Underworld’s Dubnobasswithmyheadman Reissued

Underworld; Dubnobasswithmyheadman 20th anniversary

Re-mastered album reissue out October 7, 2014
(CD / 2xCD deluxe / 2xLP / HD Blu-Ray / 5xCD super-deluxe)
Unique one-off live performance at London’s Royal Festival Hall

“The most important album since The Stone Roses and the best since Screamadelica…
a breathtaking hybrid that marks the moment that club culture finally comes of age and beckons to everyone” – Melody Maker

“By writing ‘songs’—albeit playful, deranged ones—Underworld have come up with a solution for the facelessness that blights dance music.” – NME

“90 Best Albums Of The 1990s.” – Q Magazine

“This British conglomerate brought critics and listeners to their knees with a sprawling epic of guitars, muttered vocals and subtle, intricate beats…” – Alternative Press: 10 Essential Dance Albums That Rock

“It’s a crucial record in their recording history –Marrying dance floor heft with proper songwriting, it’s a club/pop crossover landmark” – FACT

“’Dirty Epic’ still stands out as one of the great, inspired and soulful tracks of the 1990s – a track that, like fine wine, has even improved with age.” – Drowned in Sound

“When it comes to being awesomely grandiose, few can beat them.” – Rolling Stone: 30 best EDM Albums of All Time (Anthology)

“Earnest emotions surprisingly suit these dance-floor surrealists.” – SPIN Magazine

“Underworld is one of the most enduring festival acts of all time. With frontman Hyde stalking the stage, the band’s artistic collective Tomato developing the visuals, and the sheer sonic tonnage of their catalog – albums full of bass, drums and bizarre monologues, rendered still with a somehow delicate beauty – they defined the experience of massive shows like Glastonbury in the late ‘90s.” – Billboard

“Underworld performed extended versions of songs off Dubnobasswithmyheadman, liquidly morphing from “Mmm Skyscraper, I Love You” and “Rez” to “Cowgirl” and “Dirty Epic.” I didn’t know any of these classics at the time, but after a two-hour set and having been a part of the euphoria this band concocted, they became my most precious band.” – Pitchfork

“Basically, this was the beginning of something that would ultimately become incredibly influential on the larger scope and history of dance music (if you’re scratching your head about the mention of Underworld, you need to read/listen up yesterday.” – Do Androids Dance

“I was at a warehouse party in the mid-‘90s, and after dancing all night I was feeling very euphoric. I had lost track of time and did not realize the sun had come up outside, until someone lifted one of the large warehouse doors and the sunlight came pouring in. The DJ faded out the music, and everyone on the entire dance floor turned to face the sun and then “Rez” started fading in on the sound system. I had never heard it before but I will never forget how deeply affected I felt in that moment.” – Bassnectar (Billboard)

In January ‘94, Rick Smith, Darren Emerson & Karl Hyde released their debut album – Dubnobasswithmyheadman – on UK independent label Junior Boy’s Own. Up to that point, the three-piece were seen as something of a square peg. They crafted songs from transcendent dance music. They were clearly a band – complete with frontman/guitarist – yet they made records where the constituent parts and players were often indefinable. Musically, they took elements from the European techno underground & Balearic clubs and fused them with spliced up beat poetry and strung out ambient sounds. Really, they just weren’t like anyone else.

Underworld’s debut arrived as a fully formed statement of intent. Its’ nine tracks showcased the limitless possibilities of electronic music. Although born out of club culture, Dubnobass… defied the accepted genres of the time – equally suited to the dancefloor and the after party, it was as immersive an experience quaking through bassbins or headphones. Two decades on from its original release, it’s unarguable that Dubnobasswithmyheadman is one of the most influential British electronic records of all time; a signpost for everything from dance music’s easy relationship with main stages at festivals to the radio/globe-conquering EDM phenomenon.

To celebrate Dubnobasswithmyheadman’s twentieth anniversary, the record has been meticulously remastered at Abbey Road for a deluxe reissue by the band’s Rick Smith. Revisiting the original MIDI files, Rick uncovered a wealth of previously unreleased material and rare alternate mixes that sit alongside the record’s original companion singles and remixes and offer a fascinating insight into the creation of the record. The resultant release is the definitive version of one of those rare records that truly deserves to be described as a classic.

To coincide with the re-release of Dubnobasswithmyheadman, Underworld will play the album in full at a one-off show at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 11th October 2014. This show will offer fans a unique chance to see Underworld in one of the capital’s most iconic venues playing this classic album in its entirety for the first time.

Dubnobasswithmyheadman is the first release through Universal Music’s exclusive worldwide deal for the band’s iconic collected works. Work is under way on plans for forthcoming future deluxe, remastered editions of each of the band’s classic albums.

Dubnobasswithmyheadman pre-order: www.underworldlive.com