After a five-year hiatus from playing shows in North America, the legendary Electronic Dance Music duo Underworld is making their return to the United States. Out of only five appearances announced, Movement-goers will be happy to know that the Detroit-based festival has made the cut. This will be the group’s debut appearance at Movement where their new set has been teased as being “gloriously hallucinatory.”
British-based Karl Hyde and Rick Smith haven’t played a show in North America since they sold out the Hollywood Bowl in 2015. Movement won’t be the only stop on their tour, Underworld also has shows planned in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto. But their return to North America isn’t the only significant aspect of this tour.
The new series of shows will coincide with the 40th anniversary of Hyde and Smith’s meeting and the beginning of their collaborative journey together. The two are pioneers of dance music and have one of the longest-running partnerships in the scene.
It all began in 1983 when Hyde and Smith formed a New Wave band called Freur. The group disbanded after only a handful of years with each man going his separate way. Underworld was born in 1988 when they got back together, this time focusing on an Industrial-Funk sound. Two of their albums made it on the Billboard Hot 100, but the two stopped making new music shortly thereafter.
A few years later, in 1992, Hyde and Smith began experimenting with their sound once again. They brought on DJ Darren Emerson and changed their name to “Lemon Interrupt.” The new name would only be temporary. In 1993 they broke into the dance music scene with the tracks “Rez” and “MMM…Skyscraper I Love You,” both released under the name Underworld.
It’s not easy to pin down Underworld’s sound, it has been described as Synthpop, Techno, Progressive, Alternative Dance, and even Trance. But none of these labels truly do their sound justice, Underworld is in a league of its own, serving as the perfect intersection between art, Rock, and Electronic music
Their debut album, “Dubnobasswithmyheadman” was a success, reaching number 12 on the British pop chart. Their single, “Born Slippy” gained mainstream attention when it was featured in the film “Trainspotting” a few years later. But it was the group’s next album that earned them the massive recognition they deserved. “Second Toughest in the Infants” was released in 1996 and climbed high on the UK music charts.
The pair found their sound and their home within the dance music scene. When asked what it was like the first time they were able to see their music connecting with people in the crowd, Hyde recalled to Billboard:
“It was at the Ministry of Sound in London. We played from the DJ booth. Ministry of Sound had a fantastic sound system. One of the things we wanted to achieve was to play live in such a way that nobody stopped dancing, so we played like a DJ, segueing into the set. Virtually nobody knew [were playing like that], and, in a way, that was the measure of success of the gig — that no one stopped dancing.”
In 2000, Emerson left to work on his solo DJ career and the pair brought on Darren Price, who also eventually left. Since Second Toughest in the Infants, Underworld has released 1999’s sublime “Beaucoup Fish”, “Oblivion with Bells” in 2007, 2016’s Grammy-nominated “Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future”, and most recently, 2019’s groundbreaking “DRIFT”.
Underworld has had an undeniable impact on Electronic Dance Music. It’s nearly impossible to go to festivals without hearing an Underworld track, whether it’s an original or a remix. Bassnectar’s mix of “Rez” even became one of the more memorable moments of EDCs past, when it was featured in the Night Owl Experience — a theatrical, audiovisual presentation of rave’s past, present and future.
Jason Bently, the music director of KCRW’s World Music Festival commented on Underworld’s contributions to Electronic Dance Music, saying, “EDM didn’t just appear out of nowhere“If we’re talking about the longevity of music, you need to understand its roots and where it came from. That’s Underworld.”
North America holds a special place in the hearts of the Underworld duo. Hyde said, “For us, America is the birthplace of modern dance music.” He continued, “You do everything big, and that’s fantastic because when you do it, the rest of the world takes notice. As much as people may put down EDM, it’s had a significantly positive effect for the rest of us. It’s drawn a lot more people’s attention to what we’re all doing.”
Don’t miss your chance to see Underworld along with artists like Adam Beyer, ANNA, Seth Troxler, and Maceo Plex at Movement Electronic Music Festival May 23-25.
*Featured Image Via Vice
