Moby and Underworld

His nickname comes from the fact that his great-great-grand uncle was Herman Melville, author of the classic Moby Dick.

As a teen, Hall played in hardcore band Vatican Commodores before lending a hand on vocals to band Flipper while their singer was in prison. In the 90’s after a brief stint at college and moving to New York, US, Hall began DJing in dance clubs as his interest in techno furthered. Releasing music on independent labels under various monikers such as: Barracuda and Brainstorm, Hall released his first material “Mobility” in 1990 under the name Moby.

Working with British director David Lynch, Moby produced the theme tune for his television series Twin Peaks and the single “Go” was released in 1991 was a great success, landing in the UK’s Top Ten singles chart. As Moby continued to experiment with techno so did his foray into DJing clubs and raves across America. An iconic moment in Moby’s career occurred in 1992 when played at the annual Mixmag Awards show and at the end of his set he quite dramatically smashed his keyboard.

Rapidly making a name for himself during the nineties and remixing artists such as: Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode, he signed with Mute Records in 1993 releasing “Ambient”- a collection of his recordings from 1988 to 1991. That same year he released the double A side single “I Feel It/Thousand” which was recognised as the fastest single by Guinness World Records clocking in an incredible 1000 beats per minute.

In 1994 Moby signed a major record deal with Elektra and the following year released the critically acclaimed album “Everything Is Wrong” which proved a commercial success. With critics unsure about the future of the electronic music he was producing at the time, Moby decided to release a punk rock album entitled “Animal Rights” in 1996. With a dramatic directional change it distanced Moby from both critics and fans, confusing them as to what kind of artist he was.

His 1999 album “Play” despite not being a chart success, managed not only to amass over ten million copies the following year but each track was used for either adverts or film soundtracks which helped to make it one of Moby’s most commercial successes.

Adding to his already impressive list of skills and ventures, in 2001 Moby founded his own touring music festival called Area. Although the festival lasted for only two years he was able to get an eclectic mix of artists to join the line-up such as: OutKast, New Order, David Bowie, Blue Man Group, Gwen Stefani and Busta Rhymes.

With such a substantial back catalogue of material combined with his influential nature and role within the evolution of nineties electronic music, Moby shall always be revered as the legendary and multi-talented artist who helped shape what the genre has become today.

In that time, their music has transcended club dancefloors and provided soundtracks to everything from iconic movies (Trainspotting) to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games (for which they were handpicked as musical directors).

Rick and Karl met in Cardiff in the early ’80s and spent the following decade working together in a succession of bands with varying levels of success (highlights included a stint in the studio with Krautrock godfather Conny Plank and a Top 10 single in Italy as Freur). After splitting up an earlier version of Underworld (usually referred to as Mk 1), Rick relocated to Romford, Essex where he built a studio in his spare bedroom. A new version of Underworld began after Smith met a local up-and-coming DJ, Darren Emerson. Emerson’s sets in London clubs proved influential on Rick who began making music inspired by the sounds of UK’s nascent dance scene.

After a brace of singles released under the name Lemon Interrupt, the reinvigorated Underworld released Mmm Skyscraper… I Love You - a thirteen-minute blueprint for their future. Sounding unlike any other electronic record of that era (or since), the 1992 single fitted Karl’s hallucinogenic monologue to a rolling, relentless rhythm track. The dynamic may have been that of a band; the execution was something far more otherworldly. The album that followed – 1994’s hugely acclaimed dubnobasswithmyheadman – seamlessly blended man and machine to create ‘dance music utterly unlike any other dance music’ (Mojo).

In the months that followed the release of dubnobasswithmyheadman, Underworld built a formidable live reputation. Gigs became communions where songs were pulled in new directions and rearranged to suit the mood nightly. The band’s freeform shows set them apart from the more structured approach of their contemporaries.

Released early in 1996, Underworld’s second album – Second Toughest In The Infants – saw the band push further into the unknown to create what is unarguably one of the UK’s greatest electronic records – an utterly unique eight track sonic journey through techno, drum’n’bass, minimalist composition and ambient music. Upon release, the media elevated the band to something close to national treasure status (“A British band to rank alongside Pet Shop Boys, New Order… hell, Pink Floyd. If all acid house had ever left us was this, it would surely be justification enough” The Face).

Second Toughest…’s release coincided with that of Danny Boyle’s massively successful adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting - the closing sequence of which was cut to an Underworld B-side from 1995 (Born Slippy: NUXX). By the time the track was reissued in the summer of ’96 after the success of the film, Born Slippy: NUXX had attained anthem status. The single would reach No 2 in the charts and go on to sell over one million copies in the UK.

Underworld’s third album - 1999’s Beaucoup Fish – was another critically lauded release (“There are rare moments when even the longest albums feel like they should go on forever: this, emphatically, is one of them” NME) and remains the band’s biggest selling to date. The record’s crossover success soon saw the band booked for main stage slots at festivals the world over, in turn becoming one of the most recognizable electronic acts around. Many of those performances were captured on film and audio for Everything, Everything – a live project that saw the band experimenting with fledgling DVD technology.

Soon after the Beaucoup Fish tour finished, Darren Emerson left Underworld to pursue solo projects. Continuing as a duo, Rick and Karl subsequently released an album - A Hundred Days Off (2002, “A very fine Underworld album – they don’t make any other kind… a beautiful and baffling enigma” Uncut, 4 out of 5) - that was preceded by the massive radio and club hit Two Months Off.

In 2006, Underworld began to explore the emerging possibilities of the Internet and direct selling when they released the Riverrun series. Ever the innovators, the band were one of the first major acts to release music solely in the digital market. The Riverrun releases (Lovely Broken Thing, Pizza for Eggs and I’m A Big Sister and I’m a Girl, and I’m a Princess, and This Is My Horse) presented new music mixed into freeform, single-track compilations and pointed towards the more experimental nature of 2007’s Oblivion With Bells (“Less the comedown than the sound of the party still going 10 years on.” NME, 8 out of 10).

Following a period soundtracking both Danny Boyle’s Sunshine and Anthony Minghella’s Breaking and Entering, Rick and Karl released Barking in 2010 (“a harmonious marriage of the classic, propulsive Underworld sound and the kind of techniques and textures that postdate most of their career” Resident Advisor). The album saw the duo working with a handpicked selection of contemporary producers (including Mark Knight, High Contrast, Dubfire and Paul Van Dyk), many of who had been heavily influenced by the band when starting out.

Shortly after Barking’s release, Underworld were confirmed as musical directors for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. Directed by Danny Boyle and titled Isles of Wonder, the opening ceremony was viewed by 900 million people worldwide, including 27 million in the UK alone. Later that year, the band received Q magazine’s Innovation in Sound award.

In the autumn of 2014, Underworld reissued dubnobasswithmyheadman in deluxe form for its twentieth anniversary. The album was universally hailed as a classic (“Acclaimed at the time as the most important album since the Stone Roses’ debut, dubnobasswithmyheadman is no less singular and compelling 20 years later… the album sounds like a city talking to itself after dark.” The Guardian, "A revolutionary record." The Quietus), a one-off show playing the album in its entirely at London’s iconic Royal Festival Hall sold out in seconds.

The dubnobass… reissue (followed in 2015 by a deluxe edition of Second Toughest In The Infants) and subsequent tour dates around the world.