[ t e x t . o n l y . v e r s i o n ] [ b y . j o h n . c h a l m e r s ]
If Underworld's outlook on music is not quite the norm then understanding
where they come from is everything. For while some hold the UK trio have
found fame popularising the techno sound (being blamed for the death of
rock and roll along the way), many view their vocal infused, techno-based
progressive house stylings as the best live electronic show on the planet.
Whatever your conclusion, their 1994 album, "Dubnobasswithmyheadman", is
cited by critics as one of the defining albums of this decade, (challenging
allegiance from guitar bands to electronica and signalling the arrival of
dance music to the UK mainstream). Such importance sees their classy new
set, "Beaucoup Fish" well worthy of attention, and again sees the group
driving their own line.
The core of Underworld (Smith and Hyde) began life as the concept band
Freur in 1981, working as session musicians for the likes of Debbie Harry,
Bob Geldof and Iggy Pop, until the band came into focus in 1990, scoring a
huge chart hit with "Underneath The Radar". It was then that Underworld
settled into a three man lineup featuring DJ Darren Emerson, a move that
reflected the influence of acid house on Smith and Hyde. Prior to that the
band featured two guitars, bass and acoustic drums. With the new
incarnation, the group's mix of live instruments, studio wizardry and oft
simple samples confounded expectations with a challenging live set. With
the arrival of "DubnobassS" they were never to look back.
But to fully understand the Underworld modus operandi one must look beyond
the boundaries of music. A lesser known side of Underworld is their
involvement with the Tomato enclave, a cutting edge UK design team
responsible for many exulted and award winning breakthroughs in an array of
areas; TV advertising (pioneering the rough, undefined, modern trend of art
on TV as sole designers of all the Nike ads, many MTV adverts etc), the
latest architectural developments (designing Federation Square 99 for
Melbourne's new cutting edge city centre), graphic design (including all
Underworld CD, video and T shirt artwork), publishing, and may other forms
of media and art. Tomato began as Rick and Karl from Underworld with Graham
Wood, Jason Kedgely and others and has fast become a highly respected and
much sought after team. Hence Underworld comprises more than mere
musicians, and it should be no surprise that their music possesses such a
structural bias and a strong sense of form.
'I feel lucky to be amongst a group of such talented people,' says Karl of
his involvement with Tomato. 'It's inspiring to be around a group like that
and take a break from being a musician. The bottom line is I am a musician,
that's my prime motivation, but to take photographs, write, give talks,
work as an installation artist -- which is what I was in the 70s -- allows
me to have other experiences and bring those back to the band which expands
what the band is. If Darren does that, and Rick does that then we won't
become self obsessed and self referential all the time. We don't want to
become a cartoon!'
And indeed, work with Tomato has direct correlations with the new album,
"Beaucoup Fish". 'Some audio pieces on this record are pieces Rick made for
installations we did for Tomato in 1997,' Karl explains, pausing to sum up.
'Sometimes we get labelled as being too art-dance whatever that might be
but it's just that we're all interested in making things, and that goes
beyond music -- though our roots are music and dance within that.'
Whereas "DubnobassS" and "Second Toughest In The Infants" were directly
influenced by the dance music of their time (Balearic beats and progressive
house in '93, shades of drum and bass and Detroit techno in '96) the new
set sees Underworld again unafraid to explore their psyche, searching wider
and more personally through influences that span everything from floor
shaking Jeff Mills style techno to stuttering, sharp as nails hip hop
breaks to the modern classical sounds of Phillip Glass and Michael Nyman.
So too, may of the tracks have benefited from being played live during the
writing process.
'I was really pleased with the way it came together,' Karl says of Beaucoup
Fish. 'The three of us really put a lot of ourselves into it. More than any
other album this reflects the three of us. You might get stuck and simply
pass on the ideas to one of the others who'd go and work on it at home. The
three of us were working in our own studios for all of this album. There
was a sense that this thing was active all the time and that your
individual tastes were gonna come through even more so that the eclectic
nature of the band were reflected more. We've gotta keep movin' on.'
'It's not about being be the biggest, the best, doing the most, being the
richest, it's what can you sustain,' Karl continues. 'If you can sustain
something it's because you're happy and interested and through all the
trials and tribulations you're still gonna want to do it. We wanna be doin'
this in twenty-five years time -- it certainly won't be jumping around on a
stage but it'll be something. You have to stay on your toes though. We
often arrive at a point where we go, "How did we get here? This isn't quite
right. I think we should make a course adjustment now so a year down the
line we aren't way off the mark".'
It is this attitude, the essence of Underworld's searching nature, that
keeps them relevant in '99 and will continue to do so for some time yet.
"Beaucoup Fish" is out now worldwide.
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