Three years after the release of its last studio album, Underworld, one of electronic music’s defining acts, has finally returned with “The Hundred Days Off.”
The innovative and surprisingly uplifting album proves the group has what it takes despite the extended layoff and many changes that have taken place during the last few years.
Bearing many of the trademarks of previous Underworld projects, such as the pulsating, techno-laden tracks and warped vocal choruses, “The Hundred Days Off” is at the same time remarkably different from its predecessors. For this latest endeavor the English duo of Rick Smith and Karl Hyde found themselves taking an entirely new approach to their music.
“We always wanted to make an ‘up’ album – one that’s more light and fun,” said Smith. “We wanted to hear the record during the summer.”
Although originally formed in the late 1980s as a funk rock group, Underworld did not rise to fame until its performance at Glastonbury in 1992. An astounding 14 hour DJ-band set at the annual English music festival stunned the crowd and drew the attention of the entire world.
A few years later, the release of the film “Trainspotting,” for which the group provided the opening credits with the song “Born Slippy,” furthered the group’s popularity, as did the 1999 release of its pioneering album “Beaucoup Fish.”
The past Underworld albums always seemed to emphasize a darker and deeper approach to electronic music, Smith said.
While the group won acclaim from both peers and the public, it has always wanted to try something new.
The duo decided to focus on producing just dance music with this album, Smith said.
“It was influenced by everything from Latin stuff to techno,” Smith said.
One of Underworld’s main goals has been to avoid being pigeonholed into any one particular category of music.
“That’s always what we’ve tried to do,” Smith said.
“The Hundred Days Off” is also the group’s first production work since the departure of DJ Darren Emerson. A member of the group for the last 10 years, Emerson left in 2000 to pursue his own DJ career and solo projects full time.
Many believed Underworld’s success was directly tied to Emerson, a musical wizard whose enlistment in the group coincided with its dramatic rise in popularity, but the newest album confirms the group can still produce top quality electronic dance music.
“There was a bit of pressure without Darren,” Smith said. “We’re not stupid. We felt we had something to prove.”
The album, which has been in the works for the last year and a half, actually came together very quickly once the two finally committed to it.
“Getting it started was the hardest part,” Smith said.
The album’s lighter tempo is established with the first two songs, “Mo Move” and “Two Months Off,” the latter is set to be the first single released.
On “Two Months Off,” Hyde’s vocals combine perfectly with Smith’s synthed-up chords and a churning bass line to create a song already being played by top DJs across the globe. It has been hailed by some as the club anthem of the summer.
A few more traditional sounding Underworld tunes fill out the middle of the album, highlighted by “Little Speakers,” a song which features a beautiful combination of electronic and traditional instruments.
“Dinosaur Adventure,” one of the last songs on the album, also seems destined to be a dance floor hit, while the piano driven “Ballet Lane” and the vocal-laden “Luetin” provide a relaxing come down to the previous tracks.
The group’s extended leave from the dance music community, in addition to the absence of Emerson, have made the album one of the most anticipated and scrutinized electronic music releases this year.
The duo of Hyde and Smith have clearly stepped up to the challenge, and according to Smith they are now looking forward to perfecting their live act in preparation for a tour of the United States in October.
