Burial interview @ Blackdown/Burial album
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Crackle Blues Remix: what a brilliant, dense cryptic masterpiece of a track... Liked the original tune (the submerged blues as key-sound thing works well as a completely different kind of texture to bring to the dubstep table, instead of eastern mysticism you get the field holler of the blues, echoing back to the dawn of all folk-beat music...) but Burial ups the ante somewhat just by the density of sound in there, like a million dusty shellac records spinning at the end of time, the blues holla sounding almost like some Triassic era dinosaur's wounded mating cry. Its just got this mysterious energy to it that really hits the right spot (all that "mystikal" stuff people were banging on about a few months ago... I get it completely with this track), would be a standout if it was on the album (where I felt the half step stuff lacked energy somewhat- this one rocks the halfstep but with a mass of sound that keeps it compelling even when the snares are slacking... indicative perhaps that Burial is if anything getting better)
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Flying Squid
Member
Well, now that I read all 27 pages of this thread, I feel like posting my thoughts on Burial's album, so here goes nothing.
First thing first, as someone who has been taking courses in sound production and has always been noticing the ways sounds are used in music to create atmospheres, etc., this is some extremely well-done stuff. The shell casings and the knives on "Distant Lights," the guns being drawn and loaded on "Gutted," the street sounds at the very beginning... It knocks my socks off. It all adds up to being what I feel is, and of course what Blackdown basically says in his interview with Burial, a sonic reflection of South London. Granted, I never stepped foot in South London (let alone London, or England itself), but I already feel as if I know the place just from listening to this album.
Secondly, and this may seem odd, but this album also reminds me of something a bit closer to home. In my case, Cleveland, Ohio in the US. These past few years, I have taken night classes at my college, which is located a bit outside of downtown, on the east side. It's not necessarily the best neighborhood, nor is it clean. I've had a revolver pulled on me while waiting for the bus on one occasion, when I was not thinking and not keeping my guard up. From the college grounds you can see in the distance Cleveland's steel mills and industrial warehouses, some of the stacks shooting bright orange flames straight up into the sky. It's also on a street that's easily six cars wide, which at night is a bit haunting when a gust of wind coming from downtown blows across it, and there's no other sounds other than a bus going further east, or coming back to go west.
After ten o'clock at night, the downtown district itself turns into a ghost town. Public Square is deserted, which makes it just as spooky as the abandoned street my college is on if not more so. With the buildings surrounding it forming something of a grid, the wind, if it's blowing, off of Lake Erie gets sucked in and out and in again, whipping around anything it can and howling all about. Also at night when there's zero traffic, you can hear A LOT of sounds that are off in the distance, especially since they bounce off of the skyscrapers around the square and come back at you from the weirdest angles.
From Public Square I go underground below the Terminal Tower to ride the rapid transit. More echoes and dirtiness - our transporation system has and perhaps always will be dirty and unkempt. I ride this train which goes screeching, bumping and rattling into the night. With the voice of the announcer, heavily distorted by the PA system on the train, comes the occasional halts at dilapidated stations until I'm in the western suburbs where I live. I ride under bridges that always seem to be under construction so they don't come crashing down, past warehouses and abandoned buildings, walls of concrete covered with graffiti. Even the stop where I get off is smack in the middle between an airport, a Ford car engine plant and a massive interstate highway, so even though I'm now far from downtown, there is still dirtiness here, until I get in my car and drive home.
All this sensory and imagery from my personal experiences keep coming up whenever I listen to this album. So it doesn't surprise me at all that the sole shop in Cleveland that's selling Burial's album, has it in stock and that it's been the top seller, despite the incredible amount of German techno, US indie, UK indie, etc. that the owner stocks day in and day out.
And with all that said and done, I bid you adieu for now.
First thing first, as someone who has been taking courses in sound production and has always been noticing the ways sounds are used in music to create atmospheres, etc., this is some extremely well-done stuff. The shell casings and the knives on "Distant Lights," the guns being drawn and loaded on "Gutted," the street sounds at the very beginning... It knocks my socks off. It all adds up to being what I feel is, and of course what Blackdown basically says in his interview with Burial, a sonic reflection of South London. Granted, I never stepped foot in South London (let alone London, or England itself), but I already feel as if I know the place just from listening to this album.
Secondly, and this may seem odd, but this album also reminds me of something a bit closer to home. In my case, Cleveland, Ohio in the US. These past few years, I have taken night classes at my college, which is located a bit outside of downtown, on the east side. It's not necessarily the best neighborhood, nor is it clean. I've had a revolver pulled on me while waiting for the bus on one occasion, when I was not thinking and not keeping my guard up. From the college grounds you can see in the distance Cleveland's steel mills and industrial warehouses, some of the stacks shooting bright orange flames straight up into the sky. It's also on a street that's easily six cars wide, which at night is a bit haunting when a gust of wind coming from downtown blows across it, and there's no other sounds other than a bus going further east, or coming back to go west.
After ten o'clock at night, the downtown district itself turns into a ghost town. Public Square is deserted, which makes it just as spooky as the abandoned street my college is on if not more so. With the buildings surrounding it forming something of a grid, the wind, if it's blowing, off of Lake Erie gets sucked in and out and in again, whipping around anything it can and howling all about. Also at night when there's zero traffic, you can hear A LOT of sounds that are off in the distance, especially since they bounce off of the skyscrapers around the square and come back at you from the weirdest angles.
From Public Square I go underground below the Terminal Tower to ride the rapid transit. More echoes and dirtiness - our transporation system has and perhaps always will be dirty and unkempt. I ride this train which goes screeching, bumping and rattling into the night. With the voice of the announcer, heavily distorted by the PA system on the train, comes the occasional halts at dilapidated stations until I'm in the western suburbs where I live. I ride under bridges that always seem to be under construction so they don't come crashing down, past warehouses and abandoned buildings, walls of concrete covered with graffiti. Even the stop where I get off is smack in the middle between an airport, a Ford car engine plant and a massive interstate highway, so even though I'm now far from downtown, there is still dirtiness here, until I get in my car and drive home.
All this sensory and imagery from my personal experiences keep coming up whenever I listen to this album. So it doesn't surprise me at all that the sole shop in Cleveland that's selling Burial's album, has it in stock and that it's been the top seller, despite the incredible amount of German techno, US indie, UK indie, etc. that the owner stocks day in and day out.
And with all that said and done, I bid you adieu for now.
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noel emits
a wonderful wooden reason
Anyone catch that little bit of Stairwell on Mary Anne Hobbs' show last night? It did not disappoint!
I think the snippet was taken from Kode 9's mix for the Sonar Festival website which should go up there today some time.
I think the snippet was taken from Kode 9's mix for the Sonar Festival website which should go up there today some time.
Thats such a devastatingly simple yet brilliant idea. How many people have heard of El-B and his huge influence on dubstep and yet struggled to hear much of his stuff? Has to be done
Alfons
Way of the future
Checked that out last night, it sounded really good but a bit different too. Think she mentioned a new album late this summer? Unite of the soul jazz comp is a really good tune as well.
Re: "Stairwell"... There wasn't really enough of it to comment but it sounded pretty dense, more "dance music" than ambiance, and noisy too... he also seems to have abandoned his limited sample palette (ie- it was unlikely that the shell casing hitting the floor noise etcetera could continue to be used on album 2).
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"HDB004 - Burial - Ghost Hardware E.P.
12" vinyl
A. Ghost Hardware
B1. Shutta
B2. Exit Woundz
Available in your usual on/offline retailers from Friday 15th June.
Available exclusively in Bm-Soho, London shop from Wednesday 13th June.
Watch out for HDB005 and HDB006 before the end of the summer."
According to the latest Hyperdub email... exciting.
12" vinyl
A. Ghost Hardware
B1. Shutta
B2. Exit Woundz
Available in your usual on/offline retailers from Friday 15th June.
Available exclusively in Bm-Soho, London shop from Wednesday 13th June.
Watch out for HDB005 and HDB006 before the end of the summer."
According to the latest Hyperdub email... exciting.
leamas
Well-known member
Just heard Ghost Hardware, it was worth the wait. Nuff said.
You can listen to samples on the bm-soho site here:
http://www.bm-soho.com/search.php?s...y=DateFirstSeen&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0
You can listen to samples on the bm-soho site here:
http://www.bm-soho.com/search.php?s...y=DateFirstSeen&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0
It sounds great judging by the bm-soho samples, although every element sounds like it's been heard already on the album... then again, given the potential of the Jamie Woon remix sound for Moby/Gnarls Barkley-esque mainstream crossover hell, maybe it's good that he's sticking to what he does best.
It almost sounds like he's gone back to Soundforge cutting/pasting, especially on the sliced and diced Shutta?
It almost sounds like he's gone back to Soundforge cutting/pasting, especially on the sliced and diced Shutta?
noel emits
a wonderful wooden reason
Shutta is great but it is an old one. It was there in the album preview mix Kode 9 did for Mary-Anne Hobbs show. The rest of these tracks might be older as well in comparison with 'Unite' and 'Stairwell'. I think it's cool that someone can get so excited about a stairwell. What's next, Patio?
noel emits
a wonderful wooden reason
Haha - yes. I can't listen to that without thinking of y-fronts. Makes me laugh everytime.
hucks
Your Message Here
Aah, right, cos I was a bit disappointed on listening to them that they appear to be built from exactly the same sounds as the first album. Versus, Unite and Stairwell seemed to be using a different palette.
I liked the jamie Woon track. And Gnarles Barkley. But not so much Moby.
I agree that these are "nice" rather than "excitingly unexpected"... perhaps a vault-clearing exercise prior to the new album release later this year tho?
"Shutta" should have been on the first album though, Its probably his most rhythmically whacked-out, bordering on arrhythmic vision, combined with straightup melodic beauty...
"Shutta" should have been on the first album though, Its probably his most rhythmically whacked-out, bordering on arrhythmic vision, combined with straightup melodic beauty...
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Alfons
Way of the future
Been listening to this a bit, but it's really struck me how moody Burials stuff is, it needs to be listened to when youre in the right mood. Last couple of days the weather here has been great (and in Iceland during the summer it doesn't get dark), when I listen to Burial I want it to be dark, foggy and raining not bright, hot and sunny
Chef Napalm
Lost in the Supermarket
Really? I've only just discovered it (that's what I get for ignoring the Dubstep forum, I guess) and I'm loving the soundsamples. One of the must-have records of of the year, I reckon.
Anybody interested in parting with their copy? It's sold out everywhere.