Tunes 2011-2019

Album review

Only two albums in a thirteen-year career (Burial in 2006, and Untrue a year later) is very few for an artist of Burial’s calibre - especially since the enigmatic English producer has never performed on stage. It is also very few given his huge fan base, who clear out the pre-orders of his EPs in just a few hours, which he has released at regular intervals over the last ten years, mostly on his faithful label Hyperdub led by Kode9, bar a few times when he was collaborating with Thom Yorke and Four Tet (on the unforgettable album Moth in 2009).

This first compilation, which comes just in time for Christmas, gives a better idea of the pace at which Burial has been composing, from 2011 to 2019. He offers up 17 tracks, the equivalent of two albums, bringing his average up to a decent level. The Londoner has always dug the same furrow - a mixture of dubstep, jungle, garage and ambient music, always tinged with melancholy – and so the record feels wonderfully coherent. The best part is that for those who haven’t followed all the releases of Croydon’s genius, this compilation can even serve as a double album. Ahh, the magic of Christmas! © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz