The band Burito’s eclectic music has been described as everything from “r’n’b” to “hard rock with hip hop elements” to “alternative-electronic.” The band borrows from a variety of styles to make a sound entirely their own – sensitive, poetic, and toe-tapping. The band name comes not from Spanish but from a combination of three Japanese characters: Bu (warrior), Ri (truth), and To (sword/struggle for justice). The band has taken off in recent years, launching a series of tours and producing chart-topping singles.
The lead singer of Burito is Igor Burnyshev (stage name Garik Burito). Burnyshev was born in Izhevsk, a Russian city located in the Ural Mountains. Burnyshev grew up around music from an early age. He fondly remembers traveling to the Ural Mountains with an adventurous geography teacher, where he would sing and play guitar around the campfire. During his school years, Burnyshev gained a hobby as a break dancer.
After initially enrolling in the Udmurt Republican College of Culture, Burnyshev decided that directing theatre was not the career path for him. He dropped out and moved to Moscow to pursue his dreams in music, supporting himself through teaching break dancing to children. After struggling to break into the arts scene, Burnyshev reenrolled in university, this time at the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts.
The birth of Burito dates back to 1999. Burnyshev formed the group but initially did not find much success. The group struggled to gain traction and played mostly in Moscow clubs. After a few years, Burnyshev abandoned the project, instead joining the Band’Eros collective. Initially brought on board to choreograph songs for the group, he showed enough promise to become a soloist. During the same period, Burnyshev also funneled his creative energies into working as a DJ and serving as the choreographer and production director for the dance group Urbans.
In 2012, Burnyshev reorganized his studio and resuscitated the Burito project. The contemporary reincarnation fared much better. In 2015, the group struck gold with the hits Ты знаешь (“You Know”) and Мама (“Mama”). In short order, Ты знаешь got 20 million views on YouTube and topped the charts. Мама remained in the top ten of Russian iTunes for two months and won a Song of the Year Award. These two hits propelled the group into fame and allowed them to sell out their first concerts in 2015. The group hit the road on a tour to Belarus the same year. Despite the success of their pop hits, the group remained true to their more philosophical roots, releasing the lauded follow-up single Пока город спит (“While the City Sleeps”).
The group has released three full-length albums and an EP since their inception in 1999. Initially including sections of poetry readings in silence, their focus has become more on pop electronica in recent years. Their songs alternately feature whistling, acoustic guitar, rhythmic rapping, and electronica, leading to a soft atmospheric feel to much of their music.
Burito can be found on YouTube, iTunes, Amazon Music, and Spotify. The Velvet Music record label curated Burito playlist can be found here.
One of their breakout hits, Ты знаешь is a chart-topping collaboration with Ёлка.
Lyrics for “Ты знаешь”
Временами я думаю о нас
Утыкая себя временами
Моё сердце бьется раз в час
Я очень болен, другими словами
Она на полупальцах в тишину
Я за ней, но менее резво
Я удивляюсь тому, что дышу
Одним воздухом с ней и остаюсь трезвым
ПРИПЕВ
Ты знаешь обо мне всё, что можно знать
[Ты знаешь обо мне всё, что можешь знать только ты]
Ты знаешь, я смогу всё заново начать
Только с тобой
В одиночестве забытых картин
Нанесённых на кирпичные стены
Я шатаюсь этой ночью один
Разбираясь в неполадках системы
Подогревая грани мегаполисных рек
Я вдыхаю полуночную стужу
Моё сердце переходит на бег
Когда тебя я так долго не вижу
ПРИПЕВ
Ты знаешь обо мне всё, что можно знать
[Ты знаешь обо мне всё, что можешь знать только ты]
Ты знаешь я смогу всё заново начать
Только с тобой
Ты мой закат, ты мой рассвет
Без тебя меня фактически нет
Я с тобой, я снова жива
Ты мой закат, ты мой рассвет
Этa музыка – наш с тобою секрет
Время – пыль, без тебя меня нет
Translated lyrics
From time to time I think of us
Feels like I’m being stuck with time
My heart skips a beat and nearly stops*
I am very sick, in other words..
Her feet hardly touch the ground in silence
I try to follow her, but I’m not quick enough
Surprised I breathe the same air as she do
And still keep thinking clearly
CHORUS
You know about me all that you could know
[You know ’bout me all that no one could know but you]
You know that I can start all over again
Only with you
Feeling lonely among forgotten pictures
Painted on the brick walls
I walk alone tonight
Thinking of the system failure
I heat up the riversides in the megacity
Breathing the midnight frosty air
My heart starts racing
If I don’t see you for a long time
CHORUS
You know all about me, all that you could know
[You know ’bout me all that no one could know but you]
You know that I can start all over again
Only with you
You are my sunset, you are my sunrise
In fact, there is no me without you
When I’m beside you I feel alive
You are my sunset, you are my sunrise
This tune is our secret
Time is dust, I am nothing without you
