevin Martin responds, “Beats, Bombs, Bass, Weapons, Congestion, Space, Concussion and Seduction.” !!Sounds Beautiful!! Martin [the man behind the bug] has refined an arsenal of tuff tunes (with Flowdan and Warrior Queen passing the mic) and wicked remixes (for Ghislain Poirier and Thom Yorke of Radiohead) into dangerous dubplate killahs! Perhaps the don of toxic dancehall finished construction on his urban-legendary soundsystem and now makes distorted ragga dubs on a barricade of bassbins instead of a pair of studio monitors! “Poison Dart” is The Bug’s most recent weapon of choice: a staggering riddim made razor-sharp by Warrior Queen’s defiant tongue. It’s a heavy tune that aches to be played BiG and LouD in an open space where the bass can unfurl into the wide wobbling synths that decay into long echoes.

HearingTest has the brand new video for “Poison Dart” and details on the remixes by Skream, South Rakkas Crew, Stereotyp and a Flowdan version that will accompany the originals to be released in December. I’ve even posted Warrior Queen’s lyrics for “Poison Dart” which aim Warrior’s wisdom at young shottas inna de dance. If your native tongue is more patio than patois, these subtitles might help.

“The Bug is a low-end assassination on your psyche,
painting the landscape of a dystopian future.”

- Ninja Tune Press Ninja

New Video For “Poison Dart”

The video for “Poison Dart” casts Kevin Martin’s apocalyptic music into a barren landscape where renegade rasta-nomadic soundsystem culture is thriving. I especially dig the AT-AT-sized creatures stomping out the kick drum sounds and the techno-voodoo aesthetic of the pixelated and war-painted dancers. It looks like it was filmed on-location at Second Life Burning Man…

“Poison Dart” - directed by V.O.L.T.S. :

[You need Quicktime to watch this video (*it's a HearingTest exclusive copy*) and you probably can't see it if you are viewing this article from anywhere other than the HearingTest site. If you still can't see the video player, I recommend downloading the latest Quicktime for free from the Apple website. I'm keen on the idea of publishing more QT content on ([HT]), so make sure your QT is up-to-date!]

Poison Dart Singles On Ninja Tune

Ninja Tune produced 2 different 12″ releases for “Poison Dart” which is the third single from a forthcoming new Bug album! The vinyl singles hit the streets on 3 December (just in the nick of time for holiday shoppers) while the digital release will be available starting 10 December. The Bug released the first two singles early this year: “Jah War” and “Skeng,” both with mutinous vocals by Flowdan of Roll Deep fame. “Skeng” was released by Hyperdub in September and I’m not sure how “Jah War” was released.

I can’t wait to get my grimey hands on both of these:

Remixes by South Rakkas Crew and Skream? Flowdan riding the Poison riddim on a separate plate from the Warrior Queen version? Can you imagine the mixes these combinations will create? It’s insane!!!

Poison Dart (feat Warrior Queen) 12” no.1
A1 Original Mix
B1 South Rakkas Crew Remix
B2 DJ Baku Scratch megamix

Poison Dart (feat Warrior Queen) 12” no.2
A1 Skream remix
B1 Stereotyp Remix
B2 ‘Stampin’ ft Flowdan(Poison Rhythm)

There will also be a digital album released on the 10th of December:

Poison Dart (DIGITAL BUNDLE)
1 Original Mix
2 South Rakkas Crew Remix
3 DJ Baku Scratch megamix
4 Skream remix
5 Stereotyp Remix
6 ‘Stampin’ ft Flowdan(Poison Rhythm)

The official Press Ninjas offer this perfect description of the remixes:

On the remix tip, different undercurrents get teased out good and proper. 12” pt. 1 features dancefloor slayers and radio killers South Rakkas Crew bring their patented electro-dancehall sound to throw some gritty swing in the mix while throwing it deeper into tense territory. Dangerous Japanese turntablist DJ Baku flips Warrior Queen’s vocals and re-edits these with Flowdan’s vocal interpretation for a shattered mega mix double-up. For 12” pt. 2, Dubstep don Skream peels back the frayed nerves on the original version’s synth lines & sub bass and freaks the pacing with chopped-up time shifts for full wobbly effect. Future shock dancehall flavor comes courtesy of Viennese producer Stereotyp, who reworks it with scattered snares and deep thick movement on the low end. Rounding everything out is “Stampin”, where long-time collaborator and Roll Deep founder Flowdan chants down Babylon and gets murderous on the ‘Poison Dart’ riddim for another flip on the tune.

Sneak Preview of the Stereotyp remix:

Stereotyp is a producer in Vienna who works with Al-Haca Soundsystem.

For Best Results: Bug Out The Bass

In order to get the best experience from this BIG tune (or any tune by The Bug) you need to play it through the biggest stack of speakers you can find. Listen to it from a comfortable spot roughly 10 meters away from the speakers. If you have this kind of hook-up, you could host a listening party and invite all of your friends!

NUFF RESPECT to Ninja Tune for supporting The Bug. I’m hungry for more of his music, especially these new explorations into slow and low dubstep with a warrior vibe. I’ve always liked Warrior Queen and I have a few records with her on vocals. But I haven’t heard anything by WQ as powerful as what she does on “Poison Dart.” I’m immensely enjoying her part in this song…

Warrior Queen - Poison Dart - Lyrics [O-O]

INTRO:
do nuh test,
yeah!
weh me say! mesay
it’s all about the bug and about the warrior queen,
do you know what a mean ,
rock and come in mek me tell you wha me mean
all about the bug and all about warrior queen,
so me come fi chat me come fi nice up you scene

CHORUS:
through me na sling no gun,a boy think sey me soft,
but me a real poison dart!
through me na sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me na sling no gun, but a smart the warrior
smart,
ca me a real poison dart!
as a real ‘ol warrior,me no ramp fi pop off,
but me a ‘ol poison dart!

VERSE 1:
top shotta,tell some idiot bwoy the warriorqueen a top
shotta,me no,itch,me no miss,me no ramp fi press the
trigger,
anything ina me way that must get kinover,idiot bwoy
just gwan go hold you corner,bwoy see me tool and
a it him after,hail warrior queen ,me a come check
later,all deh pon im mind a me tool im a com fa,
fly high fly low.

CHORUS:
through me sling no gun a bwoy think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me nah sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me nah sling no gun,but a smart the warrior
smart
ca me a real poison dart!
as a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off
but me a ‘ol poison dart!

INTERMISSION-beats-adlibs———REWIND

CHORUS:
through me nah sling no gun,a bwoy think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me nah sling no gun a gal think sey me soft,
but me a real poison dart!
through me nah sling no gun but a smart the warrior
smart,
ca me a real poison dart!
as a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off
but me a ‘ol poison dart!

VERSE 2:
When me a bus it up a bus it up me mek bwoys knee
wobble
me no walk with me tool it put me ina trouble
me bus me gun pon rapid it no bus single
bwoy a dance to me bass,middle and me trebble
me no back,me no if me no cater,na mek no fool bwoy
come tun me over,
fore im approach im afi think it over
flex too kool im afi study me behavior.

CHORUS:
through me na sling no gun a bwoy think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me na sling no gun a gal think sey me soft
but me a real poison dart!
through me nah sling no gun,but a smart the warrior
smart,
ca me a real poison dart!
as a real ‘ol warrior me no ramp fi pop off,
but me a ‘ol poison dart!

The Bug Links

Ninja Tune
The Bug music $pace
Warrior Queen music $pace
Listen to “Jah War” by The Bug and Flowdan on HearingTest
More info about The Bug remix for Ghislain Poirier

This video for Sunship was also directed by V.O.L.T.S.

Sunship “Almighty Father” ft. Warrior Queen:

Pages about dancehall ~ dub ~ dubstep ~ Flowdan ~ Ninja Tune ~ Poison Dart ~ ragga ~ Roll Deep ~ Skream ~ Stereotyp ~ The Bug ~ Warrior Queen