Electronic forefathers, Underworld, have announced details of a ground-breaking new series, Getintothis’ Simon Kirk has the details.
Electronic pioneers, Underworld, have announced full details of their forthcoming epic release, Drift Series 1, as well as December UK tour dates, including a Manchester date.
Drift Series 1 is set for release on November 1 and is a collection of new material released as a mammoth box-set/LP/CD/DL.
The box-set spans 7 CDs, a Blu-ray and an eighty-page full-colour book.
Underworld have released a video for the track S T A R, which you can watch below.
So, we’re hearing you.
What is Drift exactly? It is precisely one year, 52 weeks, 365 days of documenting all things Underworld.
It’s a journey that began on November 1, 2018, when Underworld released the track, Another Silent Way, and set off with no map or fixed destination.
The result is Drift Series 1, a unique and expansive audio/visual documentation of a constantly evolving recording process that provides a unique insight into the band’s psyche.
Underworld brains trust, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde, say, “Drift is the opposite of ‘normal’ or ‘usual’ practice; we’ll do this until we’re dust.”
Smith and Hyde’s aim was to create and publish music and film episodically for 52 weeks and see where the journey went. Within a few weeks, the experiment found its own path, prompting them to react to previous releases and create new works.
Over time, the duo’s innate curiosity opened up a unique space in which they could experiment, learn and explore new frontiers – together and with others.
Those others include Tomato’s Simon Taylor, Australian improv behemoth, The Necks, techno producer Ø [Phase], Japanese noise merchants Melt-Banana, economics writer Aditya Chakrabortty and members of Black Country, New Road.
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Drift Series 1, is said to contain some of Underworld’s finest ever material, as much a progressive leap into the unknown as their classic debut, dubnobasswithmyheadman.
Along with a series of films that take you from Shibuya Crossing to the Moroccan desert to rural Essex via the inside of supercomputer, there is also an 80-page exclusive book that delves into process of Drift, exploring the motivation behind what is said to be one of the most ambitious creative endeavours ever attempted by a recording artist.
Drift: Series 1 track listing (subject to change):
Sampler Edition
- Appleshine
- This Must Be Drum Street
- Listen To Their No
- Border Country
- Mile Bush Pride
- Schiphol Test
- Brilliant Yes That Would Be
- S T A R (Rebel Tech)
- Imagine A Box
- Custard Speedtalk
Box-Set
EP 1 – Dust
- Another Silent Way
- Dexters Chalk
- Low Between Zebras
- Universe Of Can When Back
- Brilliant Yes That Would Be
- Another Silent Way / Drift Poem / Better Than Diamonds (previously unreleased)
- One True Piano Need Hand (previously unreleased)
EP 2 – Atom
- Appleshine
- Molehill
- Threat Of Rain
- Brussels
- Soniamode (Aditya Game)
- Appleshiner (previously unreleased)
- Roof Off (previously unreleased)
EP 3 – Heart
- Dune
- Custard Speedtalk
- This Must Be Drum Street
- Pinetum
- Poet Cat
- Do Breakers Trip (previously unreleased)
- Seven Music Drone (previously unreleased)
EP 4 – Space
- Listen To Their No
- Schiphol Test
- Hundred Weight Hammer
- Doris
- Altitude Dub
- Border Country
- Big Bear (previously unreleased)
EP 5 – Game
- Toluca Stars
- Mile Bush Pride
- Imagine A Box
- Tree Ands Two Chairs
- Give Me The Room
- S T A R
- Doscientos (previously unreleased)
- Two Arrows (previously unreleased)
- A Moth At The Door (previously unreleased)
Underworld and The Necks
- Appleshine Continuum
- A Very Silent Way
- Altitude Dub Continuum (previously unreleased)
Drift Series 1 Sampler
- Appleshine
- This Must Be Drum Street
- Listen To Their No
- Border Country
- Mile Bush Pride
- Schiphol Test
- Brilliant Yes That Would Be
- S T A R (Rebel Tech)
- Imagine A Box
- Custard Speedtalk
Blu-ray – Drift Series 1 : The Films
- Drift Trailer
- Another Silent Way
- Dexter’s Chalk
- Low Between Zebras
- Universe Of Can When Back
- A Very Silent Way
- Appleshine
- Molehill
- Threat Of Rain
- Brussels
- Soniamode (Aditya Game Version)
- Appleshine Continuum
- Dune
- Custard Speedtalk
- This Must Be Drum Street
- Pinetum
- Poet Cat
- Listen To Their No
- Schiphol Test
- Hundred Weight Hammer
- Doris
- Altitude Dub
- Border Country
- Toluca Stars
- Mile Bush Pride
- Imagine A Box
- Tree And Two Chairs
- Give Me The Room
- S T A R
- Brilliant Yes That Would Be
Underworld UK tour dates:
Thursday, December 5: Warehouse Project, Manchester
Saturday, December 7: Wembley Arena, London
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