Burial - Truant / Rough Sleeper

[Tauhid]

Do people know how burial makes tunes?

 

This is obviously old, and it's highly likely his process has evolved:

 

M: Explain about the production set up you use…

 

B: I’m not a ‘musician,’ no training, nothing. So I was always scared of people who had studios. Heroes of mine like Photek suddenly became Rupert Parkes in his studio, telling everyone how he did it. The magic got a bit lost.

 

B: So I thought to myself fuckit I’m going to stick to this shitty little computer program, Soundforge. I don’t know any other programs. Once I change something, I can never un-change it. I can only see the waves. So I know when I’m happy with my drums because they look like a nice fishbone. When they look just skeletal as fuck in front of me, and so I know they’ll sound good.

 

M: So you don’t use a sequencer?

 

B: No.

 

M: So does that mean your drums are not necessarily in time?

 

B: My drums are definitely not necessarily in time. When I try and do drums that are too regimented, they lose something. But the moment I put drums where I think they sound good, rather than in time, they seem to have that roll, the swing of the jungle and garage tunes I love.

 

B: Some of the elements in the drums that make that swing are the ones that don’t fit in to a time signature and that are out. The little bits that are wrong. If I used a sequencer my tunes would sound rubbish.

 

B: Because I don’t have a sequencer I can’t really mess around. I can’t noodle, at all. I got to shove it together and vibe off it. I make the tune, fucking quick. Not a single tune on my album took more than a few days to make. They come together real quick and then I spend some time on the details so they’re alright to listen to.

 

M: So once a tune has been started how do you go back and change it?

 

B: I can’t. I can only affect it. I have to fade bits out or fade it if I don’t like it or replace it and hope it’s in time. It’s budget. It’s not perfect.

 

M: I like your music and find it refreshing because it’s about the vibe and not about the science of the sound. It’s emotion not studio engineering, which is what music should be about, primarily.

 

B: There’s no ‘musicianship’ in my sound, that’s the enemy of my tunes. Fuck Rhodes chords, fuck that noodle stuff. There’s been a lot of times when producers I’ve liked have gone all ‘musician’ on me and just produced shit, not underground.

 

M: It’s the difference between some ruff Rodney Jerkins or Timbaland production of Destiny’s Child – which is this perfect balance between sweet and sour, hard and soft, male and female – and then hearing Destiny’s Child live in a stadium backed by a session band complete with some fat drummer with too many 80s toms, a poodle-rock guitar player and some jazz-y keyboard player drawing for the presets.

 

B: Fuck that. If my tunes sounded like Herbalizer or some shit, I’d shoot myself. I’d throw myself under a train at Clapham Junction.

 

http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/2006/03/soundboy-burial.html

[syd syside]

Where does he get his crackles?

 

Truant def sounds like a straight audio adaptation of a David Fincher film

 

[crono3]

Really liking this new release! So many different parts, and they're all so beautiful... I want them to keep going, but then they change into something else lovely. This sounds like right where he left off with Kindred EP.

[Salvatorin]

so. fucking. lush.

[Squee]

I wonder why rough sleeper connects with me so deeply. That organ, that VOICE. Makes me want to cry.

 

[Guest drukqs]

I wonder why rough sleeper connects with me so deeply. That organ, that VOICE. Makes me want to cry.

 

 

ur a cunt, m8

[FLA FUR BIS FLE]

really wish the first part of Truant was much longer. Best bit out of both tracks.

[Guest Enter a new display name]

Loving the post-snippet structure of Buriel's tracks.

[Goiter Sanchez]

Do people know how burial makes tunes?

 

This is obviously old, and it's highly likely his process has evolved:

 

M: Explain about the production set up you use…

 

B: I’m not a ‘musician,’ no training, nothing. So I was always scared of people who had studios. Heroes of mine like Photek suddenly became Rupert Parkes in his studio, telling everyone how he did it. The magic got a bit lost.

 

B: So I thought to myself fuckit I’m going to stick to this shitty little computer program, Soundforge. I don’t know any other programs. Once I change something, I can never un-change it. I can only see the waves. So I know when I’m happy with my drums because they look like a nice fishbone. When they look just skeletal as fuck in front of me, and so I know they’ll sound good.

 

M: So you don’t use a sequencer?

 

B: No.

 

M: So does that mean your drums are not necessarily in time?

 

B: My drums are definitely not necessarily in time. When I try and do drums that are too regimented, they lose something. But the moment I put drums where I think they sound good, rather than in time, they seem to have that roll, the swing of the jungle and garage tunes I love.

 

B: Some of the elements in the drums that make that swing are the ones that don’t fit in to a time signature and that are out. The little bits that are wrong. If I used a sequencer my tunes would sound rubbish.

 

B: Because I don’t have a sequencer I can’t really mess around. I can’t noodle, at all. I got to shove it together and vibe off it. I make the tune, fucking quick. Not a single tune on my album took more than a few days to make. They come together real quick and then I spend some time on the details so they’re alright to listen to.

 

M: So once a tune has been started how do you go back and change it?

 

B: I can’t. I can only affect it. I have to fade bits out or fade it if I don’t like it or replace it and hope it’s in time. It’s budget. It’s not perfect.

 

M: I like your music and find it refreshing because it’s about the vibe and not about the science of the sound. It’s emotion not studio engineering, which is what music should be about, primarily.

 

B: There’s no ‘musicianship’ in my sound, that’s the enemy of my tunes. Fuck Rhodes chords, fuck that noodle stuff. There’s been a lot of times when producers I’ve liked have gone all ‘musician’ on me and just produced shit, not underground.

 

M: It’s the difference between some ruff Rodney Jerkins or Timbaland production of Destiny’s Child – which is this perfect balance between sweet and sour, hard and soft, male and female – and then hearing Destiny’s Child live in a stadium backed by a session band complete with some fat drummer with too many 80s toms, a poodle-rock guitar player and some jazz-y keyboard player drawing for the presets.

 

B: Fuck that. If my tunes sounded like Herbalizer or some shit, I’d shoot myself. I’d throw myself under a train at Clapham Junction.

 

http://blackdownsoundboy.blogspot.com/2006/03/soundboy-burial.html

 

Very interesting read. I make tunes with Audacity and no sequencer so I can understand where he's coming from; especially with the 'fishbone' drums.

 

I hate to further fan the hyperbolic flame in a Burial thread, but this is a remarkable EP... Rough Sleeper is most wonderful thing I've heard in a while; it unlocks some sort of ineffable memory in me; I can't get that middle movement out of my head.

[awepittance]

that interview is hilarious

[marf]

srry, i dont hear any wonderful drums in the El-B or Groove chronicle tracks. They sound really generic to me. what am i missin

[Goiter Sanchez]

I should also add that I'm not sure I entirely 'get' Truant (the track) yet. Rough Sleeper was an immediate winner for me. Truant's likely a grower I'm thinking...

[jules]

i love love love the drums in the beginning of truant, but that vocal sample i do not like. at all.

 

the end of truant sounds like burial doing a bit ae.

[Npoess]

Fucking postal service... I want my Burial cd already.

[Guest drukqs]

Anyway, something strange about this release. It's completely mono. There is no stereo track. I knew something felt off about it. Isn't that a bit suspect？ I'm not sure of what but it is pretty strange, since he's so well known for his atmospheric spacing/mastering.

 

Ah nevermind. It seems that I downloaded a vinyl rip off of pirate bay, not a raw MP3. No wonder.

 

(I pre ordered both the CD and the Vinyl versions weeks ago so you can calm down with the "Well you get what you pay for you cheap fucking bastard" bullshit, it doesn't apply here.)

[Guest Aces]

Received my copy today and I have to say that it's excellent. In fact I would go as far to say it's his best so far.

[mcbpete]

Anyway, something strange about this release. It's completely mono. There is no stereo track. I knew something felt off about it. Isn't that a bit suspect？ I'm not sure of what but it is pretty strange, since he's so well known for his atmospheric spacing/mastering.

 

Ah nevermind. It seems that I downloaded a vinyl rip off of pirate bay, not a raw MP3. No wonder.

 

Huh, why would it be mono if it's a vinyl rip ?

[kirm]

Fucking postal service... I want my Burial cd already.

 

this.. was expecting it saturday didnt come but thought it would defo be here today but is it bolloxs :( best come tomorrow!!

[Guest drukqs]

I think they had a shitty needle or fucked up while converting it to mp3

 

Not mono in the traditional sense, it just was mastered horribly so there was no difference between the mono and stereo tracks.

[manmower]

Rough Sleeper is growing on me after a couple of listens, almost seems like a coherent track now.

 

Overall I'm still underwhelmed, but I bet that's because I actually prefer the Four Tet collabs to Burial indulging in his own sound 100%.

[chassis]

Mine arrived today, lovely.

[kaini]

i wish the last section of truant (from about 10:10 onwards) was about ten minutes long.

 

maybe this 'sketch' mentality is a master marketing move; leaving us wanting more from every little section. then when he drops the album, we'll all drown in fanboy cum.

[jules]

I definitely like this so far but it is not grabbing me the way street halo and kindred did in the beginning

[Friendly Foil]

This better arrive today

[Caretstik]

I'm probably the least fanboy in this thread, but just need to say I love this even more than the last two EPs, which really got a hook in me. The segmented structuring doesn't jar with me at all.