Broken Heroes

Anyone who has copped a broken beat twelve-inch over the last few years has probably stumbled across the unusual name Bugz in the Attic splashed across the record label. This murky alliance of DJs, producers, engineers, and musicians has made a name for itself in hot West London clubs by...

By David Mittleman

March 17, 2005

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Anyone who has copped a broken beat twelve-inch over the last few years has probably stumbled across the unusual name Bugz in the Attic splashed across the record label. This murky alliance of DJs, producers, engineers, and musicians has made a name for itself in hot West London clubs by flipping tracks from artists such as 4Hero, Zero 7, Jazzanova, and Vikter Duplaix. Collectively the Bugz's sputtering, anxious percussion, soulful vocals, and twisting keyboard lines evoke the image of a West African drum choir jamming with George Duke and Minnie Ripperton on a mothership cruising at light speed toward Saturn.

"Essentially we're another division of house. The only difference is that [our music is] played live as opposed to being programmed on the computer." In addition to using sampling keyboards such as the SP-1200 and the MPC-3000, members of the group incorporate analog keyboards, picking up "where Herbie [Hancock] and Quincy [Jones] left off, but utilizing modern technology and methods of making music," he says. The result is a warm yet cutting-edge sound primed for the dance floor.

For their performance at Amika, the Bugz crew will be repped by Walters and Daz-I-Kue. In order to ease Miami clubbers into the new sound of West London, the trio has cooked up a few special salsa, rhumba, and reggaeton flavored tracks that should lubricate the hips of those willing to jump into a new bag.

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