Implosion sees Kevin Martin aka The Bug adding to his impressive list of collaborators (that has seen him work with everyone from Flowdan and Warrior Queen to Earth and Al Cisneros), joining forces with another kindred spirit in Ghost Dubs aka Michael Fiedler/Jah Schulz. The duo take absolutely no prisoners, as they deliver a lesson in bass pressure from start to finish, both complementing each others music in a perfect fashion.
With eight tracks apiece that alternate between the two selectors, that cohesion in both The Bug and Ghost Dubs cuts is especially impressive and the whole album comes across like an undisputed heavyweight clash in which The Bug and Ghost Dubs both come out on top, although the listener is undoubtedly the winner, as both producers bring the heaviness in spectacular, life affirming style.
Deep and heavy cuts are obviously very much the order of the day here, the bass weight pushing the speakers to their limit, and their is a definite live feel to proceedings, in fact the selections by The Bug all contain titles that reference legendary rooms where dub and bass culture reigned supreme (Mass, Brixton, West Indian Centre, Leeds and Plastic People, Shoreditch to name three), and the vibe conjured up is as if you are actually in one of those iconic rooms with the music booming out and both The Bug and Ghost Dubs dropping their heavyweight tracks.
Listening to Implosion, you are transported into a world where bass is king, and the weighty soundscapes that develop around you are given the freedom to explore a multitude of sounds and feelings, all the while retaining that crucial dub pressure, and the feelings you get while listening are as immense as it gets.
Those feeling encapsulate everything from dread and hope to panic and celebration, all complimented with that crucial low end constantly on top of things, allowing the music to constantly take you a journey through sound, and it is a journey that doesn’t let up at all until the very last notes have faded out, and cold and glacial as the music can be on this journey, there is also a warm feeling about proceedings and this dichotomy allows an eclectic energy to flow as the album plays out.
This is a brilliantly huge sounding album in all aspects of sonic power, and it is a brilliant meeting of minds and souls from The Bug and Ghost Dubs. Hopefully this is just the start of a lot more collaborations between the two, as the material here is manna from bass weight heaven, and the thought of these tracks being played out on a massive rig, is a very tantalising thought indeed.
