I’m going to share some personal experiences that influenced this post. I’m tired of being the odd man out when it comes to love. I have wonderful friends and family, but romantic relationships have been highly elusive. For the past 4+ years, I’ve focused my attention on music instead. Lack of that significant other, and an awareness of dysfunctional relationships as a kid have been a few of the forces driving my creativity. The other morning I was feeling lonely and a bit jealous of that relationship that I just can’t seem to find. I drove home thinking, “what artist understands isolation and loneliness?”. Burial.

I started his 2006 self-titled Hyperdub album. The environment created by the rain and the freeway worked perfectly with his music. I felt super emotional taking everything in. “Night Bus” was very moving, and a few tears later, I felt refreshed. I spend a lot of time reminding myself that if those feelings and experiences and longings can be collected, compressed and translated into art, something very special can come out of it.

Burial fiercely embraces solitude and anonymity. A rarity nowadays, with social networks encouraging constant communication to the point of overstimulation. Personal events that influence Burial’s music are a mystery, but I pick up on a deeply passionate and sensitive individual, who prefers introspection and realizing lingering memories through music. In an archived 2007 interview with Fact, Burial says “The sound that I’m focused on is more, you know, when you come out of a club and there’s that echo in your head of the music you just heard…I love that music, but I can’t make that club sort of stuff…but I can try and make the afterglow of that music.”.

He reminds me of “The Hermit”, a tarot card that came up in my first reading recently. This character retreats for enlightenment. At night he travels alone across a bare landscape, staff and lantern in hand. Through examination he illuminates the areas that were once hidden, both in the physical world and his mind. The Hermit goes wherever the inspiration leads. He is similar to the lantern, lit up from within by all he is, able to pierce the darkness. 

Burial presents the future with precision and balance. A foundation of UK garage and rave give birth to a shadowy dubstep landscape. References are made to various genres, but his delivery is more about the memory of hearing these sounds, bringing back those vibes in a ghostly way. Burial is unique to say the least, productive with releases without ever playing shows. His followup 2007 album Untrue solidified Burial as a visionary, with Resident Advisor saying in review, “..the reclusive south London producer returns with his follow up album, Untrue, which lays another strong claim to Burial being the most innovative and expressive artist not only in dubstep, but in the whole of electronic music.”. Burial has worked with Four Tet (see “Moth / Wolf Cub” release on Text Records) and Thom Yorke (see “Ego / Mirror” release on Text Records), and remixed Massive Attack, Bloc Party and Jamie Woon among others. His newest release, “Truant / Rough Sleeper” can be purchased here on the Hyperdub site.

Burial – Discogs 

– Jimi Jaxon