Drift ep. 1 part 5 - A Very Silent Way

[stargurl]

Episode 1 part 5: Underworld & The Necks - A Very Silent Way

A Very Silent Way is Ep. 1, Pt. 5 of Underworld’s DRIFT Series. The track improvised in collaboration with The Necks soundtracks a film by tomato’s Simon Taylor using film and stills shot during a two-day recording session at AIR Lyndhurst Hall earlier this year.

“Karl and I spent two glorious days with The Necks at AIR studios in London exploring long improvisations based on our music for Drift and I had the time of my life with these incredibly talented, beautiful people. This initial release represents just a small part of that body of work.” – Rick

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[negative1]

Sounds like an improv jazz session to me.
later
-1

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

yea this is just the warm up, lmao

[holden]

From the email announcement:

"Drift Episode 1 concludes on 6 December when all of the published parts 1 to 5 are fused and released in a new extended form."

Awesome!

[Bargo]

The Necks and Underworld regularly compete for 'favourite band' inside my mind so finally getting a collaboration with them (post-Scenius) is incredible. That five-minute track length, not so much. :) But I'm ever hopeful that maybe something longer is born of this..

[khouri]

Always nice to hear the old "What was it like in Japan?" spoken word sample make an appearance.

[atticinsane]

From the email announcement:

"Drift Episode 1 concludes on 6 December when all of the published parts 1 to 5 are fused and released in a new extended form."

Awesome!

So all 5 parts stitched together into one long track? I'd rather have longer versions arranged in an album format but am still curious to how this will work out.

[TheBang]

It reminds me, not surprisingly, of the Pure Scenius stuff.

The Twitter post describes this track as:

"A different kind of drift. A change of pace for Ep.1 Pt.5, a meditation, a collaboration, a reinterpretation of Another Silent Way with impro-trance trio The Necks."

I have a hard time finding Another Silent Way underneath it.

[TheBang]

So all 5 parts stitched together into one long track? I'd rather have longer versions arranged in an album format but am still curious to how this will work out.
Yeah, sounds like a Riverrun kind of mix. If they do that, I hope they release it in a bundle alongside individual, unmixed, full-length tracks, but I guess we'll see.

[jetpig]

From the email announcement:

"Drift Episode 1 concludes on 6 December when all of the published parts 1 to 5 are fused and released in a new extended form."

Awesome!


Excited for that, but disappointing that we have to keep waiting for Border Country. I want it pretty bad.

[TheBang]

Probably a good bet for Episode 2!

[joethelion]

...whatever happened to that track they teased a while ago? (edit) This song > https://www.instagram.com/p/Bgb3_p_gsIZ/

Like there was that instagram video, with footage of glaciers... It coincided with their performance in Reykjavik.
(I don't mean 'Brilliant Yes That Would Be', but the cover image for that release used the same imagery)

and - going back to the "Drift Preview"...

I wonder if the track after "Another Silent Way" (which uses the vocals from 'Dexter's Chalk') is just an 'alternate mix' of "Dexter's Chalk", or completely different song.

(it's the only thing that hasn't been released so far, as we now know the outro music is 'Universe of Can When Back')

[TheBang]

...whatever happened to that track they teased a while ago?
Nothing yet. Nor the other (https://www.facebook.com/borndirty/videos/1790247747704744) ones (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1S9dLivmc8) teased either.

I wonder if the track after "Another Silent Way" (which uses the vocals from 'Dexter's Chalk') is just an 'alternate mix' of "Dexter's Chalk", or completely different song.

(it's the only thing that hasn't been released so far, as we now know the outro music is 'Universe of Can When Back')
I think it's just the isolated vocals from Dexters Chalk being played over other stuff. By my count, there's still about 3 other songs in that teaser that haven't been released.

[Cadevil]

Never got a release (or revisit) of Apple Shine either...which is one of the best of these edit/sketches IMHO.

[khouri]

One thing I’ve noticed about all the new music is how un-underworld it is. At least to me. Definitely seems to be following the lead of side one of Barbara Barbara, which had a more abrasive, rawer sound musically and vocally than I typically associate with the group. Karl’s vocals especially so; they’re so high in the mix and clearly enunciated. Honestly I don’t know that it’s my cup of tea, but I respect that it this stuff seems to be part and parcel of a deliberate evolution/direction.

[potatobroth]

One thing I’ve noticed about all the new music is how un-underworld it is. At least to me. Definitely seems to be following the lead of side one of Barbara Barbara, which had a more abrasive, rawer sound musically and vocally than I typically associate with the group. Karl’s vocals especially so; they’re so high in the mix and clearly enunciated. Honestly I don’t know that it’s my cup of tea, but I respect that it this stuff seems to be part and parcel of a deliberate evolution/direction.

Fair point. I haven't found myself connecting with much of it (but I do love the jellyfish promo) in recent months. That doesn't mean its bad, it just means that I don't find it all that Underworldly either. At this point I'm kinda just rolling with it hoping to see it all come together at some point. I'm also wondering if maybe, for me, it just won't?

[34958hq439-qjw9v5jq298v5j]

feel like after Barking they decided to stop being "Underworld", as in a group whose new work had to have some connection to their past. pretty much everything they've done since sounds like they're starting from scratch.

[holden]

Karl said as much with respect to the writing process for Barbara Barbara being about trying new sounds and revitalizing the music making partnership with Rick, not necessarily concerned with being Underworld, just being a band. I agree that the new directions show ( mostly with a less polished vibe, the inclusion of voices besides Karl, be they Esme and Rick, Tyler or Iggy, and inclusion of live instrument sound) but the last album and most of the new Drift tracks still sound like UW to me...but with the twists of some acid, minimal techno,vsoundscapes and improv...all of which R and K have dealt in before to various extents. The excitement for me will will be hearing how these disparate styles mix or sit in context on the upcoming Drift Ep1 compilation.


Any change of style for a band takes some getting used to. In their case, the change feels organic and unforced. If they kept pumping out 90's era tracks, we'd perhaps have gotten bored (though maybe not since the quality of those tracks is so high!). I'm glad they are first and foremost still making music and secondly, still experimenting.