Music Banter - View Single Post

jackhammer · 05-01-2011, 06:44 PM

It's been a while and I actually enjoyed reading my own thread so let's continue.

Underworld

Along with the previously mentioned Massive Attack in this journal, Underworld are another band that really opened my eyes to the extensive world of Electronic music and the fact that it CAN be timeless, full of invention, mood, atmosphere and quality songwriting technique.

Underworld really grabbed peoples attention in the 90's with the perennial (but overplayed) Born Slippy track that was released as a by product of the film Trainspotting. What is odd about this, is that the Trainspotting director Danny Boyle used their first album (classed as Underworld Mark 1 and the true beginning of the band according to them) dubnobasswithmyheadman as the film set soundtrack of choice which didn't include Born Slippy.

I originally first heard their second release (Second Toughest In The Infants) whilst working as a chef and clocking off late into the early hours playing chess and getting drunk (a lethal combo, the games would last for 3 hours + sometimes). It was one of those albums that you didn't notice immediately but you never found it distracting either. After a while the album seemed to burn into your brain and it was imperative that the album HAD to be played whilst challenging those members of staff who had enough staying power to drink to the early hours and still make it to work after 4 hours of sleep.

What emerged was a band that was heavily influenced by Electronic Krautrock, Prog Rock's more ambient moments and the present day Dance/Techno sound. A combination that defied the usual sound of the day (this was mid 90's) for 3 minute pop influenced dance tunes and instead opened albums with 7/8 minute plus layered tracks with a dance mentality and a progressive sensibility. The first two track on Second Toughest are both over 15 minutes long and whilst they both adhere to the sounds of the day (techno beats and heavy bass), they also swirled and swished through many tempo changes, instruments and vocal stylings that neither helped their commercial aspirations (if any) or bedded them to any particular fanbase.

Underworld are still making music 20 years on and whilst they are not on the cutting edge of music, they still are one of the very few electronic/dance bands still popular due to actually having lyrics and a vocalist and a sound that covers many bases but touches on few.

If Prog fans could get their head around beat based electronic music then they would be falling all over themselves for this band and if Dance fans delved beyond a certain BPM mentality they would hear music that would stretch them whilst still retaining aspects that they like.

Underworld remain one of my favourite bands of the last 20 years because they appeal to me on so many levels and those levels are hard to describe other than this is a band that makes music for themselves but are still not so oblique for the rest of us not to enjoy it.

Probably their most commercial track (but not successful- they don't really do singles):

05-01-2011, 06:44 PM	#75 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	It's been a while and I actually enjoyed reading my own thread so let's continue. Underworld Along with the previously mentioned Massive Attack in this journal, Underworld are another band that really opened my eyes to the extensive world of Electronic music and the fact that it CAN be timeless, full of invention, mood, atmosphere and quality songwriting technique. Underworld really grabbed peoples attention in the 90's with the perennial (but overplayed) Born Slippy track that was released as a by product of the film Trainspotting. What is odd about this, is that the Trainspotting director Danny Boyle used their first album (classed as Underworld Mark 1 and the true beginning of the band according to them) dubnobasswithmyheadman as the film set soundtrack of choice which didn't include Born Slippy. I originally first heard their second release (Second Toughest In The Infants) whilst working as a chef and clocking off late into the early hours playing chess and getting drunk (a lethal combo, the games would last for 3 hours + sometimes). It was one of those albums that you didn't notice immediately but you never found it distracting either. After a while the album seemed to burn into your brain and it was imperative that the album HAD to be played whilst challenging those members of staff who had enough staying power to drink to the early hours and still make it to work after 4 hours of sleep. What emerged was a band that was heavily influenced by Electronic Krautrock, Prog Rock's more ambient moments and the present day Dance/Techno sound. A combination that defied the usual sound of the day (this was mid 90's) for 3 minute pop influenced dance tunes and instead opened albums with 7/8 minute plus layered tracks with a dance mentality and a progressive sensibility. The first two track on Second Toughest are both over 15 minutes long and whilst they both adhere to the sounds of the day (techno beats and heavy bass), they also swirled and swished through many tempo changes, instruments and vocal stylings that neither helped their commercial aspirations (if any) or bedded them to any particular fanbase. Underworld are still making music 20 years on and whilst they are not on the cutting edge of music, they still are one of the very few electronic/dance bands still popular due to actually having lyrics and a vocalist and a sound that covers many bases but touches on few. If Prog fans could get their head around beat based electronic music then they would be falling all over themselves for this band and if Dance fans delved beyond a certain BPM mentality they would hear music that would stretch them whilst still retaining aspects that they like. Underworld remain one of my favourite bands of the last 20 years because they appeal to me on so many levels and those levels are hard to describe other than this is a band that makes music for themselves but are still not so oblique for the rest of us not to enjoy it. Probably their most commercial track (but not successful- they don't really do singles): __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”