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Underworld

Underworld's Genre:

Electronica, Techno, House, Electronic, Progressive House

Biography

Underworld became one of the most crucial electronic acts of the 1990s via an intriguing synthesis of old and new. The trio's two-man frontline, vocalist Karl Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith, had been recording together since the early-'80s new wave explosion; after two unsuccessful albums released as Underworld during the late '80s, the pair finally hit it big after recruiting Darren Emerson, a young DJ hipped to the sound of techno and trance. Traditional pop song forms were jettisoned in favor of Hyde's heavily treated vocals, barely there whispering, and surreal wordplay, stretched out over the urban breakbeat trance ripped out by Emerson and company while Smith's cascade of guitar-shard effects provided a bluesy foil to the stark music. All in all, the decision to go pop was hardly a concession to the mainstream. The first Underworld album by the trio, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, appeared in late 1993 to a flurry of critical acclaim; the trio then gained U.S. distribution for the album with TVT. Second Toughest in the Infants, the group's sophomore LP, updated its sound slightly and received more praise than the debut. Unlike the first, the LP also sold well, thanks in part to the non-album single "Born Slippy," featured on the soundtrack to the seminal film Trainspotting.

The roots of Underworld go back to the dawn of the 1980s, when Hyde and Smith formed a new wave band called Freur. The group released Doot-Doot in 1983 and Get Us Out of Here two years later, but subsequently disintegrated. Hyde worked on guitar sessions for Debbie Harry and Prince, then reunited with Smith in 1988 to form an industrial-funk band called Underworld. The pair earned an American contract with Sire and released its debut album, Underneath the Radar, in 1988. Change the Weather followed one year later, even though little attention had been paid to the first. By the end of the decade, Underworld had disappeared as well.

As they had several years earlier, Hyde and Smith shed their skin yet again, recruiting hotshot DJ Darren Emerson and renaming themselves Lemon Interrupt. In 1992, the trio debuted with two singles, "Dirty"/"Minneapolis" and "Bigmouth"/"Eclipse," both released on Junior Boys Own Records. After they reverted back to Underworld, 1993's "Rez" and "MMM...Skyscraper I Love You" caused a minor sensation in the dance community. Instead of adding small elements of techno to a basically pop or rock formula (as many bands had attempted with varying success), Underworld treated techno as the dominant force. Their debut album, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, was praised by many critics upon release later in 1993 and crossed over to the British pop charts. Hyde, Smith, and Emerson impressed many at their concert dates as well; the trio apparently relished playing live, touring Great Britain twice plus Japan, Europe, and the annual summer festival circuit, where their Glastonbury appearance became the stuff of legend.

Dubnobasswithmyheadman was released in the U.S. in 1995 after being licensed to TVT Records. During the rest of the year, Underworld were relatively quiet, releasing only the single "Born Slippy." Finally, Second Toughest in the Infants appeared in early 1996 to much critical praise. The trio gained no small amount of commercial success later in the year when "Born Slippy" was featured on the soundtrack to Trainspotting, the controversial Scottish film that earned praise from critics all over the globe. Underworld also remained busy with Tomato -- their own graphic design company responsible for commercials from such high-profile clients as Nike, Sony, Adidas, and Pepsi -- and remixing work for Depeche Mode, Björk, St. Etienne, Sven Väth, Simply Red, and Leftfield. Emerson continued to DJ on a regular basis, releasing mix albums for Mixmag! and Deconstruction. Though Underworld's 1999 LP, Beaucoup Fish, was initially a critical and commercial disappointment, the band continued to tour the world. The live album Everything, Everything followed in 2000, after which Emerson left to continue his DJ career. A Hundred Days Off, Underworld's first LP as a duo since 1989, was released in mid-2002. One year later, the stopgap compilation 1992-2002 appeared.

By 2005, the duo had officially been joined by one of Britain's most respected DJs, Darren Price (although he contributed to A Hundred Days Off), and his work also appeared on a series of online-only EPs Underworld released during 2005 and 2006. They also recorded new material for the soundtrack of the Anthony Minghella film Breaking and Entering. Their first "proper" full-length since 2002, Oblivion with Bells, appeared in 2007. It was followed in 2010 by Barking, an album that featured numerous guest producers including Paul van Dyk, Appleblim, and High Contrast. ~ John Bush

AOL Radio Stations Underworld is Featured on (14)

BPM Workout

When you really need motivation to feel the burn, BPM Workout on Slacker Radio is the prescription. All of the songs on this station have been hand selected by fitness experts for their high energy sound and they all clock in from 150-190 BPM. Perfect for the cardio portion of your workout or for your daily run. Featuring motivational dance tracks and high-BPM remixes of top hits.

Classic Electronic

Relive your rave glory days on Slacker Classic Electronic! Hear favorites from Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, Moby and the Chemical Brothers, ground-breakers like DJ Shadow, Roni Size and Air, and classics from 808 State, Underworld, and more.

Metropolitan Mood

Metropolitan Mood music on Slacker Radio is the provocative soundtrack to seduction and love. It’s not so much about the lyrics, as it is the sound and tempo of this mood music. It’s the sound of a big-city love affair. Featuring exotic electronica, downtempo beats and retro-futuristic sounds from the likes of Morcheeba, Portishead, and Massive Attack. Let Metropolitan Mood Music on Slacker Radio provide the uninterrupted soundtrack to a night of uninterrupted passion. Recommended for lovers of Chill and Alt-Chill on Slacker Radio.

Metric Showcase

This is the Metric Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the members of Metric including music hand-picked by Emily, James, Josh and Joules as well as commentary about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

New Electronic First

Can't get enough new music? Slacker's curators scour the blogs and check out new releases from around the world so that you don't have to. From new dubstep to cool indie disco to underground beats, Slacker's New Electronic First will satisfy your desire for new tunes.

Chill

This is Chill on Slacker. Whether you call this Down-Tempo, Chill-Out, Chill or any other name, it's laid-back electronic music. Often DJ inspired, Chill is melodic, peaceful, has a beat, and is easy on the ears. Expect to hear the best cuts from artists like Zero 7, DJ Shadow, Air, and many more.

Dubstep

Turn it up with Slacker Radio Dubstep! Enjoy hits from Skrillex, Bassnectar and Nero, up-and-coming artists like Krewella, M Machine and Baauer, plus classics from Roni Size to Plump DJs. Moombahcore, trap, drum 'n' bass, breaks -- it's all here on Slacker Dubstep!

Classic Dance

Relive your favorite club memories with Slacker Classic Dance! From radio hits like Robin S and Technotronic to innovators like Inner City and Lil Louis, on Classic Dance you'll definitely feel the beat.

FILTER Magazine

Good music will prevail. These are the words that FILTER lives by. In an ever-evolving musical landscape, we're here to help. Through FILTER Magazine Radio, we want to help you discover your new favorite band.

Electronic

Electronic on Slacker Radio covers all the bases in electronic music. Hear the latest hits from Deadmau5, M.I.A., and Skrillex, classic favorites from Daft Punk, Moby and the Chemical Brothers, as well as new sounds from Pendulum, Crystal Castles, and Calvin Harris.

UK Indie

UK Indie on Slacker Radio is your brand new point-of-contact for the best up-and-coming British artists in the world of independent music. If it's British and about-to-break, you'll hear it on UK Indie.

Alternative Chill

Alternative Chill on Slacker Radio is the ultimate "Easy Listening for Hipsters." The station is a hybrid of Electronic Chill artists, singer/songwriters and Indie rock songs that dip into the ethereal. You can expect to hear Jeff Buckley, Thievery Corporation, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Nada Surf, Massive Attack, Air, Nick Drake, Portishead, Everything But the Girl and even some surprises like Billie Holiday or Pink Floyd! It's the perfect station to kick back and unwind, so, open a bottle of wine, light some candles and relax.

Adult Alternative

Adult Alternative on Slacker has all the good stuff without the angst-ridden teens and their complicated haircuts. You’ll hear cutting-edge artists like Gotye, The Lumineers, and The Head & The Heart as well as established artists like Dave Matthews, Arcade Fire, U2, R.E.M., the Black Keys, and Talking Heads. If you’ve graduated from keg stands to craft beer, this is the soundtrack to your next party.

Underworld

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Orbital, The Chemical Brothers, Moby, The Crystal Method, Groove Armada, Massive Attack, Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, The Future Sound of London and more.

All Stations

Underworld's Selected Discography (35)

Underneath the Radar

198710 Songs

A Hundred Days Off

200322 Songs

Artists Related to Underworld (50)

	Orbital	Orbital became one of the biggest names in techno during the mid-'90s by solving the irreconcilable differences previously inherent in the genre: to stay true to the dance underground and, at the same time, force entry into the rock arena, where an album functions as an artistic statement -- not a collection of singles -- and a band's prowess is demonstrated by the actual performance of live music.
	The Chemical Brothers	The act with the first arena-sized sound in the electronica movement, the Chemical Brothers united such varying influences as Public Enemy, Cabaret Voltaire, and My Bloody Valentine to create a dance-rock-rap fusion which rivaled the best old-school DJs on their own terms -- keeping a crowd of people on the floor by working through any number of groove-oriented styles featuring unmissable samples, from familiar guitar riffs to vocal tags to various sound effects.
	Moby	Moby was one of the most controversial figures in techno music, alternately praised for bringing a face to the notoriously anonymous electronic genre and scorned by hordes of techno artists and fans for diluting and trivializing the form.
	The Crystal Method	L.A.'s Crystal Method have been referred to as America's answer to the Chemical Brothers. A dance-based electronic duo with a definite rock band feel, the comparison would seem appropriate, although it tends to erase what makes the group distinct: a solid base in American hip-hop, rock, soul, and pop.
	Groove Armada	London dance duo Groove Armada consist of Tom Findlay and Andy Cato. The group formed in the mid-'90s after Findlay and Cato were introduced by the latter's girlfriend and soon started their own club, also named Groove Armada (after a '70s discotheque), which featured their spinning.
	Massive Attack	The pioneering force behind the rise of trip-hop, Massive Attack were among the most innovative and influential groups of their generation; their hypnotic sound -- a darkly sensual and cinematic fusion of hip-hop rhythms, soulful melodies, dub grooves, and choice samples -- set the pace for much of the dance music to emerge throughout the 1990s, paving the way for such acclaimed artists as Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, Beth Orton, and Tricky, himself a Massive Attack alumnus.
	Daft Punk	In similar company with new-school French progressive dance artists such as Motorbass, Air, Cassius, and Dimitri from Paris, Parisian duo Daft Punk quickly rose to acclaim by adapting a love for first-wave acid house and techno to their younger roots in pop, indie rock, and hip-hop.
	The Prodigy	The Prodigy navigated the high wire, balancing artistic merit and mainstream visibility with more flair than any electronica act of the 1990s.
	Basement Jaxx	The production duo of Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton released several of Britain's most respected and enjoyable progressive house anthems of the '90s and early 2000s from their base in South London.
	The Future Sound of London	First recognized as the dance duo behind the club hits "Stakker" (as Humanoid) and "Papua New Guinea," Future Sound of London later became one of the most acclaimed and respected international experimental ambient groups, incorporating elements of techno, classical, jazz, hip-hop, electro, industrial, and dub into expansive, sample-heavy tracks, often exquisitely produced and usually without easy precursor.
	Aphex Twin	Exploring the experimental possibilities inherent in acid and ambience, the two major influences on home-listening techno during the late '80s, Richard D.
	Fatboy Slim	Norman "Jack-of-All-Genres" Cook, in addition to his former occupations as bassist for the Housemartins and one-third of acid house hitmakers Pizzaman, is also the man behind one of the most popular of the new flock of English "Brit-hop" producers, Fatboy Slim.
	DJ Shadow	DJ Shadow's Josh Davis is widely credited as a key figure in developing the experimental instrumental hip-hop style associated with the London-based Mo' Wax label.
	Oakenfold	Paul Oakenfold is the DJ, remixer, and producer who did more than anyone else to break house music in Britain during the late '80s.
	Propellerheads	Proponents of the much-maligned big-beat style of dance music (i.e. the Chemical Brothers), the Propellerheads -- keyboardist/bassist/DJ Alex Gifford and drummer/DJ Will White -- sprang out of Bath, England in 1996 to achieve almost overnight success in the U.
	Sneaker Pimps	The trip-hop trio Sneaker Pimps formed in 1995 in Reading, England, following the success of Portishead's Dummy and Tricky's Maxinquaye.
	Thievery Corporation	Thievery Corporation make abstract, instrumental, mid-tempo dance music whose classification falls somewhere between trip-hop and acid jazz.
	Röyksopp	Norwegian duo Röyksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Tromsø by making some of the warmest, most inviting downbeat electronica of the new millennium, exemplified by early tracks like "Eple" and "Poor Leno.
	BT	His concept of epic house inspired by the classical training he received from an early age, Brian Transeau revitalized the British dance community in the mid-'90s and provided a point of entry for later dream house merchants like Robert Miles, Sash!, and BBE (though Transeau had, for the most part, left the style behind by the time of its pop success during 1997-1998).
	The Orb	The Orb virtually invented the electronic genre known as ambient house, resurrecting slower, more soulful rhythms and providing a soundtrack for early-morning ravers once the clubs closed their doors.
	Paul Van Dyk	From early Berlin techno and house through to progressive trance, producer/DJ Paul van Dyk has soundtracked the German electronic dance scene ever since he moved to the city and began mixing in 1988.
	Faithless	A prime house-pop group and consistent club act, Faithless is at its core a duo of producers Rollo and Sister Bliss.
	Portishead	Portishead may not have invented trip-hop, but they were among the first to popularize it, particularly in America.
	Dirty Vegas	Following in the footsteps of crossover groups like Underworld, the South London trio Dirty Vegas took electronica up the pop charts with their hit single "Days Go By.
	Air	More apt to cite stately rock paragons Burt Bacharach and Brian Wilson as their inspirations than Derrick May or Aphex Twin, the French duo Air gained inclusion into the late-'90s electronica surge due chiefly to the labels their recordings appeared on, not the actual music they produced.
	Felix da Housecat	Second-wave Chicago house impresario Felix da Housecat entered the elite via his recordings (as himself, Thee Maddkatt Courtship, Aphrohead, Sharkimaxx) as well as his ownership of Radikal Fear Records, one of the premiere Chicago labels of the 1990s.
	Tricky	Originally, Tricky was a member of the Wild Bunch, a Bristol-based rap troupe that eventually metamorphosed into Massive Attack during the early '90s.
	Tiësto	Highly regarded by both DJ Magazine and fans of electronic dance music, DJ Tiësto launched his career as one of the world's foremost trance DJs, due in part to his legendary six-hour live sets.
	Nightmares on Wax	The combined project of George Evelyn and Robin Taylor-Firth, Nightmares on Wax became one of the brightest spots on the post-rave British techno map of the early '90s.
	Sasha	Multi-talented North Wales native Sasha became one of the world's most renowned and popular DJs. Starting out in the late '80s as a club DJ, the former Alexander Coe got his first big break when he was hired by the dance club Shelly's to spin and rework popular sounds of the day.
	Deep Dish	Initially pigeon-holed as deep-house producers though their blueprint for house music sweeps across trance, techno, and sub-basement dub, the Iranian-American duo known as Deep Dish produced a multitude of club staples during the 1990s while harvesting a stellar series of productions for their labels (Deep Dish, Yoshitoshi, Fast Food, and Middle East) by members of the ever-growing Washington, D.
	UNKLE	Experimental hip-hop outfit UNKLE were one of the original artists releasing material through noted U.
	Goldfrapp	Bath, England's singer/composer/keyboardist Allison Goldfrapp began exploring music as part of her studies as a fine art painting major at Middlesex University, mixing sound, visuals, and performances in her installation pieces.
	Zero 7	The men behind the European downtempo outfit Zero 7 -- producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker -- launched their careers in the music industry as tea boys at a London recording studio.
	Junkie XL	Big-beat electronica project Junkie XL was largely the work of Amsterdam-based remixer Tom Holkenborg, previously known for his work with acts like Nerve and Fear Factory.
	Morcheeba	The most groove-oriented act in the mid-'90s female-fronted electronica crowd, Morcheeba rely on the sweet, fluid vocals of Skye Edwards and a laid-back mix of fusion, funk, and blues produced by brothers Paul and Ross Godfrey, on beats/scratches and guitar/keyboards, respectively.
	Armand Van Helden	Until he began branching out in 1996 with a barrage of album productions and remix classics (several of which were heard by more people than the originals), Armand Van Helden was one of the best-kept secrets in house music, recording for such labels as Strictly Rhythm, Henry St.
	Boards of Canada	Boards of Canada are the duo of Michael Sandison (born June 1, 1970) and Marcus Eoin (born July 21, 1971).
	DJ Krush	Japanese turntablist and producer DJ Krush is one of the few island-nation throw-ups to be embraced by the global hip-hop world.
	Télépopmusik	The electronic outfit Télépopmusik followed in the footsteps of Air, Les Rythmes Digitales, and Dimitri From Paris and established their own musical stylings in the arena of French dance music.
	Leftfield	The production team which brought house music back from the brink of commercial mediocrity, Leftfield made it safe for artistic producers to begin working in a new vein termed progressive house.
	Kruder & Dorfmeister	The trip-hop production duo of Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister has gained more fame for its stellar remixes and DJ sets than as producers of its own work.
	ATB	ATB was the alias of DJ Andre Tanneberger, a native of Freilberg, Germany, born in 1973. In the wake of remixes for acts including the Outhere Brothers, Technotronic, and Haddaway, he scored a European club hit with 1999's "9 PM (Till I Come)," releasing the full-length Movin' Melodies later that same year.
	Björk	Björk first came to prominence as one of the lead vocalists of the avant pop Icelandic sextet the Sugarcubes, but when she launched a solo career after the group's 1992 demise, she quickly eclipsed her old band's popularity.
	Lo Fidelity Allstars	A six-piece big-beat band with more of a rock'n'roll slant than the other acts on the big-beat boutique Skint Records, Lo Fidelity Allstars marry rumbling dub basslines with breakdown-organ riffs borrowed from soul tunes and a care-free attitute reminiscent of the Madchester glory days of Happy Mondays and Stone Roses.
	DJ Icey	DJ Icey's breakbeat funk helped jump-start the increasingly fertile dance scene in and around Orlando, FL, during the '90s.
	John Digweed	Hastings native John Digweed had been DJing for close to ten years when his DJ remix tape caught the ear of Renaissance promoter Geoff Oakes.
	Armin van Buuren	A progressive trance DJ and producer whose cinematic sound is influenced by synth pioneers like Klaus Schulze and Jean-Michel Jarre, Armin van Buuren enjoys worldwide recognition and a frantic schedule that takes him all over the globe.
	Gorillaz	Conceived as the first "virtual hip-hop group," Gorillaz blended the musical talents of Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, Blur's Damon Albarn, Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori, and Tom Tom Club's Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz with the arresting visuals of Jamie Hewlett, best known as the creator of the cult comic Tank Girl.
	Deadmau5	Born Joel Zimmerman on January 5, 1981, Deadmau5 rose to prominence when his track "Faxing Berlin" found its way onto the playlist of legendary DJ/producer Pete Tong's radio show.