We need to talk about... Underworld, the majestic dance music duo
Judging by the joyous feel to Underworld’s gig at Ally Pally earlier this year, when a rocking venue was filled with mostly forty to fifty-somethings and many beyond, one wonders whether retirement homes or senior citizen meetings will be dancing to electronic music as a well-being, modern day Cocoon tonic in future years.
Or is it just the allure of Underworld’s music that commands hips to move? I’m listening to their new album, out this week, and the splendid standout Gene Pool, the kind of ethereal beauty which has set this duo apart since their first proper dance album 30 years ago. The two sixty-somethings are still producing sublime dance music, notably with Techno Shinkansen and kooky King of Haarlem on new album Strawberry Hotel.
In early 2023, a friend and I went to their Teenage Cancer Trust gig at the Royal Albert Hall. A Monday night was immediately enriched when we looked at each other on the opening track, played live for the first time.
It was Gene Pool. Some kind soul later put out the track online and we then had to wait 18 months for the album.
There are several moments on the live version, below, where the crowd goes into a frenzy, thinking the track has finished. Such is Underworld’s music. The layers, the drops and high-flying denouement.
They were once massive in Italy during the late eighties (think Level 42 or Ultravox sounds) while coming back to the UK as unknowns. Five years later, they pivoted on their own accord. Their opening number Dark & Long on dubnobasswithmyheadman, in 1994, set the tone of what was to come.
Their breadth of work involves soundtracks (including the below beauty) from an Anthony Minghella movie Breaking and Entering, 8 ball from The Beach and, of course, Trainspotting.
... to being responsible for the musical curation at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and the excellent Caliban’s Dream.
And so this Spotify playlist curated for Music Doctor readers is a reflection of Underworld’s sound. Born Slippy, which gave them Britpop credence, is in there, sure. But I would happily leave it out.
From an ambient start, to its anthemic dance floor bangers (if you are a gym frequenter/runner/walker the middle section is a must) to a medley of tracks at the end which sum up their unique sound.
If you like dance music, experiencing an Underworld gig, wherever you are in the world, is a must. You will simply not regret it.
What’s new:
Bloom - Maribou State
Maribou State seemed to be at the top of their game before member Chris Davids was diagnosed with a rare brain condition, chiari malformation, in 2022. They took an enforced break and, back to health, they have released some new tracks. Bloom has the lyric ‘need a break from it all’. Lovely stuff.
And here’s a playlist for you with their best work.
New in electronica this week is Ukrainian producer Komilev with his infectious Falling For You.
On the live front, The National have also released a gig from Rome this week. Here’s Fake Empire in all its live glory.
80’s sounding vibe of the fortnight
What’s on the jukebox
Aphex Twin has released an expanded edition of Selected Ambient Works Vol III. The final track on the album, Rhubarb Orc. 19.53 Rev, is splendid.
A banger not to miss
Komilev's new track, as above, is a reminder of a Turkish beach bar chat this summer where a friend told me about an epic Eric Prydz remix of Depeche Mode's Never Let Me Down Again. Take a listen, at volume.
And finally…
Recently I sent a friend, a Stones fan, a track called Wild in the Streets by Garland Jeffreys. A relative unknown, he got his break in NYC's Greenwich Village folk clubs in the 1960s. On the back of the best covers in the last newsletter, Bon Jovi did a version but only in name.