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Single/Download Review

Burial
Truant / Rough Sleeper EP Hyperdub

Article written by Michael H - Jan 5, 2013

This EP release deserves a special place in Burial’s already impressive body of work. It feels like a departure from his previous direction even with the usual elements are still in place: UK garage rhythms, crackling decayed ambience, sub-bass murk, chopped vocal samples and a deep evocation of wet night streets and urban alienation. Across two long tracks, all this is explored at greater length than usual, allowing Burial to stretch out and really explore an idea. The increased length brings to the foreground a techno influence that is now far more evident than his previous dubstep leanings; the structure of both tracks owe far more to Berlin than Croydon this time. The production is, as ever, beautiful. Six minutes into ‘Truant’ a rave sunrise abruptly gives away to a rush of break filled noir and busted, filtered beats; it has a fidgeting quality that looks back to Warp’s glory days with Squarepusher and Autechre; it all feels like an aural collage and eventually collapses under the sheer weight of its competing elements. ‘Rough Sleeper’ begins with an aching mournful organ riff for his usual ghost-MCs and lost souls to toast over before descending into gamelan clunks. The grain and vinyl crackle pervading everything is fantastic, it creates a faded patina like a cataract or a steamed up bus window.

It's an EP that should settle the doubts of anyone beginning to think that Burial wasn’t capable of breaking out of his own stylistic straitjacket, as brilliant as it was. The music on here deserves wide acclaim and rewards repeated listens.

Links:
http://www.hyperdub.net/artists/view/Burial
http://www.hyperdub.net/