newunderworldwithbellson

Heard Rick got conked in the head with a flying brick at an Athens show last week. Hospitalised and all.

Underworld; Oblivion with Bells Out October 2007

When Underworld released their last album "A Hundred Days off " no one thought it would be nearly 2000 days until the next one arrived. It hasn't been a case of lazing around in the Essex countryside though as the last 5 years have thrown up the 1992-2002 anthology album, two major film scores (Anthony Mingellas’ "Breaking and Entering" and Danny Boyles’ 2007 "Sunshine"), a self-published typographic journal "In The Belly of Saint Paul", a series of pioneering digital-only releases, internet-radio broadcasts, a groundbreaking live web-tv broadcast and gig in partnership with Apple and Frankfurts’ techno giants Cocoon and countless gigs around the world.

During all of this action Rick and Karl, with the aid of trusty laptops, a couple of home studios, Abbey Roads’ legendary facilities and a Pig Shed, have been carefully developing ideas for the new album "Oblivion with Bells", an album that was finally completed in a flurry of activity and excitement in spring 2007. True to form Underworld tread their own path through modern electronic music tipping a nod to current sounds, styles and production techniques but never afraid to let their song writing and musicianship shine out in this digital world. "Oblivion with Bells" draws heavily on Rick and Karls’ vast array of musical influences (Nick Drake, Def Mix, Ricardo Villalobos, Can, James Holden, Eno) and experiences performing worldwide to create a truly unique Underworld journey. The album kicks off like Saturday night with Sven Väth, Simian Mobile Disco and Frankie Knuckles all fighting to get on the decks, then takes you over the flat fields of rural Essex, through Kings Cross with its olympic dreams and piss stained alleys, ending blissed out in a hidden cove in Ibiza. Epic techno nestles next to frail acoustics, beatific prose next to sharp urban observation, amazing sound texturing mixed with mobile phone recordings, rarely has the Underworld palette been so rich.

The Summer of 2007 sees Underworld playing a handful of European festival dates (where you can expect new material to be debutedalong side deep grooves and some classics from the Underworld jukebox) ahead of their tour, which kicks off in North America in September.

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I bought the five 12" singles they released in the UK last fall and there are some excellent mixes in there. Can't wait to hear this album.

Most dissappointing live act I've ever seen. Dragged myself to Dublin to see them, and Bjork blew them to bits. The whole set seemed to run off one program setup on their machines, even Born Slippy, the then National Anthem (it over til they play born slippy), had lost the only good thing about it, the massive beat, replaced with a rather uninterested 808 that sounded like it'd rather be working for the Aphex Twin or just sitting in a shop window than suffer the indignity much longer. Only cowgirl/rez was played "separarely" and was fucking unbelievable, totally storming, and with the vocal loops being laid in live using a Boss Se50[1] to "vocode" the voice and guitar.

Maybe I just seen em at the height of their coke vs talent phase, but that gig combined with 2nd toughest, just put me off them more or less forever. Dubnowatyamacallit is still 60 of the cleverest minutes of electronic music ever recorded.

[1] No I didn't look, nor am I so big a geek I can tell a guitar Fx box at first listen. BUT at the time, there were VERY few devices that could vocode using external signals as both carrier and modulator, and only 2, the SE50 and it's sister model (Se30?) that could do so with a guitar level input. Years later I read that I was right :D (or was it's name sC50, ah well who cares)

Doctor? wrote: Bjork blew them to bits.

Sounds interesting!

Doctor? wrote: Most dissappointing live act I've ever seen.

One of the best I've ever seen.

Wouldn't even use Bjork's head to scrub the dunny.

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depthcharge wrote:

Doctor? wrote: Most dissappointing live act I've ever seen.

One of the best I've ever seen.

Wouldn't even use Bjork's head to scrub the dunny.

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Before that night I would have agreed with you,but they were piss barring one song and most of my companions, who were of the pillpopping and all night grooving persuasion concurred with me.

saw bjork at phoenix festival yeeeeaaarrrss ago, and altho under the influence of some rather good acid , she was amazing, been a fan scince i heard birthday on the chart show about 20 years ago, underworld were one of my favourite bands of the 90s, missed about 4 gigs due to various illness but finaly saw them about 98, they were top, think theyve lost a bit tho after emerson departed

Agreed on the loss of Emerson. Although I think I heard they're now interchanging DJ Darrens, with Price about to become a quasi member?

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old lead foot wrote: saw bjork at phoenix festival yeeeeaaarrrss ago, and altho under the influence of some rather good acid , she was amazing, been a fan scince i heard birthday on the chart show about 20 years ago, underworld were one of my favourite bands of the 90s, missed about 4 gigs due to various illness but finaly saw them about 98, they were top, think theyve lost a bit tho after emerson departed

Yep, I was at that Phoenix Festival - 1996. She was indeed astonishing, and I imagine the acid made the fireworks that were going off throughout the duration of her set even more impressive!!??

Bought a ticket for the Roundhouse gig in London (October 8th) - anyone else going?

Last time I saw them live (a couple of years back - in Brixton Academy), they were superb!

Doctor? wrote: Most dissappointing live act I've ever seen.

i've just bought a ticket for the glasgow gig.

Doctor Clayhead wrote:

old lead foot wrote: saw bjork at phoenix festival yeeeeaaarrrss ago, and altho under the influence of some rather good acid , she was amazing, been a fan scince i heard birthday on the chart show about 20 years ago, underworld were one of my favourite bands of the 90s, missed about 4 gigs due to various illness but finaly saw them about 98, they were top, think theyve lost a bit tho after emerson departed

Yep, I was at that Phoenix Festival - 1996. She was indeed astonishing, and I imagine the acid made the fireworks that were going off throughout the duration of her set even more impressive!!??

the fireworks were impecable, fantastic show, glad it was so, without the acid

Any new material from Underworld is of interest to me and agreed although they seem to have lacked something since Darren Emerson departed they've turned out some reasonable stuff with A Thousand Days Off, Breaking And Entering and the Riverun 12's. Saw them along with Darren Emerson at Dublin's Budrising festival in 2005 and were very good and regret not seeing them in their 'Everything Everything' heyday period around '97-00

Nick King wrote: Bought a ticket for the Roundhouse gig in London (October 8th) - anyone else going?

Last time I saw them live (a couple of years back - in Brixton Academy), they were superb!

Hi Nick I've just ordered a ticket for London gig so will be up for this too - hope it’s a good 'un Cheers!

Well, I can't await a new album. I love them ever since.

I saw them live in 2000 on a festival. It was the tour when they suddenly had shrinked to a duo.

underworld rock, ive downloaded a few of their digital releases since their last cd.

will be interesting to hear this new album tho:

Digital Downloads: http://www.underworldlive.com/index/shop.html

From Website:

Heineken Ejekt Festival 2007 16th June 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

UNDERWORLD MEMBER INJURED AS GANG STORMS STADIUM.

Underworlds’ Rick Smith, Karl Hyde, Darren Price and crew were caught up in trouble reportedly caused by “anarchists” at the Ejekt Festival in Athens on Saturday night (16/06/07). Underworld were scheduled to close the festival that also included Madness and The Beastie Boys. It is reported that a group of around 30 masked individuals, armed with CS-gas, iron bars and baseball bats stormed the stadium at around 11.20pm as The Beastie Boys were performing. As cars were burned and property damaged, the stadium was evacuated. Underworlds’ Rick Smith was one of the injured. He was hospitalised for a time in Athens, but has now returned to the UK for further treatment. Several other people including security guards were seriously hurt.