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Underworld. Ringing Oblivion
Интервью · 18.10.2007
By Руслан Север
On 16 October the legendary group Underworld released their new album – "Oblivion With Bells". There can be no talk here of oblivion, which is exactly how the English word "oblivion" translates. The album came out danceable and meditative at the same time; some songs are extremely heartfelt and deep, turning you inside out, but without a doubt all of them carry that unique Underworld ring that still keeps quivering in your ears after each song ends.
44100Hz presents the print version of an interview between Ruslan Sever and the group Underworld, which was recorded at the Maximum radio station on the show Electroshock:
I'm speaking with the group Underworld, represented by Karl Hyde and Rick Smith. Who's on the phone right now?
I'm Karl – at least, I think I'm Karl. My brain cells aren't quite in order this morning.
Are you the main and only figures of the project?
I'd say that in fact Rick is the main figure of the project; I'm just a member and do some of the work.
In the early days the lineup kept changing – tell us, which of the ex-members contributed the most?
Underworld came into being in 1986. And from that moment on, every member made their contribution; we were united by music and friendship, we learned to work with people. Without our colleagues we could hardly have achieved success and hardly have travelled the path we travelled.
In what year did Underworld become popular?
Hard to say, since Rick and I have been working together for 27 years now. Underworld is part of our shared path. We changed the name several times: "The Scream Jens" became "Fur", then "Underworld Mark 1" and "Underworld Mark 2". But I think Underworld came about at Rick's hand 17 years ago, after the idea for our project came to him in the late '80s. Back then he was listening to pirate radio stations and starting his experiments with acid house. If I helped him, he welcomed my enthusiasm with open arms; if not – he didn't mind.
Your legendary track Born Slippy… How was it born?
Born Slippy… I don't even know, at first Rick was writing the music and showing me his work-in-progress. I tried to help him, and at one fine moment I realised I wanted to add my voice to it. I started experimenting and laying my lyrics over the track; Rick listened, edited, changed some parts, then cut out a whole verse and added chords of stunning beauty. That was his style. By the way, we have a full version of Born Slippy with all the verses that no one has ever heard.
Did you ever have the idea of making a new remix of Born Slippy?
No. It's a very old song. Its time has passed, especially since enough remixes have already been made. In general we constantly find funny new remixes of our track online. I recently found a country version – it's marvellous.
You've released a new album?
Yes, "Oblivion With Bells".
According to Billboard magazine, this album "resembles an insane party where Sven Väth, Simian Mobile Disco and Frankie Knuckles kill each other for the right to be first behind the turntables".
I hope nobody kills anybody. This is the first I'm hearing of it. Although the choice of DJs is quite interesting…
Is it true that you parted ways with your old partner – the label V2?
Our contract with V2 ended long ago. After that happened, we decided not to sign contracts with any label, but to do everything ourselves. We post music online for download, we put all our albums on the site www.underworldlive.com, and we also launched an internet radio station, on which we've already broadcast a concert from the Cocoon club. Right now we're looking for new ways to host music, films and books, in order to make our work accessible to many people. In the plans are live performances online and a lot of touring. As for labels, at the moment we have our own label in America and Japan called Traffic Inc.
How did your European tour go? What stood out the most?
Our tour was simply fantastic. But I'll honestly admit, the show in Moscow seems to me the best in the last 17 years. Rick even uploaded a video clip from the Moscow concert to our site, and that clip became one of the most popular.
Do you plan to come back to Russia?
We haven't planned anything for next year yet. And this one is booked to the brim.
Are there places where you enjoy performing the most?
There are no countries where I, or we, most enjoy playing. We're always welcomed warmly. It's an amazing feeling. For example, we'd never been to Russia, and when we came – tens of thousands of people met us with huge positive energy. We're lucky to have the job we have.
Do you think the internet is destructive for the music industry?
The internet is part of life, and we've long come to terms with that. Despite our passion for vinyl and live performances, Rick and I decided to use the world wide web to the fullest, or very soon we could become part of history. And that can't be allowed to happen.
Agreed. Tell us, where can one run into you in everyday life, what does your leisure time look like?
That's a very good question. It's a question I often ask myself. We're constantly making music, or writing books, or shooting films. Right now we're working on a huge multimedia library that should open on our site soon. The little free time we have left, we prefer to spend at home with our families.
Don't you and Rick get tired of each other?
I think I'm very lucky to have worked with Rick for 27 years now. We've been through many hardships together. Many people were with us, but it turned out that only the two of us remained. And the team we now work with gives us the chance to realise our dreams. Our plans are to keep doing what we've always done, and also to help young musicians so they can carry on our work.
Thank you for the interesting conversation. What would you like to tell your fans in Russia?
Thank you so much for the support. Thanks to everyone who was at our concert in Moscow. For us it's a historically important moment in our creative work.
The Electroshock show airs on Maximum radio every Sunday from 21:00 to 23:00 (Moscow time). Details on the official Electroshock website.