1. Night Over Tokyo 2. Runaway Bay 3. Quiet Storm 4. Jazz Creepin 5. Madinina 6. Open Your Eyes 7. Danceland 8. Sunshiny Day 9. Blue Note 10. Midnight Walkin 11. Prelude 12. Nocturne 13. Deadline 14. Twilight Time
Download album (direct link, no emule, no torrents, no rapidshare)
Karl Hyde and Rick Smith started out in the mid- and late-1980's as the band that would eventually become today's Underworld, making quirky new-wave pop. British DJ Darren Emerson made their acquaintance in 1992 and helped them refine their sound into something more sleek and beat-oriented, yet still shot through with tinges of blues, rock and spoken-word streams of consciousness. After several releases on Junior Boy's Own as Lemon Interupt, the three of them re-adopted the Underworld name. The trio's first full-length, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, was released in 1994 to rave reviews and is still considered a landmark piece of work today. It spawned several hit singles ("Dark & Long", "Cowgirl", "Dirty Epic") and was followed a couple years later by the "Born Slippy" single and their second album, Second Toughest In The Infants (1996). Underworld's well-praised remixography also continued to grow, including artists such as Björk, Saint Etienne, Simply Red, Massive Attack and Leftfield. After licensing a remix of "Born Slippy" for the 1996 cult classic film Trainspotting, Underworld gained instant worldwide fame and found themselves touring furiously, presenting their renowned, high-energy live act worldwide. Their fame continued to run high through the release of Beaucoup Fish (1999) and Everything, Everything (2000), after which time Emerson left the group to concentrate on his DJ career. The duo continued on, releasing the album A Hundred Days Off in 2002 and an anthology release, 1992–2002 in 2003. From 2004–2006, they took a break from the traditional album/tour cycle, and focused on soundtrack work and online digital EP releases as part of The RiverRun Project. They added DJ Darren Price to their live lineup during this period. In 2007, Underworld released their latest album, Oblivion with Bells, and embarked on a world tour.
In addition to their music, Hyde and Smith are also founding members of a graphic design company, Tomato, which has done high-profile work for clients around the world as well as providing art for all of Underworld's releases. Hyde, along with John Warwicker of Tomato, has published two typographic journals as Underworld Print: Mmm... Skyscraper, I Love You (1994) and In The Belly Of Saint Paul (2003). Beginning in December 2007, Underworld Print began publishing monthly PDF's of the Book of Jam, which focuses on a different theme in each issue.
Underworld became one of the most crucial electronic acts of the 1990s via an intriguing synthesis of old and new. The trio's two-man frontline, vocalist Karl Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith, had been recording together since the early-'80s new wave explosion; after two unsuccessful albums released as Underworld during the late '80s, the pair finally hit it big when they recruited Darren Emerson, a young DJ hipped to the sound of techno and trance. Traditional pop song forms were jettisoned in favor of Hyde's heavily treated vocals, barely there whispering, and surreal wordplay, stretched out over the urban breakbeat trance ripped out by Emerson and co. while Smith's cascade of guitar-shard effects provided a bluesy foil to the stark music. All in all, the decision to go pop was hardly a concession to the mainstream. The first Underworld album by the trio, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, appeared in late 1993 to a flurry of critical acclaim; the trio then gained U.S. distribution for the album with TVT. Second Toughest in the Infants, the group's sophomore LP, updated their sound slightly and received more praise than the debut. Unlike the first, the LP also sold well, thanks in part to the non-album single "Born Slippy," featured on the soundtrack to the seminal film Trainspotting. The roots of Underworld go back to the dawn of the 1980s, when Hyde and Smith formed a new wave band called Freur. The group released Doot-Doot in 1983 and Get Us out of Here two years later, but later disintegrated. Hyde worked on guitar sessions for Debbie Harry and Prince, then reunited with Smith in 1988 to form an industrial-funk band called Underworld. The pair earned an American contract with Sire and released their debut album, Underneath the Radar, in 1988. Change the Weather followed one year later, even though little attention had been paid to the first. By the end of the decade, Underworld had disappeared also. As they had several years earlier, Hyde and Smith shed their skin yet again, recruiting hotshot DJ Darren Emerson and renaming themselves Lemon Interrupt. In 1992, the trio debuted with two singles, "Dirty"/"Minneapolis" and "Bigmouth"/"Eclipse," both released on Junior Boys Own Records. After they reverted back to Underworld, 1993's "Rez" and "MMM...Skyscraper I Love You" caused a minor sensation in the dance community. Instead of adding small elements of techno to a basically pop or rock formula (as many bands had attempted with varying success), Underworld treated techno as the dominant force. Their debut album, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, was praised by many critics upon release later in 1993 and crossed over to the British pop charts. Hyde, Smith, and Emerson impressed many at their concert dates as well; the trio apparently relished playing live, touring Great Britain twice plus Japan, Europe, and the annual summer-festival circuit, where their Glastonbury appearance became the stuff of legend. Dubnobasswithmyheadman was released in the U.S. in 1995 after being licensed to TVT Records. During the rest of the year, Underworld were relatively quiet, releasing only the single "Born Slippy." Finally, Second Toughest in the Infants appeared in early 1996 to much critical praise. The trio gained no small amount of commercial success later in the year when "Born Slippy" was featured on the soundtrack to Trainspotting, the controversial Scottish film that earned praise from critics all over the globe. Underworld also remained busy with Tomato -- their own graphic-design company responsible for commercials from such high-profile clients as Nike, Sony, Adidas, and Pepsi -- and remixing work for Depeche Mode, Bj�rk, St. Etienne, Sven V�th, Simply Red, and Leftfield. Emerson continued to DJ on a regular basis, releasing mix albums for Mixmag! and Deconstruction. Though Underworld's 1999 LP Beaucoup Fish was a bit of a disappointment critically and commercially, the band continued to tour the world. The live album Everything, Everything followed in 2000, after which Emerson left to continue his DJ career. A Hundred Days Off, Underworld's first LP as a duo since 1989, was released in mid-2002. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
The Amsterdam based live-act Junkie XL started in 1995 and debuted in 1997 with their album Saturday Teenage Kick. Actually, Junkie XL is not a real band, but more a one-man-show by Tom Holkenborg, born on December 8th 1967 in Lichtenvoorde (The Netherlands). Junkie XL's music is a mix of rock and big beats, often compared with the sound of The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. The power of this music is absolutely best expressed in a live performance. Junkie XL is one of the first bands that plays modern electronic music and combines it with a good live show.
Junkie XL's music is a mixture of styles; alternative dance with a rock-attitude. The real Junkie XL-feel is probably in Saturday Teenage Kick: an uptempo hip-hop beat with a groovy guitar and Rudeboy behind the mic.
The big-beat electronica project Junkie XL was largely the work of Amsterdam-based remixer Tom Holkenborg, previously known for his work with acts like Nerve and Fear Factory. Beginning his career at the age of 14, Holkenborg initially played in area funk and reggae units, later switching to alternative rock; while working in a music store, he first began experimenting with synthesizers and technology, and in 1996 won the Grand Prix of the Netherlands as best house music producer. After completing Junkie XL's 1997 debut LP Saturday Teenage Kick, a blend of electronica and rock, he enlisted rapper Rude Boy (an alumnus of Urban Dance Squad), DJ Frankie D, drummer Baz Mattie, and guitarist Renee van der Zee to transform his one-man studio project into a working band. Big Sound of the Drags, released in 1999, was the first record from the lineup. More than two years later, Holkenborg masterminded the first (legal) remix of an Elvis Presley song, "A Little Less Conversation" (as heard in a Nike commercial to coincide with the 2002 World Cup). Released as a single, it hit number one in Britain by June. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
New York dance act, generally producing vocal trance.
Having shot to fame in 2001 with the massive hit 'Rapture', iiO - producer Markus Moser and former vocalist Nadia Ali - have since released further singles and an album entitled 'Poetica'.
The duo came to work together when Moser was on the lookout for someone to from his productions. A friend had heard Ali sing while she was working for Versace NYC and she was promptly signed up. After singing on 'Rapture', 'At The End', 'Smooth', 'Runaway' and 'Kiss You', Ali quit iiO in 2005 to concentrate on her solo career.
New York-based duo iio (formerly known as vaiio and named after a computer used to write lyrics on) debuted in a local club where their song "Rapture" was played for the first time. After becoming an Ibiza club favorite, "Rapture" started climbing charts around Europe and finally joined the Global Hits 2002 collection, released by Universal Records.
Assembled by DJ/producer/songwriter Markus Moser and singer Nadia, their first hit was soon remixed by John Creamer and Stephan K., French house act Aloud, Riva, and Deep Dish. ~ Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
O.S.T. (Original Soundtrack, as well as a few other, less printable pseudos) is the one-man ambient/experimental electro project of DJ/producer Chris Douglass. A native of Edinburgh, Douglass left Scotland at the age of ten for San Francisco, where he's lived ever since. Raised on a heaping diet of John Coltrane and Max Roach (his mother is a jazz fanatic), he added early-'80s breakdance music to his list of influences when artists such as Egyptian Lover and Uncle Jamm's Army began defining the sound of California hip-hop and electro (Douglass himself spent his share of time perfecting backspins on squares of discarded cardboard and linoleum). Combining the above two styles with the more melancholic elements of British and European rock and Euro-pop groups such as the Smiths, Kraftwerk, and Morton Subotnick, Douglass began producing music in 1993, and released his first 12-inch on Detroit's Switch label (an arresting three-tracker of bizarre rhythmic noise experiments) the following year.
Although he originally planned on relocating to techno's birthplace, Douglass moved back to SF shortly after the Switch twelve was released and began working on an album for Jonah Sharp's Reflective label. The album never appeared, and that and a handful more of gone-nowhere EP and LP release plans with labels such as Skam and Plug Research have resulted in as many as 500 tracks and four complete albums lying dormant in Douglass' DAT cachet. O.S.T. material finally began appearing with more frequency starting in 1996, beginning with his remix of Spacetime Continuum's "Simm City" on the latter's Remit Recaps CD alongside the likes of Carl Craig, Autechre, and Higher Intelligence Agency. Subsequent twelves for Qlipothic and noted London label Worm Interface, as well as tracks for compilations on XLR8R and Plug Research (both under the name Rook Vallade), appeared in 1996 and 1997. Douglass also performs live periodically, appearing on bills in America and the U.K. next to such names as Spacetime Continuum, Derrick May, Eric Hill, and post-rockers Trans Am. ~ Sean Cooper, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
Next to Master P (and maybe C-Murder), Silkk the Shocker (born Vyshonne Miller) was the preeminent rapper on No Limit Records, the underground hardcore rap label that became a sensation in the late '90s. Since he is the brother of Master P, the founder of the label, you'd expect nothing less, actually. As a member of Tru, as a guest rapper, and as a solo artist, Silkk the Shocker appeared on most of No Limit's most successful records. His omnipresence says more about the way No Limit was run than it does about his skills. No Limit aggressively marketed each of its artists so they appeared to be superstars before they ever released an album; Silkk was no different. A modestly gifted rapper, Silkk never wanted to break boundaries, only to work within the confines of gangsta rap, and that's exactly what he did, turning out a series of records that celebrated all the clich�s gangsta critics dismissed. Obviously, that's what his audience wanted, since his first two records went platinum without support from radio, MTV, or the music industry at large.
Like his brothers Master P and C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker was born and raised in New Orleans. He began rapping as a teenager, joining a number of gangsta crews including the Down South Hustlers. He also joined Master P's group Tru, which also featured C-Murder. Before he launched his solo career, he had appeared on albums by the Down South Hustlers, the West Coast Bad Boyz, and Tru. In 1996, Silkk released his debut, The Shocker, on No Limit Records. Shortly after its release, he appended "The Shocker" as a surname. The Shocker slowly became an underground success, largely based on strong word of mouth. Throughout the course of 1997, Silkk the Shocker was all over No Limit releases, appearing on the I'm Bout It soundtrack, Tru's Tru 2 da Game, Mia X's Unlady Like, Mystikal's Unpredictable, and Master P's Ghetto D. His long-awaited second album, Charge It 2 da Game, finally appeared in February 1998, after being promoted by No Limit for nearly eight months. My World, My Way was released three years later. Based on a True Story hit the streets in 2004. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
The eighth of ten siblings in the musical Winans family, CeCe Winans (born Priscilla) performed most often with her brother, BeBe, in a duo which recorded gospel material with R&B settings and proved to be the most commercially successful of the Winans groupings (which also includes her older brothers Marvin, Carvin, Ronald, and Michael in the Winans and her parents in Mom & Pop Winans). Born in Detroit, she worked with BeBe in a duo called the PTL Singers until 1987, when they released their self-titled debut album (with vocal contributions from nine members of the family). Four albums followed during the next seven years (two of which hit gold) plus 1991's platinum Different Lifestyles. The duo's success increased as they added more contemporary forms of production -- their two number one R&B singles, "Addictive Love" and "I'll Take You There," both treated spiritual love in fuzzy terms just as conducive to the physical. After 1994's Relationships, CeCe began recording her very first solo album. Released in 1995, Alone in His Presence found her working her way back to traditional gospel, singing standards like "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Blessed Assurance," and "I Surrender All." His Gift followed in 1998, and a year later Winans returned with Alabaster Box. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide (from mp3.com)
