Following the departure of Darren Emerson, who left Underworld to focus on his DJ career, the British electronica outfit faced lingering questions about the impact of his absence on the group. But one half of the duo, Karl Hyde, is not worried. "The state of the band is much better than it was twelve months ago. We're happier now," he says. "We think Darren is happier. We hope he is. It's just a lot freer."

Currently, the group is preparing for the release of their new DVD, Everything Everything (Oct. 2), which features special Internet content downloadable via the disc. The material includes a ninety-minute performance, art from their design company, Tomato, and additional accompanying music, all of which allows users to mix their own visuals and music, much as Underworld themselves improvise during live performances.

"Rick [Smith, Underworld's other half] put it together," Hyde explains. "This was his idea eighteen months ago. People were coming to him and saying, 'Did you know a DVD can do this and a DVD-Rom can do that?' So you can have all these layers of hidden interactivity that people can do all these fantastic things, and little by little he got sucked in this enormous black hole. I think it's been a fantastic success. Not only has it documented a period in our history, it's also given us a jumping off point that Rick and I can now move forward with and bring together."

Leading up to the release, the band has been performing selected gigs across Europe and the Far East, concerts which have, since Emerson's departure, gone smoothly according to Hyde.

"All the reviews, and I can only go on the reviews, say we sound better than we've ever sounded. And I can only put that down to the fact that Rick and I are able to work a lot easier together on stage. The improvising is much faster, more fluid than it was with the three of us, and I suppose that's what twenty years does, twenty years of trust."

And while the band has been working on new material, it is unlikely it will surface before the end of the year. In the meantime, they are working to devise a new concept of touring they will eventually bring stateside.

"The band has got a great reputation as a live band and it's not something that we want to just sit on and fester with," Hyde says. "We have to keep moving on, if for no greater reason than to keep it exciting for us, because if it's exciting for us, then that transmits."

JOLIE LASH
(August 25, 2000)