Communication, Press and PR

[big screen satellite]

So, we have Dirty.org & this forum site for us chatty fans, and then we have the UWlive site, which i know a lot of us check every single day, and we also have the wonderful lemon broadcasts but...

Other than the snippets of obscure news that Karl broadcasts in his weblogs or radio shows we are, I feel, a bit in the dark about releases, publicity and things like Press that UW does, until someone finds a bit of info and lets us know via the forums...

It's usually only after the event we find out what happened or is happening.

Now, this may all be deliberate on UW's behalf, but i'd like to think that such a forward thinking band would be willing to set up some kind of communication channel to the fans...and let us into the world of whats going on a bit more. (maybe i'm asking too much, i want a release schedule !)

We know some releases are coming, but other than that its all a bit vague, and has been for some time, when a release (like RRP) does crop up its usually pretty well advertised here or at Dirty.otg, but things like the Resident Advisor interview, i think we should be 'advised' about in advance, so we can head over there and read all about it.

After all UW, know what interviews they have done, and someone else 'leaks' info to places like teletext and other online channels, often well before we on the 'unofficial official fan site' get to hear of them...

Does UW have a PR / Press rep? I know Steve at JBO used to handle a lot of the issues regarding physical releases...

Maybe they are still getting their 'shit' together, and i know a lot of things are going on in the world of the Underworld, but I feel UW need someone to communicate with US here a bit more...

I'm not moaning about this (as you know, that i hate that ;) ) its just I wonder why sometimes we are the last to know about some things...

I know a lot of the RA interview was known already but other bits were more revealing, and without wanting to scoure every source every day i'd like to think we could be pointed in the right direction now and again.

Any info would be most appreciated boys, unless you want to let me know, and i'll pass it on via a dedicated page ;)

Mattval1

[mmm skyscraper]

The RA interview was posted about on the underworldlive.com thread on 29 June, so there was some heads up. Ok not much.

http://www.dirty.org/forums/showpost.php?p=46230&postcount=226

Of course, non-registered members of RA could not access the article until Friday, so mayber advanced warning didn't matter if you didn't want to register.

from the RA interview:

We wanted to go from very high profile on billboards and pages of magazines to being a word-of-mouth thing.

To normal people who find us in the Sunday supplements and mainstream radio and television, we might appear to have gone quiet, but to those people who live in web world, we're really quite loud,” Hyde sniggers. “The next phase of our journey will be to marry the two. The next album will be just that!"

so I think it is a bit deliberate. plus I think release schedules are just too record industry to deal with, things will come out when they come out. or as Kevin Shields would say, Soon.

[Jan]

They need to do more advertising for sure... Here they are almost totally unknown i feel sometimes. :(
edit: a nice example is the Movement! gig that was cancelled because too little cards were sold. That would have been my first UW concert.

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

It has been made clear in the most recent interviews that which is Underworld is making strong efforts to not be chained, shackled and bound to the trappings of the now accepted music industry.

Word. Of. Mouth.

There's reason to the boys' madness. (and they also make false teeth)

[big screen satellite]

...yeah but who'd be best to spread this Word. Of. Mouth?


US here...

surely letting us know of future interviews and articles would benefit that principle, and surley we could be informed first, rather than searching the world for obscure articles in places of such authority as Teletext!!!

i understand the laying low and not being Billboard stars, but there's publicity and totally going underground...

i'm sure the boys will welcome some support when the album needs publicity in the near future...

afterall isn't it in their interest to spread the word of their music releases, and activities, and like i said what better place to start than the 'hardcore fans' who chat about them everyday here... who knows what other forums us fans would be able to spread the word to...??

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

and there you have it.

[potatobroth]

i agree 100%, BSS. I've said a few times recently that while things are easing up for the boys its getting degrees more difficult to discern any information about them, not to mention super confusing.

just last year, dirts were assuring one another that Karl mentioned the release of an album (that should have dropped early this year) as well as this and that because of snippets and blurbs that were uttered here or there. then with RR there were no-less-than 1,000 rumors as to when the third (I'm a Big...) installment would be released. Word of mouth was a miserable mess there because I spent a good 7 first-Wednesdays of the month expecting to see it because of Word. Of. Mouth. on this site.

i think its been much harder to gather info on the band than ever before. i honestly have no idea when to expect an album, a download or anything really.

[negative1]

the people that miss out,
are the ones who don't check here and
the other underworld sites everday.

thats one way of making people check up on
whats happening..

i never look too far ahead, because you really
can't know whats going to happen....week to week
is slightly more accurate..

the thing is i see most of the regulars on here
everyday anyways..

later
-1

[potatobroth]

the people that miss out,
are the ones who don't check here and
the other underworld sites everday.

I Don't agree. I'm on this site quite very often and I've found just the opposite. With word of mouth too many people are saying too many things. There is no longer a definitive answer. Again, with the info on the new album, a YEAR ago we had word of mouth on the site saying it was almost out. We now know that it isnt. We've lost Yan as a primary information giver and for the first few years of the site, Scott was numero uno but he hardly drops info anymore. All we have now are multiple threads of rumors.

All I am saying is that its getting very hard to be 'in the know' for Underworld anymore.

[votingfloater]

I agree about the whole getting-away-from-living-to-a-release-schedule thing. Haven't they said that before? I wonder if they're just getting a kick about dropping these things suddenly and seeing how they spread. Records out of the back of a van, jumpers for goalpost, mmm... eh?

I reckon that'll change a bit in the run up to actually releasing things as solid matter. Then Karl should stand on Oxford Street in the wedding dress, holding a big "UW SALE" sign.

I'm quite liking this freeform drip-drop of juicy stuff now and then, but the buzz in the run up to physical releases would be nice.

[mmm skyscraper]

I'm kind of glad we have no idea what's happening. AHDO was leaked months before the album release, but now everyone has to wait for the actual release date to hear new material.

There are a lot of voices on the forum, but there's a lot less BS here than on the Boards of Canada forums where you have people uploading fake tracks all the time.

[Badger]

What's the point of uploading fake tracks if you and everyone on that forum likes/loves the band???

That's just really f**king stupid if you ask me.

[patrick]

I'm kind of glad we have no idea what's happening. AHDO was leaked months before the album release, but now everyone has to wait for the actual release date to hear new material.

There are a lot of voices on the forum, but there's a lot less BS here than on the Boards of Canada forums where you have people uploading fake tracks all the time.
ya that sounds lame, but it would also be super hard for people to make fake uw tracks i think... such a unique sound, (plus karls voice in most)

[undarrenworld]

ya that sounds lame, but it would also be super hard for people to make fake uw tracks i think... such a unique sound, (plus karls voice in most)

Underworld songs are un-copy-able:D
They have some spirit...

(Sorry for that word, but it really belongs there;))

[big screen satellite]

this is more of what i was on about...

http://www.londoncalling2006.com/big_interview.htm

i'd have considerd going to this had i known it was on and featured an Q&A / Interview with Steve H & Karl Hyde....

will we hear or see any transcripts of this interview...?

i know Lloydy has a small sample of this on his blog...

[Dirty0900]

Ha, dont think they give shit loads of interviews, for the site i work for i put in a request for a quick interview about the use of the internet with the RRP, but have heard nothing back!

[BeautifulBurnout]

i'd have considerd going to this had i known it was on and featured an Q&A / Interview with Steve H & Karl Hyde....


Hmmm. I get your point.

I dunno the extent to which it is "normal" for bands to release stuff to the fansites first though.

[big screen satellite]

Hmmm. I get your point.

I dunno the extent to which it is "normal" for bands to release stuff to the fansites first though.

Well its not necessarily 'fan' sites but it appears to me that sites like neworderonline & thepetshopboys sites get info given to them in advanced, and relay daily it to the fans... the Pet Shop Boys are really good at this, warning fans in advance of things like TV spots, magazine articles etc...,

i just think that a quick:

'Karl will be appearing at the XXXXX on the XXth'

or

'Karl Hyde did an interview for XXXXX magazine, which is due out on the XXth'.

would be nice... as fans its hard work trying to track it all down, especially if you want the info...

i appreciate the news about tours and new music is fairly well publicised on the 'official' UWLive, but I just thought things like this 'event' would be nice to know about in advance... even if we can't go - its still UW news.

Whether its 'normal' or not, but KH does himself communicate with us daily - i don't expect him to do the work on this - but - perhaps i'm expecting too much - I thought a little bit of advanced info sharing on things like this would be nice... (sometimes Karl's messages are a bit too criptic to be 'proper' news stories)

i used to check the Dirty.org site daily but it's not regulaly updated with news (because no one is divulging it?). There is no longer a daily digest or diary of news any more, which i think there should be - especially with so much going on with the band at the moment ... (and it could also include Tomato related projects)

hell - i'd update it myself if the news was relayed to me....

i'm happy to be UW's communications expert ;)

[lloyd]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17422313&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=the-djqa--karlhydeunderworld--name_page.html

Interview in the Daily Record
</press>
;)

[King of Snake]

luckily, we still have lloyd to keep us up to date! :)

[BeautifulBurnout]

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17422313&method=full&siteid=66633&headline=the-djqa--karlhydeunderworld--name_page.html

Interview in the Daily Record
</press>
;)

Nice article Loity - ta! :D

[stimpee]

Daily Record Article:

21 July 2006

THE DJ Q&A: KARL HYDE - UNDERWORLD

Dance act reveal the unlikely inspiration behind their hits such as Born Slippy - legendary DJ John Peel

By Stuart Barrie

KARL HYDE from Underworld has revealed the inspiration behind their success as one of the top dance acts of all-time.

Both Karl and Rick Smith were sparked into action by radio - but it wasn't the first pulses of dance on national stations from Pete Tong.

The surprising impetus to explore the electronic music came from the late, great John Peel.

The often weird and wonderful world of new and alternative music championed by Peel on his late-night show was lapped up by the duo even before they met in college.

And even though Pete Tong was an early standard bearer for Underworld, Karl admits he owes it all to John.

He said: "John was a great catalyst, the way he would turn us on to all this great music and connected like-minded people, just because you were tuned into one place - his radio show.

"Pete is the original champion of what we did and he's supported what we've done from the start.

"The roots of what we do now are firmly in dance music but John is what we grew up with. I first started listening to his show when I was 10. That eclectic way he worked, has turned up on what we do now.

"He opened up dub, German electronica, hardcore metal, African music and all sorts of strange sounds. That way of thinking, is our way of thinking, thanks to John."

John's formfor renegade radio not only stoked the dance fire in the duo, who are behind classics like Girl, Cowgirl, Rez and the ubiquitous Born Slippy, but led them to embrace broadcasting, 21st century style.

On Peel's last trip to Peru, Rick and Karl stepped into the great man's shoes to cover a show on Radio 1. Tragically he never returned from that holiday, leaving the shell-shocked duo dismayed.

But after a while they picked up the new music gauntlet the DJ threw down his whole life and started their own internet radio show, which opened up a whole new avenue of music for Underworld.

Karl said: "When John didn't come back we were completely mashed and a lot of us thought 'There goes music as we know it'.

"Talking to his team at the BBC, their enthusiasm turned us on to doing the web radio show.We sat in at the Beeb a few more times and the contact with the new music was like being around DJs in the early Nineties again. It was a real shot in the arm.

"Quite the opposite of that feeling of being old and saying there's no good music like there used to be, there's tons of good stuff about. The fact it doesn't get in the charts is completely beside the point.

"We're now playing all thismusic on the web, people are coming in to hear Underworld and are getting turned on to all this new music, just like John taught us."

Led by their web radio show and generally embracing the internet, Underworld are now turning the record industry on its head by releasing material, often for free, on their website.

The treadmill of album, tour, album, tour has been put aside for the time being as Rick and Karl expand their ever-growing digital community. As well as putting up work-in-progress tracks for fans to critique, Underworld have been allowing fans access to previously unreleased tracks and even live sets from the vaults.

Cutting out the record company middle-man has been a revelation for them.

They insist they're not turning into cyber recluses but they think it's the way forward to delivering music.

Karl said: "It's not anti-record company. When we formed in the Eighties we were doing something that a lot of people in the industry couldn't get their heads around.

"We thought it was the right thing to do and proved it when Darren played it out on the dancefloor.

"So when they tried to get us to change things to fit in their picture of how things should be, we knew we'd have to do it ourselves. For us to make radical changes now we know we might need to go it alone for a while. When we go back to talking to the people in the industry, we can say this is what we do now."

Underworld might be revelling in the new-found internet freedom but Karl admits they're itching to get back to Scotland.

As one of the premier live dance acts around they've been there and done it.

From 14-hour sets at Glastonbury to being a fixture at every festival going, Underworld are the daddy when it comes to performing live and Karl has no hesitation when asked about his favourite gigs. He said: "We've playedMount Fuji in Japan, beaches in Scandinavia and watching the sunrise at Glastonbury. But the best gig in the world is the Barrowland in Glasgow. There is no place in the world to touch it."

The pinnacle of any Underworld set is unquestionably Trainspotting anthem Born Slippy. Rather than being a hedonistic call to arms, it is a confessional tale of Karl's struggle to beat alcoholism and he says he has no problems with his subliminal cry for help and biggest hit.

He said: "I don't have any issues at all with it. It gave us a leg up and opened doors.

"We are fortunate that we have written a lot of anthems too and we can play them to people who want to listen and celebrate."

Part 3 of Underworld's Riverrun is out now.

UNDERWORLD'S TOP 5 RECORDS

(today... was different yesterday)

Fovea Hex Huge (EP) www.diestadtmusic.de
Grizzly Bear Horn of Plenty (LP) www.kaninerecords.com/grizzlybear.html
Part Chimp I Am Come (LP) www.partchimp.com
The Innocence Mission Birds of my Neighbourhood (LP) www.theinnocencemission.com
An Anthology of Noise & Electronic Music Vol 1-4 (4 x 2CD sets) www.subrosa.net/index_fr.htm

UNDERWORLD'S TOP MYSPACE PAGES

Fovea Hex www.myspace.com/foveahex
The Ends www.myspace.com/ theendsuk
Efterklang www.myspace.com/efterklang
www.myspace.com/underworld We like it because we didn't set it up. It was set up by the people who run dirty.org

UNDERWORLD'S TOP 5 RADIO SHOWS

BBC Radio 5 Live (morning)
Rob Da Bank (Radio 1, late Thursday night)
Andy Kershaw (Radio 3, late Sunday night)
World Roots (Radio 3, Saturday 3pm-4pm)
Huw Stevens (Radio 1, late Monday night ) (My best times with radio are surfing channels to see what comes out)

'That eclectic way John worked has turned up on what we do now'

[negative1]

not quite an article, but more like a critique:

http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/seconds/underworld-dirty-epic.htm

later
-1

[lloyd]

Interview with Darren Emerson
http://www.musicomh.com/interviews/darren-emerson_0706.htm

[big screen satellite]

Interview with Darren Emerson
http://www.musicomh.com/interviews/darren-emerson_0706.htm

cheers lloyd - thats a good article...

Emerson is still the Man...

just keep rockin'

[BeautifulBurnout]

cheers lloyd - thats a good article...

Emerson is still the Man...

just keep rockin'

Yep! I'll be there for the launch party on Saturday night at The End :cool:

[paul de aragon]

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[paul de aragon]

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