BURIAL - Chemz / Dolphinz

By now we just have to “resign ourselves”. It's been thirteen years since William Bevan last put out an LP. His favourite format, incidentally, is once again a two-track one: “Chemz/Dolphinz”. Hyperdub's talent par excellence, in short, just won't budge and keeps doling out his productions in dribs and drabs. And he does so by splitting the difference between moments of sheer brilliance and others of real uncertainty.

“Chemz” is indeed a piece rich in garage-indebted twists, neo-soul inserts, and samples put together with unexpected verve, unlike his more recent releases, which have mostly leaned into an underlying dramatic streak and the usual Dubstep-flavoured nihilism, the tried-and-tested trademark of the London musician since his early days.

It's worth pointing out the total change of pace around the six-minute mark, and the even more frantic one towards the twelfth. Burial is let loose here, almost in “hardcore” mode. What's more, between one burst of acceleration and the next, he fishes out all sorts of things. We find snippets of tracks by Michael Jackson, Ne-Yo, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Freeez, Lori Ruso, Linda Ross, Eden Transmission. Three little chapters, then, forming one single great first act that could represent (one can only hope) the future.

The other half of the record, taken up by “Dolphinz”, instead lays out the dark, ultra-melancholic climax we know all too well, along with the satisfying darkness that defines him. In the very first moments, we even get analogue sounds reminiscent of the forgotten Add N to (X) (to give you an idea), set up before a pristine synth ushers in the usual isolated steps, mixed for the occasion with an indecipherable play of light and shadow, distorted sirens, laboured breathing and indefinite noises. No need to beat around the bush: it's the exact opposite of what came before.

All things considered, Bevan keeps surprising us, for better and for worse. No offence intended, but the time may well have come for the big comeback. These sudden flashes are starting to wear thin, and often dazzle in a rather confused way too.

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08/12/2021