Not so distant footsteps echo about. Shards of metallic sounds reverberate. A gun shell is expelled from a handgun before dancing on the floor. A pool of sound rises beneath you as a light tower beacon cries in the distance. A fluttering shuffle-beat initiates swelling low-end tremors, and you begin to sink…

When you finally open your eyes, Burial’s self-titled debut says that you’ve been listening to ‘Distant Lights’. And, if you’ve been waiting for the latest Massive Attack album (á la Mezzanine) to hit the streets, you smile, realizing that until then this will do.

Though Burial is often erroneously categorized as only a Dubstep & Grime unit, its musical style extends far beyond that. Part Dubstep & Grime, UK Garage, Dub, Ambient Noir, and Trip Hop, the enigmatic South London outfit takes you on a journey of cryptic cinematic bliss. The haunting eleven-track offering features moments of Dub, Ambient Noir, and Dubstep, to create something different that defies simple categorization. One of Burial's secret weapons in this world of Electronica that adds to their impact is the presence of "soul" in their sound. Although this is understandably not the aim of most Electronica artists (and perhaps not even a conscious choice of Burial) its presence can only lead to a more penetrating composition. The lack of this "cyber soul" often leads to empty, uneventful tunes by hordes of Electronica artists that clog up the airwaves. However, here, this soul seeps into the tracks so that by the time ‘Broken Home’ hits you with it’s fractured, yet syncopated 4/4 style you know that Burial has crafted a sound uniquely familiar in the world of Electronica that moves you at the same time.

On ‘U Hurt Me’, and a few other tracks, patches of vocals float in and out of the mix against Middle Eastern sounds. Despite the fact that this release is not melodically complex, the vocals and minimal Eastern keyboard work fill the spaces nicely. With Burial, what you don’t hear is as equally as important as what you do hear. Static, used here much in the same vein as fellow Electronica artist Pole, is a light sheet of texture against the bombastic beats, creating an engaging dichotomy. What is interesting here, however, is that you don’t know if it’s intended to be rain, fog, or electronic feedback. The fact that burial can keep you guessing only exalts their production skills. And, when the bass begins to roll, you’re plunged into the deep sea of emotive, low-end pensiveness.

Although the rhythms here are mostly computer generated, the result is a slick marriage of metallic and organic (or even primordial) beats. Some are 2-Step, UK Garage, or simply unclassifiable. You forgive them for sampling the Massive Attack beat of ‘Tear Drop’ to create their beat for ‘Prayer’ because the composition still carries their ominous, grainy, and ambient production. ‘U Hurt Me’ with its shuddering patches of high-hat, jagged beat, and surging bassline yearns. ‘Spaceape’, is a warning that “The sensation you feel is entirely real… “, with its tumbling thump, and no non-sense, sharp rim shot hits. ‘Forgive’ is a blanket of London fog morphed into sound to become its own being as it soothes the ambient fan. ‘Southern Comfort’ is the perfect stealth anthem for underground corridors with its UK Garage motives and washes of grinding keyboards.

By the time you finish with ‘Pirates’ and the untitled ambient closer, you realize that you’ve been stolen to another dimension. But it’s too late, so just sleep…

Just close your eyes…

and sleep...

by Cazembe Abena

BURIAL

Genre: Electronica - Dubstep & Grime, UK Garage, Dub, 2-Step, Ambient Noir, Trip Hop, Broken Beat

Country: London, England

Album Highlights: ‘Distant Lights’, ‘Spaceape’, ‘Southern Comfort’, ‘U Hurt Me’, ‘Broken Home’.

Discography:

Distant Lights (EP) (Hyperdub 2006)
Southern Comfort (EP) (Hyperdub 2006)
Burial (Hyperdub 2006)

www.hyperdub.net

www.myspace.com/burialuk

F.L.O. (For Lovers Of) – Rhythm & Sound, Maurizio, Round Four, Massive Attack, Kode 9, Distance, Pole, Monolake, Murcof.