Review: Given that his sound has now been referenced by countless imitators, it's testament to Burial's enduring appeal that the announcement of a new EP on a Sunday in February was enough to shake the online music press out of their collective stupor. As an EP it more than stands up to his previous work, and it may even be better than last year's Street Halo EP - where the brilliance of the title track left the EP quite top-heavy, there's no such complaints on Kindred. If UK garage was the touchpoint for his earlier releases, this EP sees Burial further developing a sound that has few obvious points of comparison, whether it's the savage, gnarled bassline of the title track, or the shambling house of "Loner", characterized by its hollowed out arpeggio and ambient crackle. But it's "Ashtray Wasp" that provides the most breathtaking moment, seeing the producer using the distinct musical language he's created and bringing confident melodic elements into play. Of course such descriptions seem trivial when trying to describe this EP - even for Burial it's far beyond what his peers and imitators could ever imagine making.
Review: Burial is back. Yes, after four years away, he's not only ambushed us with THAT collab with Four Tet and Thom Yorke, but now he springs a three track EP on Kode9's Hyperdub imprint upon us too! The eponymous "Street Halo" is a delectable, crackling 4/4 roller with buckets of emotion and texture. In other words, it's the Burial of "Archangel" fame, which we all know and love. "NYC" is the urban retort, bristling with echoes of thunder, murmurs of traffic in the distance, jingling keys, it symbolizes the minutiae of everyday existence and is underpinned by slouching beats with a small, eerie and discernibly mournful voice wailing on top. Final track, "Stolen Dog" pairs smudgy piano keys with terse, ticking beats, all shrouded in an ethereal shimmer, much like Burial himself.
Review: That one of this year's best techno albums has been made by a Dutch dubstep artist and is issued on a label owned by an LA hip-hop figure says a lot about the increasingly blurred boundaries within which it operates. Ironically, the backbone for Ghost People is the purist-influenced Berghain sound that has dominated techno production in recent years. In fairness to Martyn, he makes no secret of this, even going as far to equating his European DJ dates to sonic fact-finding missions that informed the album's direction. However, it would be a mistake to assume that Ghost People is merely a replica of unflinching Berlin techno. Instead, Martyn uses it as a backdrop to tease out a range of directions. The title track contains references to the heady rush of rave, while "Twice As" revisits the Dutch producer's love of Detroit techno as sonic blips and spine-tingling melodies are married to more garage-style shuffling beats - perhaps the track's title is a nod to the London 2-step institution. On "Popgun", the producer briefly revisits lurching dubstep territories and there's even a tribute of sorts to Vangelis on the glistening synths of "Bauplan". That Ghost People covers so much ground while remaining close to the filtered rumble of tracks like "Horror Vacui" is an impressive testament to Martyn's supernatural production powers.
Review: After the rip-roaring success of Ghost People, Martyn continues his relationship with Brainfeeder by issuing forth a new track. "Hello Darkness" is burdened with a whopping great synth line and a ruff rhythmic undercurrent, making it both emotional and primal in the same beat. When the heavy drama of the lead synth falls away the track really comes into its own, letting the bassline dread seep out in all its glory. L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok opt for a stark, strange take on "Bauplan" in the remix department, while Redshape bolts some uncharacteristic clattering breaks onto his version of "We Are You In The Future". Awesome.
Review: Steve BCee's Spearhead imprint finally unleash the S.P.Y. anthem that featureS on Marky's Fabric mix along with reaching high in the end of year polls. And no wonder, "By Your Side" is a stone cold classic! Uplifting and emotional, the beautiful instrumental intro with haunting clarinet flourish, delicate harp glimmer, warm sweeping High Contrast-style, cinematic strings, scattering breaks and swooning vocal that leads to crisp breaks, warm, undulating bass and an incredible orchestral passage made it a ubiquitous feel good anthem that pushes all the right buttons and will continue to do so for a long time yet. Just when you thought it couldn't get much better, Logistics takes over for the remix on the flip. Well matched to the sound of the original, the Hospital lynchpin roughs the track up adding crunchy breaks and peak time drum rolls, whilst the increased tempo lends a euphoric edge to the vocal. Good work all round.
Review: This release has nothing to do with the hard techno act of the same name, and in reality, "Advent" is a typically robust Romboy affair. Heavy claps provide the basis for a soaring, noisy bassline that builds and builds in concert with epic trance melodies. The German producer may not be reinventing the wheel, but he is certainly playing to his strengths. The surprises start with Nick Fanciulli's reshape: tough tribal beats are on offer and they set the pace as the UK DJ delivers a series of building, trancey peaks and troughs that sound like a new take on classic 90s techno.
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