From its most traditional components to its most contemporary designs, music is, at its core, a medium of expression — a form of communication woven from intention and meaning. That web is shaped by the time, culture, and place from which a composition emerges.
True Bug is an invigorating work of electronic dance music that invites the listener to reflect on these ideas.
Released on Nov. 28 by Yotah — the pseudonym of the sound artist Yves Spiri — the four-track extended play is grounded in heavy dance-club energy and playful experimentation. The project is published by CRTTR, a Bern-based collective devoted to collaboration through experimental music, film and the graphic arts.
True Bug’s driving, distorted “wobbly” bass and elastic time signatures pay homage to the legacy of dubstep, the British electronic genre with roots in Jamaican dance and sound-system traditions.
The record builds on those foundations while opening a door to new terrain. Fresh textures and unexpected rhythmic structures give the mind plenty to consider.
Rather than easing the listener in, Mr. Spiri opts for boldness. He leads with his most unconventional material, plunging listeners into the uncharted territory of “Corroded” and “Slide.”
The journey is then grounded by the more familiar forms of “OK” and “Steppa.” Both tracks, wrapped in Spiri’s distinctive sonic palette, offer a nod to the traditions of electronic dance music.
This interplay — innovation set against well-practiced convention — encourages the listener to consider the medium itself.
And in that space of reflection, the record emboldens them to dance the night away.
