In years past, it was quite common for elusive British producer Burial to release new material around the holidays, with Rival Dealer and “Truant”/”Rough Sleeper” arriving on back to back Decembers in 2013 and 2014. It’s been less common recently, but he’s brought it back for 2020, when we need it most.
Hot on the heels of his recent collaboration with Four Tet and Thom Yorke, “His Rope/”Her Revolution”, Burial has now shared the 12-minute beast “Chemz”. While the trio’s new tracks were subdued and contemplative, Burial lets his full rave proclivities fly on “Chemz”. Across the song’s extended run time, a classic break beat is pretty much a constant, while synths, samples, vocal hooks and other atmospherics morph and curdle all around. Previous long tracks from the producer have been easily dissectible into parts, and while there are sections of “Chemz” the vibe change is less extreme; it seems Burial wants to keep the energy high and hallucinogenic throughout, its grip on the firm of the dancefloor loosening each passing minute.
A little press quote about the track from his Bandcamp – who can say who wrote it? – describes “Chemz” as a “rave monster that has ingested several tracks and incorporated them into its distended body,” so make of that what you will. It is the A-side of a forthcoming 12″ single (already sold out, unsurprisingly), that arrives with another new song called “Dolphinz” in April.
Burial’s new 12″ “Chemz/”Dolphinz” comes out on April 2 you can pre-order the digital from Bandcamp (physical is sold out).
