Underworld are in an elite group of British super-musicians who ruled the 90s and 00s electronic world – including The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Orbital and Brighton’s own Fatboy Slim. They created a new scene and arguably paved a new way of life for the then youth, being an extremely important influence for the evolution of UK dance music to this day.

Underworld came to life when Karl Hyde and Rick Smith started their musical alliance in 1980 with a Kraftwerk/reggae inspired group in Cardiff. After a stint in the New Wave/Synthpop group Freur from 1982-1986, the band signed a new record deal as Underworld. After releasing two very surprising albums (considering what was to come) and gaining some success including a No.5 hit in Australia, the band re-formed in 1991 by bringing in DJ Darren Emerson to the Hyde/Smith partnership and making the transition from synthpop to progressive dance music complete. The following years ensured six critically acclaimed albums, including the incredible Second Toughest in the Infants which had the smash hit ‘Born Slippy .NUXX’ (featuring in the 1996 film Trainspotting), and also being chosen by Danny Boyle to direct the music for the London 2012 Olympic opening ceremony. Having become a duo back in 2002, Hyde and Smith now release their first new studio album in six years with Barbara Barbara, we face a shinning future.

Anyone who has witnessed Underworld live, will know how much of an incredible and all-encompassing experience it is. Thankfully they have definitely kept that close to mind as the opening track, ‘I Exhale’, lures you into a bleak dystopian of a stomping industrial dance floor. The colossal beat-heavy track has a two-note bass synth relentlessly circling around Hyde’s typical muddled and distant spoken-word lyrics – Underworld fans won’t be disappointed. Unfortunately, ‘If Rah’ tends to wade into a generic format – I have heard similar things coming from my little brother's GCSE Music Tech classes, perhaps not with the same grace in production, but still, even with the help of High Contrast who co-produced the song, the track doesn’t show the inventiveness and experience that you would expect from these pioneers.

Thankfully, normality is restored and more with the positively ethereal ‘Low Burn’: “The first time / be bold / be beautiful / be free / totally… unlimited”, brings the ambiance and euphoria that we have come accustomed to in past Underworld masterpieces. Strings bellow before a propulsive beat kicks in to this sublimely constructed and tranquil track that elevates the listener, only to be brought back down to earth with the dark but beautiful ‘Santiago Cuatro’ (featuring, I assume, the Curato, a Puerto Rican guitar). You are lulled back from slumber with the tender sounds of ‘Motorhome’ – a warm welcome back full of glitchy beeps, whispering ohms and a clean uplifting vocal from Hyde. The album comes to its close with two decisively chilled songs, compared to some of their hard hitting techno of the past (they say it comes with age), ‘Ova Nova’ and ‘Nylon Strung’. The latter being one of the band's finer moments in recent memory.

After the most unlikely of entrances into the dance music world with popsters Freur, Underworld’s journey to being one of the world’s leading dance collectives continues, creating an album that holds its own against their fantastic back catalogue. However, the most exciting thing for me with the release of a new Underworld album is that live performances will follow, something all electronic fans needs to experience.
Iain Lauder