Before Underworld, Hyde and Smith started out in 1979 on The Screen Gemz band while working together in a diner in the city of Cardiff, where both had been studying. In 1983 they recorded two albums for CBS Records with a new wave synthpop band whose name was a graphic squiggle, later entitled Freur.
In 1986 Hyde and Smith formed Underworld, after disbanding of Freur. They tried a more guitar-oriented funky electropop sound on their two albums released on Sire Records: Underneath the Radar (1987) and Change the Weather (1989). This initial lineup (also called Underworld Mk1) consisted of Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, Alfie Thomas, Bryn Burrows, Baz Allen and Pascal Consoli before sinking back into obscurity and disbanding in 1990.
British DJ Darren Emerson hooked up with Hyde and Smith in 1992 and helped them refine their sound into something more sleek and beat-oriented, yet still shot through with tinges of blues, rock and spoken-word streams of consciousness. After several releases on Junior Boy's Own as Lemon Interupt, the trio re-adopted the Underworld name in 1992. Two songs from this era are Rez and Spikee.
In addition to their music, Hyde and Smith are members of Tomato, a graphic design company which has done high-profile work for clients around the world as well as art for all of Underworld's releases. Hyde, along with former Freur keyboardist John Warwicker, has also published two typographic journals, Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You (1994) and In The Belly Of Saint Paul (2003).
Their first full-length, dubnobasswithmyheadman, was released in 1994 to rave reviews and is still considered a landmark. It spawned several hit singles (Dark & Long, Cowgirl, Dirty Epic) and was followed a couple years later by the Born Slippy single.
The sophomore album Second Toughest in the Infants was released in 1996. This album showed Underworld maturing as a trio, mixing elements of techno, house, drum and bass and pop music to spectacular effect. The first track Juanita/Kiteless/To Dream of Love (three parts) is one of the longest songs recorded by Underworld, with a length of over 16 minutes.
In the same year they issued an EP Pearl's Girl, containing various mixes of the song Pearl's Girl and five new tracks (one of them is Cherry Pie, an early version of Rowla). Underworld's much-praised remixography also grew, including Bjรถrk, Saint Etienne, Simply Red, Massive Attack and Leftfield.
After licensing out a remix of Born Slippy (entitled Born Slippy .NUXX) for the 1996 cult classic film Trainspotting, Underworld gained instant worldwide fame and found themselves touring the world. Their fame continued to run high into the release of Beaucoup Fish in 1999. Five singles were released: Moaner, Push Upstairs, Jumbo, King of Snake, and Bruce Lee.
Underworld issued a live set and a DVD named Everything, Everything in 2000, after which Emerson left the group to concentrate more on his DJ career. The mellower album A Hundred Days Off followed in 2002. It was promoted by two singles: Two Months Off and Dinosaur Adventure 3D.
In 2003 Underworld released a 2 CD compilation entitled 1992-2002, comprising some of their best songs. Also since 2003 the group has been trickling out new music on their official website www.underworldlive.com via a series of downloadable mp3s dubbed "The Riverrun Project". Each mp3 bundle features 25-or-so-minute of mixed new material, hundreds of photographs and traditional album art.
In 2005 the band issued another live album, Live in Tokyo 25th November 2005, a recording of Underworld's live performance at the Electraglide festival in Tokyo on 25 November 2005. There were apparently only 7000 copies of the album made.
Oblivion with Bells, their fifth studio album was released in October 2007, the first with additional collaboration with Darren Price who joined the band's live setup in 2005. It spawned four singles: Crocodile, Boy, Boy, Boy, Beautiful Burnout, and Ring Road.
On 13 May 2010, Underworld released a new single Scribble (Radio Edit), available for free download on their official site. This single was followed by a new album later that year, called Barking, which is still in the process of releasing singles, beginning with the aforementioned Scribble, Always Loved a Film and finally Diamond Jigsaw. Also released on a beatport remix contest was Bird 1 where amateur producers were able to put their take on Underworld's collaboration with Dubfire. As of 2011, the duo can also attach to their resumes soundtracking a live stage play. Frankenstein, produced and directed by Danny Boyle, starring both Johnny Lee Miller & Benedict Cumberbatch who are, on alternating nights, both Frankenstein, or the Creature. The Soundtrack is available through Underworld's Website.
January 2016 saw the release of I Exhale, in advance of Barbara Barbara, we face a shining future, released in March 2016.
In April 2018, Underworld released a standalone single, Brilliant Yes That Would Be, an ambient piece with its accompanying video inspired by the Icelandic landscape and their first performance in Reykjavรญk since 1994.
In May 2018, Underworld unveiled the World of Underworld project, which focuses on reflecting and re-imagining their nearly 30 year body of work. It also serves as an outlet for experimentation, new releases and spontaneous creativity. Brilliant Yes That Would Be was the first track to be released through the World of Underworld, which was recorded and mixed just days before it was released.
Later in that same month, Underworld debuted a new collaboration with Iggy Pop titled Bells & Circles, live at the BBC Biggest Weekend 2018. Shortly after, a four-track collaborative EP with the two artists was released, Teatime Dub Encounters.
On November 1st, 2018, Underworld announced the Drift project, an ongoing music-and-video experiment that publishes new Underworld material on their official website every week. The first instalment began with Another Silent Way, also released on the same day.
On November 1st, 2019, Underworld released Drift Series 1, their tenth studio album. It is the conclusion of the first year of the band's year-long music-and-video experiment Drift. Underworld announced the Drift project will continue on for another year. The now-renamed Drift Series 1, was released exactly one year after the launch of the series, as a box set featuring 7 CDs, a Blu-ray, and an 80-page book documenting the creative process around Drift. A single-disc Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition was also released simultaneously.
Little Speaker
Underworld Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Did you get these from round our's
Go
Very racy, he he he he
The face is thinking hmm, shmm, hmm
Go
Things like that, yeah, yeah do you go, I don't think so, no,
Actually I think you do have, oh god, your looking well man,
I dunno, I dunno, I haven't weighed, err, weighed,
I never weigh myself, maybe it is haa, err its weird, do you
Go
Oh well, no I do, its, its strange, I've just got some kind of weird growing disease,
But I do I feel, haa, I feel like I'm still growing sometimes, if I really stand up straight,
I just go fucking hell, I didn't use to be that tall
Go, go
Listen, erm,
Go, go, go
Its still there you know
Go, go
Yeah go, I won't
Go
The lyrics to Underworld's song Little Speaker are rather cryptic and difficult to decipher as they appear to have been spoken in a stream of consciousness style. The first few lines seem to revolve around a conversation between two people about some items that were taken from someone's house. This is evident in the line "Did you get these from round our's/Very racy, he he he he." The speaker then goes on to describe a situation where someone is looking well, but also talks about a growing disease. It is unclear what this means, but it could be a metaphor for something else.
The rest of the lyrics are even more confusing, with the speaker describing feelings of growth and perceptual changes, as well as a sense of distance from the listener. The repeated phrase "Go, go" could refer to a desire to move away from something or to encourage someone to leave. Overall, the song seems to be about the inner thoughts and emotions of the speaker, but it is difficult to say for certain.
Line by Line Meaning
Go
Movement or action is required
Did you get these from round our's
Asking if the items were obtained from the speaker's residence
Very racy, he he he he
Subject matter being discussed is considered bold or daring
The face is thinking hmm, shmm, hmm
The speaker is pausing and contemplating something
Things like that, yeah, yeah do you go, I don't think so, no,
Questioning whether the listener partakes in certain behaviors
Actually I think you do have, oh god, your looking well man,
The speaker believes the listener does engage in certain behaviors and compliments their appearance
I dunno, I dunno, I haven't weighed, err, weighed,
Uncertainty about the speaker's own weight and/or weighing themselves
Maybe it is haa, err its weird, do you
The speaker considers that they may have a medical condition affecting their growth
Oh well, no I do, its, its strange, I've just got some kind of weird growing disease,
The speaker confirms that they have a strange medical condition that affects their growth
But I do I feel, haa, I feel like I'm still growing sometimes, if I really stand up straight, I just go fucking hell, I didn't use to be that tall
The speaker feels that they still have growth spurts, and are surprised by their own height
Listen, erm,
The speaker is trying to get the listener's attention
Go, go, go
Encouragement to keep moving or doing something
Its still there you know
The subject being referred to is still present
Yeah go, I won't
The speaker is encouraging the listener to continue while declining to join them
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Mute Song Limited
Written by: K. HYDE, R. SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mihael //
Go
Did you get these from round our's
Go
Very racy, he he he he
The face is thinking hmm, shmm, hmm
Go
Things like that, yeah, yeah do you go, I don't think so, no,
Actually I think you do have, oh god, your looking well man,
I dunno, I dunno, I haven't weighed, err, weighed,
I never weigh myself, maybe it is haa, err its weird, do you
Go
Oh well, no I do, its, its strange, I've just got some kind of weird growing disease,
But I do I feel, haa, I feel like I'm still growing sometimes, if I really stand up straight,
I just go fucking hell, I didn't use to be that tall
Go, go
Listen, erm,
Go, go, go
Its still there you know
Go, go
Yeah go, I won't
Go
goodsirknight
i didnt really understand this album when i bought it aged 20, love it now. very subtle and understated - demands multiple listens to appreciate it.
bdgnmds
Great comment.ย I felt exactly the same for the first few years after I bought it.ย I only went back to it about 7-8 years ago and now listen to it all the time.ย An understated masterpiece and in my top 10 albums.ย Underworld's best work for me.
Gui Castro
i like it in the first play ๐คท๐ฝโโ๏ธ
Christopher Osborne
Yes same it grows with every listen ๐
Toby Elliott
MASTERPIECE. An absolute treat to hear on a big system.
al shapiro
this album rules
Christopher Blackwell
Very underrated Underworld gem here. I couldn't really get into this album for a long time, but just recently really appreciating its beauty. There's a lot of little things in the tracks I'm only hearing now, a lot on this track that's really expanding my experience with it. Not their best album, but a very decent one when you start to appreciate the subtleties of it.
Nicolai Ditlev
From 6:20 โ 8.00. One of the most beautiful Underworld moments ever! :-)
Sweden's finest
Groovy yet ambient, crazy transition!
skypjuh
Agree
It transitions into a totally different song