Underworld
Dark & Long

The greatest virtue of Underworld’s music is its ability to take the mind elsewhere, to lead the listener towards a dark and alienating psycho-physical dimension, as well as to abandon normal perceptual and sensory abilities, lost in the "sweet shipwreck" among complex textures, layered sounds, and the hypnotic progression of precise rhythmic constructions.

The ep "Dark & Long", released in September '94 to promote the single of the same name from the debut album "Dubnobasswithmyheadman", is a perfect example of the inexhaustible flow of creativity mixed with talent that seemed to bless every new release by the English trio in the "pre-millennium" decade, but at the same time, it is a work that marks another step forward compared to the experiments conducted by Hyde, Smith, and Emerson in the very valuable albums of those years.

Elsewhere restrained by precise impositions and limitations regarding the compactness and average length of the compositions, the "dark train" of our protagonists in the ep in question, speeds along, bypassing any obstacle or hindrance, and offering all the fans and admirers a handful of tracks that, on more than one occasion, abandon the song-form and touch upon the suite and symphonic structure.

The sparse track-list (six tracks in total) allows for a more or less in-depth analysis of the individual pieces, even though it is really interesting to note, while listening to the record, that every distinction or boundary between recording tracks is subverted or demolished, a tangible sign that the spell produced by Underworld’s music has successfully come to fruition.

It starts with the 7" version of the single "Dark & Long", the only track with an almost "normal" duration, where Karl Hyde's sensual voice appears, always balanced between singing and spoken words, which when it recites "I want a wall of tears to wash away..." seems to lead to an unexpected catharsis, almost purification reached through magnetic sonorities and engaging drums. Gives you chills. The over twenty minutes of the following "Thing In a Book" defy any definition, moving from suspended moments, with a strong ambient flavor, to others dominated by the steady beat, leading to a sort of internalization of the very process of dancing, and the deciliters of sweat poured out in trendy and overcrowded clubs.
There is someone whispering "Talk to me..." in the eighteen minutes of "Spoon Deep", a remixed and ultra-dub version of "Spoonman", where it is easy to get lost in the chaos of acid electronic inserts, echoes, and hypnotic keyboards that, at times, border on trance. The synthetic bass-line of "Dark Hard" acts as a supporting column to the layers of sound (at times pitch-shifted and deliberately out of tune) of the powerful track, whose alternations between fullness and emptiness do not entirely exclude paranoia, while the unsettling choirs and pulsating basses of the splendid "Dark Train" lead to mystical ecstasy, also thanks to Karl Hyde's voice, which, returning from oblivion, repeatedly articulates the title of the track. Splendid. The concluding "Burts" increases the bpm without spilling over into noise or chaos, but perhaps taking the group’s mental electronics to the extreme, and it almost makes one want to grasp every imperceptible vibration in the headphones before the playback ends.

This is "Dark & Long", two adjectives that well suit the multifaceted sounds of Underworld, their vibes, and the extraordinary ability they have possessed for years to travel without moving, staying still, seated in an armchair, or bombarded by epic amplifications, lasers, and strobe lights; this is also the power of music, and of that "dark train," which, if for years it no longer seems to advance at a sustained speed, however, still allows us to dive back into the past, to lose ourselves, and find ourselves, among kaleidoscopes of sound and bruised rainbows of color.