Burnkane: You Know / You Will Forget
Planet Mu

This two-track 12-inch from Washington, DC's Burnkane twists the dubstep template into arresting new form and takes little more than eight minutes to do so. Initially a bit reminiscent of Burial in its foggy atmospheric design and industrial whip-crack snare sound, the tripped-out A-sider, “You Know,” spices a slithering funkstep rhythm with a contrasting combination of voices, the first a gravelly one that's leagues deep and the second a female coo that's a bright and chirpy sing-song. The flip, “You Will Forget,” is a lumbering broiler that first brings high-pitched, radically-treated vocals into the wobbly fray before morphing into a mutant dancehall episode featuring the viral flow of MC James J.K. Hughes. They're both forward-thinking and heady cuts, and more than a few listens are needed for one to wrap one's head around them, especially when each blazes for a too-fast four minutes.

October 2009