Underworld | Artist
Underworld is a UK electronic music group formed 1980 in Cardiff, Wales by Karl Hyde (vocals, guitar) and Rick Smith (keyboards, electronics). Darren Emerson and Darren Price were former members and Karl Hyde has collaborated with Brian Eno. They play Progressive House/Techno styles and achieved worldwide recognition when they were chosen to provide music for the 2012 London Olympics. Hyde and Smith have been recording together since the early-'80s new wave explosion. After the pair released a pair of obscure rock albums, they hit it big the following decade with new recruit Darren Emerson. Traditional song forms were jettisoned in favor of Hyde's heavily treated, whispered vocals and surreal wordplay, stretched out over urban breakbeat trance ripped out by Emerson and company while Hyde's cascade of guitar-shard effects provided a bluesy foil to the stark music. The first album by the trio, Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1993), appeared to a flurry of critical acclaim and reached number 12 in the UK Second Toughest in the Infants (1996), the group's next LP, updated their sound slightly, scraped the Top Ten, and remained on the chart for over eight months, thanks in part to a boost they received from appearing on the soundtrack of the seminal film Trainspotting. The duo has released a total of 14 studio albums, up to their most recent Strawberry Hotel in 2024. This includes soundtracks to the films Breaking and Entering with Gabriel Yared, and Sunshine with John Murphy. They have also released several excellent live albums including Everything, Everything (2000), and Boiler Room London (2025), plus numerous EPs and Singles. Outstanding albums include Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1994), Second Toughest in the Infants (1996), Beaucoup Fish (1999), Everything, Everything (2000), A Hundred Days Off (2002) and Sunshine (2008). Karl Hyde has also released one solo album, 2013's Edgeland, plus two albums as part of the Eno/Hyde duo, and one album in collaboration with modern classical composer Natthew Herbert. Hyde's daughter Tyler Hyde performs in the experimental rock band Black Country, New Road. Before his career in music, Rick Smith left a bank clerk job in Llanelli to do an electronic and electrical engineering degree, then dropped out during his final exams after being asked to join Hyde’s band. Smith was appointed the musical director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony which was directed by filmmaker Danny Boyle. Together, Hyde and Smith founded Tomato, a multi-discipline design and film collective based in London.
Artist Website: underworldlive.com
Featured Albums: Underworld
Related Artists: Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Brian Eno, Shriekback
