Eric Burton produces a dark, genre-transcending sort of electronic music, yet has recently been lumped in with the new wave of grime, alongside the likes of Visionist and Filter Dread. Unlike those other two artists, Burton — who records as Rabit — is based in Houston, not in London. Burton's oeuvre may borrow tropes from grime, but his isolation from the rest of the scene is demonstrated by the singularity of his sound.
Communion is his debut full-length, his second release for Tri Angle following the Baptizm EP, which arrived earlier this year. Harsh and complex, the album — which was inspired by gender and sexual politics, injustice and media manipulation — is an unrelenting series of skull-pounding beat salvos, peppered with choppy vocal samples and warped synthetic textures. Burton is challenging the notion of what exactly can be classified as club music, with driving yet oblique rhythmic sequences and an unstoppable sense of exploration. While dancing to his music may prove difficult, absorbing and enjoying it in other ways is certainly very easy.
