- Bugs, Will Saul's first solo release in over four years, makes no bones about its influences. Saul says he was inspired as much by dancing to Bugz In The Attic playing Co-Op parties at Plastic People as he was by "Bug In The Bass Bin" by Carl Craig (as Innerzone Orchestra). Craig's mark is felt in the jazzy drums and hi-hats that open the title track, which Saul breaks open with chiming synths and off-kilter melodies that are more reminiscent of the Bugz In The Attic crew. A walloping kick drum takes over, then Saul brings the other elements back in, adding a searching, spectral synth around the midway point.
"The Map Room" is built for big rooms, too. It begins with a thumping, drum-led groove that feels like it's leading to a by-the-numbers house track until some warped, Asiatic synths place it firmly in the Aus Music camp of slightly off-centre house. Matt Karmil's remix of "Bugs" sheds the track's jazzy tones to make a diluted, but certainly not charmless, version that will probably be easier to mix. Bugs is homage done right: forward-looking nostalgia with Saul's own stamp.
TracklistA1 Bugs
B1 The Map Room
B2 Bugs (Matt Karmil Remix)