Underworld are a British electronic music group initially formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1979 (as "The Screen Gemz"), and is primarily the collaborative project of Karl Hyde and Rick Smith.

By the early 1980s, Smith and Hyde's post-punk Screen Gemz had morphed into the flamboyant new wave pop quintet Freur, who managed a respectable hit in 1983 with "Doot Doot". They went on to release two albums, "Doot Doot" (1983), and "Get Us Out Of Here" (1986), as well as performing the score for the 1985 movie "Underworld" (later "Transmutations").

By 1987, Freur had renamed themselves after the movie they scored just a couple years prior, and became a more funk-oriented pop-rock outfit. Underworld MK1, as it would later become known, would release two albums, "Underneath The Radar" (1988) and "Change The Weather" (1989), earning them somewhat fair-to-moderate success, particularly in Australia, and with their "Underneath The Radar" single being featured in an episode of Miami Vice. By the end of 1991, the group would split up, with Smith and Hyde relocating to Romford, Essex and shifting their musical direction toward dance and techno by the beginning of 1992, now joined by Darren Emerson.

This change would bring Underworld MK2 even further critical and commercial success with albums such as "Dubnobasswithmyheadman" (1994), "Second Toughest in the Infants" (1996), and "Beaucoup Fish" (1999). During this '90s period, they would become especially well known for singles including "Born Slippy .NUXX" and "Dark & Long (Dark Train)", both of which featured in Danny Boyle's classic 1996 film "Trainspotting", which became defining tracks of the electronic music scene of the era.

Underworld are recognized for their atmospheric and evolving compositions, Karl Hyde’s abstract and stream-of-consciousness lyrical style, and their energetic live performances. Their work has influenced a broad range of electronic and alternative artists, and their music has been widely featured in film and television soundtracks.

Studio albums
Underneath the Radar (1988)
Change the Weather (1989)
Dubnobasswithmyheadman (1994)
Second Toughest in the Infants (1996)
Beaucoup Fish (1999)
A Hundred Days Off (2002)
Oblivion with Bells (2007)
Barking (2010)
Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (2016)
Drift Series 1 (2019)
Strawberry Hotel (2024)
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Artist biography from last.fm