Credit: Press
It has been said that Burko is on a “meteoric rise” to stardom as he captivates listeners with his unique “Medieval House” style. Having released many singles over the course of 2020 and 2021, we are fully invested in watching this come true. The San Diego-based producer released his debut EP, Infraredearlier this year, which received critical acclaim from trendsetters like Your EDM and Run The Trap and found support on Spotify Friday Crawdiggers and Operator reading lists. He quickly followed Infrared with the I can’t stay here EP in April, which contained the moody title track and the equally disturbing “Reflection.” While summer is usually the time to release breezy, upbeat tracks to complement the warmer weather, Burko decided to drop the edgy and cryptic “Dark Matter,” which spoke to the forces of existence. We caught up with Burko shortly after that release, learning more about the single, its signature “Medieval House” sound, and upcoming collaborations.
Hi Burko! Congratulations on the release of your new single”Black matter.” It’s a bit enigmatic and mysterious, but that’s what makes it so captivating. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind it?
Thanks a lot! I wanted the track to play with the relationship between silence and heavy synths, which mainly appears in the second verse, and I think the theme of “Dark Matter”, which is inherently mysterious and unknown, invites the idea of have cryptic lyrics.
The lyrics are very intriguing and give the track a sci-fi vibe – did you write them yourself?
I actually wrote these lyrics with my ex-girlfriend (who is also the vocal speaker in the track).
Is there a lyric or line that stood out to you the most?
I think the lyrics, “And then we’re reminded that nothing’s forever, nothing’s for real,” is about the impermanence of life and how the issues people can have in their life are so relative to their own life and are often not as important as people make it out to be.
I read that this was the first time you used analog gear on your tracks – was that a weird transition? Will you favor analogue in the future?
I don’t think it was a weird transition once I figured out how to properly route it to Ableton for the Prophet to do what I wanted it to do. I will definitely use more analog gear in the future!
Your music has been described as “Medieval House” for a while now – when was this term first used?
I found the term when I made my first track, “Take Me There”, and ran with it. I wish I could remember what inspired that word.
Your Infrared EP was your first release for 2022, and it received great support. How does it feel to see others connect so well to your music?
It’s amazing to see so many people connecting with my music and integrating it into their own lives. I will never get over the ironic feeling of seeing a song I made in my bedroom being played on a gigantic stage.
Credit: Press
Shortly after posting the Infrared EP, you dropped the I can’t stay here EP – Was there a time when you could have seen yourself combining songs from both projects on one release?
That’s an excellent question. I never saw them overlap because I had finished the Infrared EP and decided which tracks to put on it before starting production on the I can’t stay here EP. Although at the beginning, I very much intended to “Revelation” (the fourth track of the Infrared EP) to be released as B-side on an EP with my track”Angelic“, which ended up coming out on Box Of Cats before the Infrared EP.
I’ve noticed house and dance music starting to show up more in releases from artists outside of those genres – where do you think this new interest is coming from?
I think house is becoming quite mainstream at this point, so it makes sense to me that producers would shift their focus to making music popular with the masses. In my hometown of San Diego, I hear house music everywhere I go, both as restaurant background music and the lineups that are scheduled at local venues.
What more can we expect from you this year?
These next few months are shaping up to have some big releases planned. On August 12, I have a collaboration with SNBRN release on Ultra. In November, I have a collaboration with Autograph will be released on Armada, and in the meantime some releases on Insomniac’s IN/ROTATION label.
Thanks again for your time. Would you like to add anything else?
Thanks for your time too! I’m playing a concert in Chicago at Nocturne on September 23, so if you’re in the area, come along!
Credit: Press
Tickets for Burko’s show at Chicago Nocturne are available here.
