Jamie XX and Burial

Jamie XX Listens To Burial, And We Love Him For It.
 

                When I first heard his solo material, I could hear it immediately. Jamie XX has dabbled in making music that is like a modernized, club-worthy Burial sound. Since he does it with such originality and beef, he can claim the sound as his own. His production style is clean, loud, and shimmering. The Burial influences are apparent with Jamie’s choice to implement reworked vocal samples among harmonizing, soaring synthesizers. I wouldn’t go so far as to call them melodic, but they do serve some backbone to the beats. Secondly, Jamie XX uses a distinguishable beat style that is too similar to something Burial that cooks up regularly to not call them influenced. Recognize the syncopated nature of the beat, and then the repetition that is found in both artists.  Of course, being a producer and beat maker, the sound is where the difference lies. Jamie XX’s solo material stays prominent in the bass music scene out of the UK because his bass is heavy and prominent, yet classy, and this style is just another factor that brings me back to his music. Moreover, his production is unique in the sound pallete for his beats. On songs like “Far Nearer”, the tropical sounds invoke imagery of palm trees and ocean waves. In “I’m New Here”, the vibe is more like walking through a rave. This idea could be dramatized by the pulsing beat, which gives the song a ‘slow motion’ feel. As if you’re squeezing your way, step by step, through a color blasted and laser lit room while everyone else is preoccupied. 

                 Either way, the impression I get is much brighter than the ‘light surrounded by darkness’ impression I continually get from Burial’s music. Burial’s music tends to be more stagnant than Jamie’s as far as the artist’s intent for impression goes. With Burial, when I first heard the beauty that is “Dog Shelter”, a deep and vivid ‘memory’ rushed to my mind’s eye. There I was, with good company..in an empty construction site, kicking rocks and empty beer bottles. You know the kind; you've seen it on the side of the road or freeway, with the large floodlights blanketing the site and piercing the darkness surrounding. I’ve been there before, when I was much younger, but these images are reimagined, yet quite clear. Burial’s music obviously emulates the distant night life, and this daydream is what I get from his fully developed vision.

I want to say more, but that’s a good stopping point.