Newswires

Underworld :: DRIFT Series 1 (Caroline)

Written by Clint Anderson on

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DRIFT carries on from the Riverrun period of live experimentation and raw, unedited vibes. It feels as though a whole other side of Karl and Rick has emerged and we’re seeing them here at their artistic peak. There’s much subtle mastery on display here, and a lot of casual and seamless genre blending and bending throughout everything. From industrial soundscapes to soaring progressive trance, to sleepy love songs, and hard acid dance tracks—some of it nearly unrecognizable as Underworld, some of it sounding like a song they could have done 20 years ago—the vast expanse of 7 discs covers an incredible body of work, with a plethora of guests and collaborators from often unexpected places. Entire first series available physically and digitally November 1st, 2019. Accompanying CD and LP Sampler Editions.

I’ve been an ardent Underworld fan for decades now. I started with Dubnobasswithmyheadman, which at the time I had to have my local record shop special order because nobody anywhere around me had even heard of this band, which I’d learned of from an IRC friend and fallen in love with almost immediately.

There was something fascinating about this trio, with their dark pop stylings arranged around nasty hard techno hooks, narrated with Karl Hyde’s dadaist mental flow. Every element was familiar but somehow, nobody had ever put together a sound like this from those elements. After Darren Emerson left the group, I felt that he took with him a huge element of the dark, hard techno vibes. Karl and Rick Smith—bless their souls—were just too happy by themselves.

A long period followed with Karl and Rick essentially carrying on trying to recreate that same classic Underworld 2.0 era sound, without Darren. It didn’t work for me. They brought in other producers and remixers—it didn’t work for me. Then suddenly, the Riverrun era of Underworld appeared, and it was clear they had thrown off the chains of the 2.0 sound and come up with a genuinely new approach, more earnestly capturing what was going on in their heads, without months of post production and perfectionism to erase that initial blast of pure soul—and it was amazing.

DRIFT carries on from the Riverrun period of live experimentation and raw, unedited vibes. It feels as though a whole other side of Karl and Rick has emerged and we’re seeing them here at their artistic peak. There’s much subtle mastery on display here, and a lot of casual and seamless genre blending and bending throughout everything. From industrial soundscapes to soaring progressive trance, to sleepy love songs, and hard acid dance tracks—some of it nearly unrecognizable as Underworld, some of it sounding like a song they could have done 20 years ago—the vast expanse of 7 discs covers an incredible body of work, with a plethora of guests and collaborators from often unexpected places.

If you loved Underworld long ago and had lost interest, I personally feel this is the time to go back and check on the boys and see what they’ve been up to lately. I guarantee you will be blown away by the sheer scope of what’s in DRIFT and it may even pull you back into the… Underworld.

If you’ve never heard of Underworld, I would strongly recommend checking out the DRIFT sampler, and I envy you getting to hear this Underworld 4.0 for the first time as a new listener.

DRIFT: Series 1 – Track Listings: Sampler Edition

  1. Appleshine
  2. This Must Be Drum Street
  3. Listen To Their No
  4. Border Country
  5. Mile Bush Pride
  6. Schiphol Test
  7. Brilliant Yes That Would Be
  8. S T A R (Rebel Tech)
  9. Imagine A Box
  10. Custard Speedtalk
  11. Boxset Edition

CD1 – Ep 1 DUST

  1. Another Silent Way
  2. Dexters Chalk
  3. Low Between Zebras
  4. Universe Of Can When Back
  5. Brilliant Yes That Would Be
  6. Another Silent Way / Drift Poem / Better Than Diamonds
  7. One True Piano Need Hand

CD2 – Ep 2 ATOM

  1. Appleshine
  2. Molehill
  3. Threat Of Rain
  4. Brussels
  5. Soniamode (Aditya Game)
  6. Appleshine (All The Lights)
  7. Roof Off

CD3 – Ep 3 HEART

  1. Dune
  2. Custard Speedtalk
  3. This Must Be Drum Street
  4. Pinetum
  5. Poet Cat
  6. Do Breakers Trip
  7. Seven Music Drone

CD4 – Ep 4 SPACE

  1. Listen To Their No
  2. Schiphol Test
  3. Hundred Weight Hammer
  4. Doris
  5. Altitude Dub
  6. Border Country
  7. Big Bear

CD5 – Ep 5 GAME

  1. Toluca Stars
  2. Mile Bush Pride
  3. Imagine A Box
  4. Tree And Two Chairs
  5. Give Me The Room
  6. S T A R
  7. Doscientos
  8. Two Arrows
  9. A Moth At The Door

CD6 – Underworld and The Necks

  1. Altitude Dub Continuum
  2. A Very Silent Way
  3. Appleshine Continuum

CD7 – DRIFT Series 1 Sampler

  1. Appleshine
  2. This Must Be Drum Street
  3. Listen To Their No
  4. Border Country
  5. Mile Bush Pride
  6. Schiphol Test
  7. Brilliant Yes That Would Be
  8. S T A R (Rebel Tech)
  9. Imagine A Box
  10. Custard Speedtalk

Blu-ray – DRIFT Series 1 – The Films

  1. Drift Trailer
  2. Another Silent Way
  3. Dexters Chalk
  4. Low Between Zebras
  5. Universe Of Can When Back
  6. A Very Silent Way
  7. Appleshine
  8. Molehill
  9. Threat Of Rain
  10. Brussels
  11. Soniamode (Aditya Game)
  12. Appleshine Continuum
  13. Dune
  14. Custard Speedtalk
  15. This Must Be Drum Street
  16. Pinetum
  17. Poet Cat
  18. Listen To Their No
  19. Schiphol Test
  20. Hundred Weight Hammer
  21. Doris
  22. Altitude Dub
  23. Border Country
  24. Toluca Stars
  25. Mile Bush Pride
  26. Imagine A Box
  27. Tree And Two Chairs
  28. Give Me The Room
  29. S T A R
  30. Brilliant Yes That Would Be

Visit Underworld at www.underworldlive.com.

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