Burial – ‘Temple Sleeper’

News of Burial releasing a fresh piece of work, a one-sided white label aptly named Temple Sleeper has gone shooting across the internet. The vinyl has already sold out and a flurry of comments about the songs authenticity have becoming widespread… as per usual with Burial.

However it’s not whether he’s made it, or if Four Tet is secretly Burial that’s the controversy this time round, it’s the matter of if he’s blatantly ripped off a song cheaply or not.

‘Temple Sleeper’ samples elements of Solar Quest’s ‘Into The Machine’, yes we can see that, but it’s also got a whole barrage of old school jungle and ghostly vocals of temptresses in it too.

It’s broken down multiple times to get completely different vibes and rhythms throughout the track, up and down, up and down, I certainly don’t think it’s a cheap rip off, hastened to be like a pair of Ray-Van Sunglasses you buy from a market in Faliraki, it’s more like a nod to a time when things were different.

It sounds like Burial is warping his own nostalgia, and for our own benefit. It’s a bit of musical history, based on a time period when raves were underground and shit was crazy, music unhinged, and people’s mentalities were steeped in euphoria… it’s an ode to the 90’s.

Burial as always is elusive, which adds an element to his productions most people can’t fathom, his music is ethereal, with a dash of old school, in a new school era, as has been mentioned and is clearly evident in Temple Sleeper.

If you look at Burial’s discography, there is some unbelievable work in there, like 2007’s ‘In MacDonald’s’ and his 2012 Four Tet collab ‘Nova’, he defined a genre, had to reinvent himself when things got claustrophobic within garage, and he’s still making music that’s out of this world.

So when you really get to thinking about it, this track is actually pretty clever… and probably not even new at all.

Fans of Burial who couldn’t quite get the vinyl, you can get the mp3 for 99p, it’s up on KeySound Recordings now here. Oh and if you are a fan of his music, you should check out the clip below because it’s genuinely really, really good.

Peace @gentcollective