Based in Romford, Essex, England, Underworld were formed from the ashes of Freur in the late '80s, featuring former members of that band Karl Hayde (vocals), Alfie Thomas and Rick Smith, alongside Baz Allen (bass) and video-maker John Warwicker. Smith had also performed on sessions for Bob Geldof, while Hyde worked with Debbie Harry. After their debut album as Underworld, a funk-rock affair produced by Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, Burrows was replaced by Pascal Consolli (ex-Boys Wonder). By 1990 Thomas too had departed. Hyde (who had by now taken part in sessions for Prince at his Paisley Park studio complex) and Smith continued with the addition of DJ Darren Emerson—a journeyman of clubs like the Limelight and Milky Bar. Allen and Consolli went on to become the rhythm section of D-Influence, Burrows eventually joining Worldwide Electric. Mark II of the band debuted as Lemon Interrupt with the harmonica-drenched Big Mouth. Underworld's breakthrough single, though, was the wonderful MMM….Skyscraper I Love You, released on Junior Boy's Own, encapsulating the chilled-out house movement perfectly. It was hailed as influential to the likes of Fluke, One Dove and Orbital, but many others have took it as a signpost in the emergence of dance music in the '90s. Underworld mix live instruments with their studio wizardry, expanded by an eclectic, often plain odd collection of samples. They confounded expectations by playing live on the MIDI Circus roadshow and are one of the few techno outfits to actually relish such activity, mixing live on the decks for a unique experience at each date. Accordingly they were applauded for a stunning, improvised set at Glastonbury in 1992. They are also part of the Tomato collective, a multi-media enclave which produces art, film and graphics for the band's record sleeves, as well as advertising campaigns for prestigious accounts like Red Mountain, Nike and Adidas—all of which feature Underworld's soundtracks. The follow-up single to Skyscraper was Rez, but it was the attendant album, DUB NO BASS WITH MY HEAD MAN, that engendered further excitement. Among the more modest critical responses, the album was described as a ‘fantastic synthesis of dance, techno, ambient, dub, rave, trance and rock….the most important album since the Stone Roses and the best since SCREAMADELICA’. More than any other artefact, it was the one single record that saw audiences and critics switch allegiances from guitar bands to more ‘progressive’ outfits. Some even suggested it was the soundtrack to the death of rock 'n roll, which was, perhaps, overstating the case.

Dubnobasewithmyheadman

In the correct circles, an outbreak of blue face is spreading as happening gloom-techno trio Underworld are incessantly "talked about". With a name DJ (Darren Emerson) for cred, plus a line to one-hit '80s dandies Freur (Karl Hyde, Rick Smith) for novelty value, Underworld seem likely to rise above the tipsheet and into the mainstream. Their debut LP fair bristles with invention, tunes and satisfying noise. Infused with a rather too quaint early '80s futurism (Dirty Epic and Cowgirl, particularly, where computerised voices abound), it is Underworld's all-consuming studio confidence, and a healthy disregard for their genre's codebook, that scores here.