Is Underworld innovative?
Well? are they??
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i think the term is pretty loose in general. whenever people said it i never took it to mean for music in general, but defined within their own progression. and there is a feeling that they've taken to "doing their version" of existing directions many bands have taken, (lets make an album like a movie score! let's make a really pop one!) whereas AHDO for all of its faults cant really be described as easily.
ultimately i dont care too much because "pushing boundaries" joins other meaningless phrases like "soundscapes" or "musical journey", and there are people who think they do that for real, so yr basically right. just perspective i guess |
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i totally disagree with the assertion that they've never been innovators.
also, no one could ever accuse you of playing softball with your opinion, BLD. ;) |
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the more i know about music from whatever era any underworld album came out, the more i see the different strands they've pulled from to make their own thing. it wasnt moving any genres anywhere, just moving blocks around in people's heads.
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what specifically are you looking for? a single track or single moment in their career that you could point to and say, THERE IT IS? because good luck identifying that moment for any musician. music is all about influence and being influenced and even innovators will draw upon influences.
but just to use a sacred cow as an example, STITI was innovative. yes yes yes, you can point to all kinds of musicians sharing the landscape that were moving in a similar direction, but UW crafted a sound that was distinctly different and more evolved than their previous release and they packaged it with an intelligence that superseded their contemporaries. |
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BLD has listened to every record ever made
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Fail conjecture arguement is fail! Moving on...
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bands don't have to move the bar to produce great work. radiohead, as an example, has followed a gradual evolution and frequently revisits familiar territory with brilliance. but when a group does consistently raise the bar it can make fans like us a bit greedy. we want it want it want it and we're disappointed when we don't get it. it doesn't mean the work isn't good, we just get greedy and want new and sparkley ideas. |
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I have not listened to every album ever made myself. But I've listened to enough to know somewhat when artists are playing it safe, and when they are trying to write something completely different from both A.) their back catalog and B.) their contemporaries. And truth be told, I haven't unanimously liked anything Underworld has put out since STITI. But in spite of the fact that I've had a hard time with the rest of their releases I can feel in their music that they're always reaching and digging for something deeper. Always except for with Barking, a good album with no ambition except to (it seems) make everyone bust a move "when the lights go down". But whatever, they've contributed enough to their scene and I'd wager that they personally had a ton of fun working with others, and enjoyed how much pressure was lifted when other people were brought in to do some of the heavy moving. This was a good record for them, and with good results in places. It's a different animal than everything else they've done however, and the samey-ness of this record compared to the modern scene is a major detraction. |
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Yes
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This album makes me happy. That's all the innovation I need.
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To be fair, they've come out and done an intentionally "poppy" album, collaborating with a number of varied producers. If that isn't different enough from their back catalogue (and most of their peers, especially following an album like OWB), I think people are getting picky.
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Innovative by definition means 'to invent or begin to apply'. Underworld are not and have not been innovators in electronic music. This is no slight to Underworld. I don't really put much weight in being innovative. They've improved and excelled at a style but technically, they cannot take credit for being innovators of that style.
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musically, in the 90's, i think they were at the "cutting edge" of dance electronic music along with aphex twin,fsol,black dog etc etc but whether you can call that innovative i don't know?
they are innovative in the field of live performance without a doubt. every soft wear manufacturer wants underworld to run their gear and put it to use in the most advanced live set up in the biz. basically i think they're guys interested in the mix of sounds and electronic's so are part of the long tradition of many groups and artist (tangerine dream,depeche mode,peter gabriel,the shamen,talk talk etc etc) over the last 50 years. anyway,who actually is innovative ? bob dylan,derrick may,kraftwerk,satie,goldie,the beatles,stockhausen ? i think it just depends on your perspective. |
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okay okay okay, i'll give you richard d james. but who else? |
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Underworld single-handedly brought me into a whole new world of music. I'd heard lots of electronic music prior to Underworld -- some dance, some more experimental -- but I didn't really connect with it. Underworld was/is an intelligent, conceptual, well-crafted and delicately prepared electronic band and that to me, is innovative.
Were they the first? Probably not. Did they manage to take dance club type songs and bring them into my car, my house, my headphones in a time when that just wasn't happening? Yes. That's pretty innovative. @JasonRoth: damn right! Their live show was very innovative. It's not fair to say its not anymore because they well into their career at this point. Artists can't be constantly innovative. Its impossible. |
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[QUOTE=BrotherLovesDub;144334]I agree they could be classified as innovators with their live show, which makes what is currently happening live all the more disappointing. I can't be inspired to spend 5-700 to fly to SF to hear them play live versions that are virtually identical to the album version. It wasn't always like this.
unfortunately i think you are one of a "dying breed" amongst gig go-ers these days.:) i don't think it will be "album versions" forever but for the moment its probably what the crowds they are playing to want. |
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yes, i think underworld are innovators, and it's hard not to see it. look at dubno, for instance. it's not just a bunch of techno tracks squeezed together; you've got songs like skyscraper and dirty epic that lean towards the prog side of the spectrum and hold so much more meaning, complexity and emotion than something like 'get ready for this' by 2 unlimited or even 'the robots' by kraftwerk. interspersed between the technoey tracks, you've got several quieter tracks that feature guitar and more traditional instrumentation, but they still fit because the album flows as one. and all the time you've got the constant theme of weather going through the album... wind, thunder, the crunching of fall leaves, etc. there's no other techno band that sounds like that.
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dirty epic encapsulates this group as a whole. no other track aside from their dancefloor favourites will bring true definition - it marked their beginning and will always pinpoint the greatness to begin. you don't need to outdo every past release... it just doesn't work. I will have to say that uw for the most part have always been an experimental output for their artistic expression and they've developed their live performance to the point that most tracks sound better live. they're performers - well, at least karl is. as long as they keep that artistic expression in their music - they will continue to be successful. i love this band! :D |
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I thank you |
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w00t! thats their most uninnovative song - twas originally likened to an Elton John styled dance track when released.... innovation comes in my forms but BS NUXX - it not be.... now... mmm skyscraper.... |
Re: Is Underworld innovative?
IS Underworld Innovative
or ARE Underworld Innovative i go with the latter... i can't answer the question, its subjective, what's innovation?? JBO - now they were innovative in signing UW & The Dust Brothers - or we're they just clever? Its more likely right place right time.... and Danny Boyle was innovative in his selection of Born Slippy for his sound track. |
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I dunno, this is kind of a silly question. UW are definitely innovative but they aren't like, ahead of their time or anything. dubnobass was the first electronic album I heard that had clear New Wave influences and actually had like, a singer. The real question is, who has really been that "innovative" since the late 70's? Aphex Twin? The poster child is Radiohead, but they kind of nicked most of their "big" ideas from 70's German rock didn't they? What kind of answer are you looking for?
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What a silly question
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i remember first getting dance mix usa vol. 4 (great shit) then it was the "you've come a long way baby" then i got the hackers soundtrack then, i got everything, everything live. first on disc, then on DVD. nothing was the same after that. i sort of became a music snob until i started playing guitar, which took me away from electronica. but having the knowledge of playing a guitar, taught me what Underworld were doing to be all the more grander. Underworld is still the only band i know who do what they do, in other words, i've never come across a band blatantly trying to rip Underworld off. - to me, thats innovation |
Re: Is Underworld innovative?
So... much... conjecture...
I'd really appreciate it if the admin that broke my post off would change themselves to the OP. This back-and-forth isn't what I wrote the post about or had even intended on accomplishing. EDIT: All fixed! |
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