Dubstep is one of the more recent additions to an overwhelming spectrum of EDM genres and subgenres. Since its conception in the early 2000 London underground, it has gathered a strong, almost militant following across the globe, particularly here on America’s West Coast. With an emphasis on dissonant, sub-bass wobbles and eerie, otherworldly harmonies, dubstep is the soundtrack to a modern, industrialized landscape. Burial’s latest album, released this spring on Hyperdub Records (a London-based label run by dubstep aficionado Kode9) channels this post-rave (as some would ague), bittersweet energy through thought-provoking avenues of audio art.



Untrue, his second album release (his first, Burial, saw massive critical acclaim, released May 2006) begins with a subtle, filtered collage of crackles and bass gurgles that morph into the obvious single track, “Archangel.” The two-step garage influence is everywhere on this disc, most notably present in Burial’s lyrics, though equally in his use of skittering high-hats and offbeat kick drums. The helium-laced sample that drives “Archangel” cries out “tell me I belong,” disappearing beneath the surface like some festering anxiety disease. The album moves into darker, less definable realms with tracks like “Ghost Hardware,” a hoover-heavy dubstep burner that swells and recedes with a restless feeling of urgency. “Endorphin” is one of my favorite tracks on this album. Alien, almost childlike vocals float above minimal clicks and bleeps that conjure images of jaw clenching, Prozac-riddled ravers filing home in the Sunday morning mist. There is a sense of nostalgia here, for that lost utopia of the early 1990s when the EDM underground was full of raw, drug-fueled hedonism and unbound creative expression. No track speaks more to this sensibility than “Shell of Light,” a sad, short expose that ends with a gorgeous, heartstring vocal sample. 



Despite the success of his first, eponymous release, and the growing praise for Untrue, Burial remains anonymous. Check out more of his work online at www.hyperdub.com.  



David Hvidsten is the electronic music director at KUPS 90.1 FM The Sound.

LINK: KUPS 90.1 FM The Sound.