Booking Underworld

Underworld Biography

The electronic group known as Underworld was formed in 1980 in the United Kingdom, by members Rick Smith and Karl Hyde. The duo met in Cardiff in the early 1980’s and struck up a friendship. After discovering their mutual interest in music, Hyde and Smith teamed up with other musicians to form the short-lived band Freur, which released two albums under the CBS label before disbanding in 1986. Underworld was born immediately after, and signed to Sire Records in 1987.

Underworld’s debut album, Underneath the Radar, arrived in 1988, followed by Change the Weather in the following year. Although moderately successful, Underworld’s big breakthrough came with its fourth album, Second Toughest in the Infants, in 1996. The inclusion of the single “Dark & Long (Dark Train)” in the hit indie film Trainspotting led to instant worldwide recognition for Underworld, and set the course for a career which has since spanned well into the new millennium. Since that time, Underworld has released Beaucoup Fish (1999), A Hundred Days Off (2002) Oblivion with Bells (2007), and Barking (2010), featuring the hit singles:  “Spikee,” “Born Slippy,” “Pearl’s Girl,” “Push Upstairs,” “Jumbo,” “King of Snake,” “Two Months Off,” “Dinosaur Adventure 3D,” and “Crocodile.”

Most recently, Underworld gained further exposure after being selected as the musical directors for the Summer Olympics in 2012. “Caliban’s Dream” was released to coincide with this event, and their efforts ultimately led the band to a 2012 Q Award for Innovation in Sound. Underworld continues to perform and record with the current lineup of Rick Smith, Darren Price, and Karl Hyde, who also recently released his first solo album, Edgeland, in 2013.