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Drift
Original cover for the collective Drift playlist featured on music streaming platforms
Recording by
Underworld
Released1 November 2018 (2018-11-01) onwards
Recorded2018 onwards
Genre
LengthEpisode 1: 30:33
Episode 2: 85:14
Episode 3: 43:59
Episode 4: 38:10
Episode 5: 44:34
Manchester Street Poem: 64:50
LabelSmith Hyde Productions
DirectorTomato
Simon Taylor
ProducerRick Smith
Underworld chronology
Teatime Dub Encounters
(2018) 		Drift
(2018–2019) 		Drift Series 1
(2019)
Singles from Drift
  1. "Drift Episode 1 — Dust"
    Released: 6 December 2018
  2. "Drift Episode 2 — Atom"
    Released: 7 March 2019
  3. "Drift Episode 3 — Heart"
    Released: 2 May 2019
  4. "Drift Episode 4 — Space"
    Released: 4 July 2019
  5. "Drift Episode 5 — Game"
    Released: 19 September 2019

Drift is the ongoing music-and-video experiment by the British electronic music group Underworld, launched on 1 November 2018,[1][2] with consecutive tracks and music videos being released online, on a weekly basis.[3] Individual new tracks are being made available through the band's official website, as time-limited free downloads, along with accompanying videos published on YouTube — followed by collective "episodes" released as digital EPs on music streaming platforms. Throughout the first year of Drift, 38 new tracks have been released in five Episodes and an additional soundtrack album.[4] It's Underworld's second digital distribution project, after the 2005–2006 series Riverrun.

Underworld planned to conclude Drift after its 52-week run with a collective album, but decided to continue the project for another year.[5] Drift Series 1, featuring additional 11 new tracks, was released on 1 November 2019, as a 7-CD, 1 Blu-ray box set, and digitally, along with a single-disc Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition.[6][7]

Background

Drift has its roots in earlier online Underworld projects, including the archive music released freely through underworldlive.com starting in 2000[8], the Riverrun project in 2005, and the band's live webcasts from 2004-2008. In April of 2018, Underworld released by surprise the first new track since 2016's Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future, "Brilliant Yes That Would Be,"[9], and in June of 2018 an unfinished version of "Appleshine,"[10] each with a new video directed by Simon Taylor; these releases foreshadowed the upcoming Drift project.

Karl Hyde and Rick Smith's aim was to release new and previously unreleased music, film, and written stories throughout a full year, on a weekly basis, every Thursday, "and see where the journey took them."[6] They admitted that the episodic idea for the project "grew out of boredom,"[11] jokingly adding later in the project it was "a foolhardy promise made in public."[12] The duo wanted to disrupt the single-album-tour cycle, which for them repeats every three years, by letting themselves to create instinctively and responsively. "You want every day to be a challenge, particularly when it comes to making music.” Although the scale of Drift turned out to be “the most inspiring process that we’ve ever engaged in.”[13] "Whether it’s good or bad, we’ll record with more honesty in this one year than we have in the previous fifteen. (...) I mean, come on! We’ve got to try that."[11]

The duo initiated Drift having been inspired by a conversation with the band's lighting designer Haydn Cruickshank, who is a drift racer. The project's name also references the movie series The Fast And The Furious, particularly one of its sequels Tokyo Drift[12] (however, the theme of the drifting motorsport was present featured earlier, in the 2010 video for "Scribble"). Drift's first video to "Another Silent Way" features racing at the Rockingham Motor Speedway.[14]

The majority of Drift music videos was directed by Underworld’s art director Simon Taylor, of the band's own design-and-film collective Tomato, shot "from Shibuya Crossing to the Moroccan desert to rural Essex."[6] At times, the videos are said to be delivered twenty four hours before they go live.[12] Other contributions to the project include works of playwrights, DJs, painters, and poets. The first trailer for the project's Episode 1 was published on 25 October 2018.[15] The Episode 1 EP opens with an edited version of "Brilliant Yes That Would Be".

Compositions of the first year of Drift feature collaborations with the Australian experimental jazz band The Necks, London producer Ø [Phase] aka Ashley Burchett,[16] actor Matthew Trevannion,[17] members of Black Country, New Road (including Georgia Ellery, Lewis Evans,[18] and Karl Hyde's daughter Tyler Hyde[19]), as well as Ichirou Agata of the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana.[20]

Thursdays between Episodes, Underworld publishes new remixes of previously released songs, live rehearsal recordings, DJ mixes of released and unreleased material, and other items from the band's archives.[21]

The Guardian "socialist banger"

On 21 May 2019, Underworld released a new version of the track "Soniamode", originally featured on February's Episode 2 — Atom. Now dubbed "Soniamode (Aditya Game Version)," it featured lyrics written by The Guardian columnist and economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty. The band's publicist knew Chakrabortty's 2018 column series The Alternatives, "about how to make the economy work for everyone," asked him to email a list of inspirational people, ideas, and processes, for the band, and the list ended up as a chorus for the track.[11]

Drift Series 1

Drift Series 1
Studio album by
Underworld
Released1 November 2019
Recorded2018–2019
Genre
Length6:42:36
Sampler Edition: 57:23
LabelSmith Hyde Productions
Caroline International
ProducerRick Smith
Underworld chronology
Drift
(2018–2019) 		Drift Series 1
(2019)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[22]
Metacritic86/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[24]
Clash9/10[25]
Mixmag9/10[26]
The Music[27]
Mojo[28]
PopMatters9/10[29]
Q[30]
The Scotsman[31]
Uncut8/10[32]
Under the Radar8/10[33]

Drift Series 1, is the tenth studio album by the British electronic group Underworld, released on 1 November 2019. It is the conclusion of the first year of the band's year-long music-and-video experiment Drift.

The band planned to conclude the project after its 52-week run, posting on 21 May 2019 details about the new album Drift Songs, as a single-CD, double vinyl, and a 6-CD, 1-Blu-ray box set. But with the release of the last song of Episode 5, on 12 September 2019, Underworld announced the Drift project will continue on for another year. The now-renamed Drift Series 1, was released exactly one year after the launch of the series, as a box set featuring 7 CDs, a Blu-ray, and an 80-page book documenting the creative process around Drift.[6] A single-disc Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition was also released simultaneously.[6]

The full edition of Drift Series 1 features the expanded and reproduced tracks, videos and written text released throughout the series, and material the duo worked on but wasn't releasing before and during the Drift project.[7][12] It's the band's first full-length release since 2016's album Barbara Barbara, We Face a Shining Future,[34] and the first physically released music since 2018’s collaborative EP with Iggy Pop, Teatime Dub Encounters.[35]

Critical reception

Drift Series 1 received critical acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 7 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[23] It is the band's most acclaimed studio album on the site to date. Mixmag applauded the album "absolutely stunning": "[While] certainly raw and reminiscent of a free-flowing jam session at times, what's particularly commendable is how beautifully produced each track is, with a discernible intention toward the arrangement of layers to establish powerful, thematic settings."[36]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Mojo 75 Best Albums of 2019 2019
28
[37]
PopMatters 70 Best Albums of 2019 2019
15
[38]
PopMatters 25 Best Electronic Albums of 2019 2019
1
[39]

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[40] 89
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[41] 60
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[42] 69
Japanese Dance & Soul Albums (Oricon)[43] 7
Japanese Western Albums (Oricon)[44] 21
Scottish Albums (OCC)[45] 30
UK Albums (OCC)[46] 68
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[47] 3
UK Download Albums (OCC)[48] 85
UK Physical Albums (OCC)[49] 24
UK Record Store Albums (OCC)[50] 11
UK Sales Albums (OCC)[51] 26
UK Vinyl Albums (OCC)[52] 10
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[53] 8

Manchester Street Poem Installation Score

In July 2017, Underworld recorded music for the live installation Manchester Street Poem at the Manchester International Festival. The project tells stories of people in Manchester who find themselves homeless.[54] On 13 June 2019, the complete score to the project was made available to download, with proceeds going toward the ongoing Manchester Street Poem project, dedicated to people who experienced homelessness.[19][55] The release was promoted by the track "Doris", which was released as part of Drift Episode 4 on the same day as the score.

Drift Live

Underworld will promote Drift with live performances in Bogotá on 31 October, Mexico City on 2 November, Antwerp on 22 November, Amsterdam on 23 November, and London on 7 December 2019.[56]

Track listing

The following is a chronological list of tracks released subsequently as digital Drift EPs. Track lengths adapted from music streaming platforms.

Episodes

Episode 1 — Dust

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."Intro (BYTWB)"5 April 20180:30
2."Universe of Can When Back"22 November 20186:05
3."Dexters Chalk" (featuring Ø [Phase])8 November 20185:01
4."Another Silent Way"1 November 20185:28
5."Low Between Zebras" (featuring Matthew Trevannion)15 November 20182:57
6."A Very Silent Way" (featuring The Necks)29 November 201810:32
Total length:30:33

Episode 2 — Atom

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."Appleshine" (Film Edit)24 January 20199:41
2."Molehill"31 January 20195:35
3."Threat of Rain"7 February 201914:51
4."Brussels"14 February 20194:19
5."Soniamode"21 February 20193:30
6."Appleshine Continuum" (featuring The Necks)28 February 201947:18
Total length:85:14

Episode 3 — Heart

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."Dune"28 March 201910:32
2."Custard Speed Talk"4 April 20199:43
3."This Must Be Drum Street"11 April 20195:55
4."Pinetum"18 April 201912:09
5."Poet Cat"25 April 20195:40
Total length:43:59

Episode 4 — Space

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."Listen to Their No"23 May 20195:48
2."Schiphol Test"30 May 20198:34
3."Hundred Weight Hammer"6 June 20194:15
4."Doris"13 June 20194:27
5."Altitude Dub"20 June 20198:10
6."Border Country" (featuring Ø [Phase])27 June 20196:56
Total length:38:10

Episode 5 — Game

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."Toluca Stars"8 August 201910:18
2."Mile Bush Pride"15 August 20191:35
3."Imagine a Box"22 August 20196:02
4."Tree and Two Chairs"29 August 201913:32
5."Give Me The Room" (featuring Ø [Phase])5 September 20199:25
6."S T A R"12 September 20193:36
Total length:44:34

Drift Series 1 collective release

Details of the physical and digital release, which collects tracks from the Drift Episodes.[6]

Drift Series 1 Sampler Edition
No.TitleLength
1."Appleshine"8:36
2."This Must Be Drum Street"4:25
3."Listen to Their No"5:43
4."Border Country"6:51
5."Mile Bush Pride"1:34
6."Schiphol Test"4:42
7."Brilliant Yes That Would Be"6:03
8."S T A R (Rebel Tech)"3:45
9."Imagine a Box"6:02
10."Custard Speedtalk"9:42
Total length:57:23
EP 1: Dust
No.TitleLength
1."Another Silent Way"5:33
2."Dexters Chalk"5:25
3."Low Between Zebras"3:00
4."Universe of Can When Back"5:36
5."Brilliant Yes That Would Be"10:20
6."Another Silent Way / Drift Poem / Better Than Diamonds" (previously unreleased)13:58
7."One True Piano Need Hand" (previously unreleased)9:42
Total length:53:34
EP 2: Atom
No.TitleLength
1."Appleshine"9:44
2."Molehill"5:36
3."Threat of Rain"14:43
4."Brussels"4:32
5."Soniamode (Aditya Game)"6:18
6."Appleshine (All of the Lights)" (previously unreleased)5:35
7."Roof Off" (previously unreleased)7:11
Total length:53:39
EP 3: Heart
No.TitleLength
1."Dune"10:33
2."Custard Speedtalk"9:42
3."This Must Be Drum Street"7:37
4."Pinetum"13:46
5."Poet Cat"5:41
6."Do Breakers Trip" (previously unreleased)3:34
7."Seven Music Drone" (previously unreleased)8:18
Total length:59:11
EP 4: Space
No.TitleLength
1."Listen To Their No"5:50
2."Schiphol Test"8:35
3."Hundred Weight Hammer"4:15
4."Doris"4:25
5."Altitude Dub"8:09
6."Border Country"6:57
7."Big Bear" (previously unreleased)4:29
Total length:42:40
EP 5: Game
No.TitleLength
1."Toluca Stars"10:18
2."Mile Bush Pride"1:36
3."Imagine a Box"6:02
4."Tree and Two Chairs"13:32
5."Give Me the Room"9:25
6."S T A R"3:38
7."Doscientos" (previously unreleased)7:44
8."Two Arrows" (previously unreleased)3:20
9."A Moth at the Door" (previously unreleased)4:45
Total length:01:00:12
CD 6: Underworld and The Necks
No.TitleLength
1."Altitude Dub Continuum" (previously unreleased)31:10
2."A Very Silent Way"10:33
3."Appleshine Continuum"34:14
Total length:01:15:57
CD 7: Drift Series 1 Sampler
No.TitleLength
1."Appleshine"8:36
2."This Must Be Drum Street"4:25
3."Listen to Their No"5:43
4."Border Country"6:51
5."Mile Bush Pride"1:34
6."Schiphol Test"4:42
7."Brilliant Yes That Would Be"6:03
8."S T A R (Rebel Tech)"3:45
9."Imagine a Box"6:02
10."Custard Speedtalk"9:42
Total length:57:23
Drift Series 1 – The Films
No.TitleLength
1."Drift Trailer" 
2."Another Silent Way" 
3."Dexter’s Chalk" 
4."Low Between Zebras" 
5."Universe of Can When Back" 
6."A Very Silent Way" 
7."Appleshine" 
8."Molehill" 
9."Threat of Rain" 
10."Brussels" 
11."Soniamode (Aditya Game Version)" 
12."Appleshine Continuum" 
13."Dune" 
14."Custard Speedtalk" 
15."This Must Be Drum Street" 
16."Pinetum" 
17."Poet Cat" 
18."Listen to Their No" 
19."Schiphol Test" 
20."Hundred Weight Hammer" 
21."Doris" 
22."Altitude Dub" 
23."Border Country" 
24."Toluca Stars" 
25."Mile Bush Pride" 
26."Imagine a Box" 
27."Tree and Two Chairs" 
28."Give Me the Room" 
29."S T A R" 
30."Brilliant Yes That Would Be" 

Manchester Street Poem Installation Score

No.TitleLength
1."Jenny"9:33
2."Doris"4:18
3."Charlie"6:23
4."James"5:51
5."Ed"5:36
6."Meredith"17:09
7."Harry"9:10
8."Mary"6:50
Total length:64:50

Archival tracks and mixes

The following is a chronological list of previously unreleased tracks, remixes, continuous mixes, and live rehearsal recordings, published so far on Thursdays between Drift Episodes. These were released on various platforms throughout the first Drift series, and released as a collection in lossless WAV, available by a download code included in the Drift box set collection.

No.TitleRelease dateLength
1."The Misterons WOUW Mix 13-12-18"13 December 201836:06
2."Romford 1998 Live Rehearsal"20 December 201837:09
3."Coming out of Texas" (Desert Demos & Workings)27 December 201819:50
4."The Misterons Rowla/Cherry Jam"3 January 20198:42
5."The Misterons WOUW" (‘La Bella Malinconia’ Mix)10 January 201924:36
6."Small Conker And A Twix"17 January 20195:17
7."Twist" (Music Bank Jam Take 7)15 March 201910:46
8."Are You Rockstar"21 March 20194:55
9."Airtowel A2778" (Live Jam for Web December 2000)9 May 201910:20
10."Pearl's Girl Jam 080624"16 May 201925:59
11."Soniamode" (Aditya Game Version)21 May 20196:23
12."230605" (2005 Riverrun-era rehearsal jam)11 July 201918:01
13."ATL080328" (2008 live excerpt)18 July 201922:44
14."Leipzig Warehouse Jam 050715"25 July 201938:54
15."Chillin At The Shed (Misterons Mix)"1 August 201928:54
16."Biro the Leggy (Romford Dub)"26 September 20199:43
17."Dirty Club 2017 Version"3 October 20198:18
18."Best Mamgu Ever (Wales in Japan) 2019"10 October 20196:08
19."Why Why Why (Rehearsal 2018)"17 October 20197:22
20."Sydney Hotel Room Peal"24 October 201914:13

References

  1. ^ "DRIFT series launched". Underworld. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  2. ^ Underworld (6 December 2018), Underworld - DRIFT Episode 1 "Dust", retrieved 19 April 2019
  3. ^ "Underworld - #Drift - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  4. ^ "DRIFT - An ongoing experiment by Underworld". Underworld. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  5. ^ "DRIFT Series 1 details". Underworld. 11 September 2019. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "DRIFT Series 1 by Underworld, out Nov 2019". Underworld. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  7. ^ a b Zemler, Emily (12 September 2019). "Underworld Preview 'DRIFT Series 1' With New Single 'S T A R'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Underworld Live". web.archive.org. 17 June 2001.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Underworld (5 April 2018), Underworld - Brilliant Yes That Would Be, retrieved 6 June 2019
  10. ^ "Underworld - Apple Shine for Belfast". YouTube.
  11. ^ a b c Chakrabortty, Aditya (21 May 2019). "Born lippy: how I helped Underworld write a socialist banger". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d Breuer, Holger (16 June 2019). "Interview: Underworld". Torture the Artist. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  13. ^ ""The Most Inspiring Process That We've Ever Engaged In": Underworld On Crafting Their New Album & Their Vivid LIVE Shows". Music Feeds. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  14. ^ Underworld (1 November 2018), Underworld - Another Silent Way (Film Edit) (#Drift, Ep 1, Pt. 1), retrieved 20 June 2019
  15. ^ Underworld (25 October 2018), Underworld - DRIFT - Episode 1 - Trailer, retrieved 19 April 2019
  16. ^ "Border Country". Underworld. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  17. ^ "Low Between Zebras". Underworld. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  18. ^ "Poet Cat". Underworld. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  19. ^ a b "DRIFT Episode 4". Underworld. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  20. ^ "Altitude Dub". Underworld. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  21. ^ "DRIFT Episode 2: ATOM". Underworld. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  22. ^ "DRIFT Series 1 by Underworld reviews". AnyDecentMusic?.
  23. ^ a b "Reviews for Drift Series 1 [Box Set] by Underworld". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  24. ^ Oddy, Guy. "CD: Underworld - DRIFT Series 1". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  25. ^ Holi, Eero. "Underworld - DRIFT Series 1". Clash. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  26. ^ "’Drift’ shimmers with the same much-needed optimism that ran through 2016’s wonderful ‘Barbara, Barbara, We Face A Shining Future’. Like the project overall, that’s an accomplishment – and a gift that shouldn’t be underestimated" Mixmag, album of the month. 9/10
  27. ^ McNaughton, Mac. "Underworld / Drift Series 1". The Music]. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  28. ^ Profligate, self-indulgent and, against all oddly, hugely satisfying. ... [The single-disc] Sampler Edition is a handy 58-minute entry point to the mad endeavour. [Dec 2019, p.90]
  29. ^ Carr, Paul. "Electronic Duo Underworld Mesmerize with Their Brilliant 'Drift Series'". PopMatters. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  30. ^ A mind-bogglingly diverse four-hour-plus odyssey. ... A stand-alone single-disc sampler featuring 10 DRIFT highlights ranks as Underworld's finest long-player since 1999's Beaucoup Fish. [Dec 2019, p.114]
  31. ^ Shepherd, Fiona. "Album reviews: Underworld". The Scotsman. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  32. ^ Impressively inventive and diverse material. [Dec 2019, p.35]
  33. ^ Teo-Blockey, Celine. "Underworld DRIFT Series 1". Under the Radar. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Underworld announce new album, share single: Listen". DJMag.com. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  35. ^ Peacock, Tim (21 May 2019). "Underworld Announce 'Drift Songs' Album, Major Headline Shows". uDiscoverMusic. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  36. ^ Baesemann, Ryan (1 November 2019). "Underworld, the rave pioneers relentlessly pushing creative limits". Mixmag. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
  37. ^ "75 Best Albums of 2019". Mojo. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  38. ^ "The 70 Best Albums of 2019". PopMatters. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  39. ^ "The 25 Best Electronic Albums of 2019". PopMatters. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  40. ^ "Ultratop.be – Underworld – Drift Series 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Underworld – Drift Series 1" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
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  43. ^ "週間　DANCE & SOULアルバムランキング". Oricon. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  44. ^ "週間　洋楽アルバムランキング". Oricon. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  45. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
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  47. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  48. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  49. ^ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  50. ^ "Official Physical Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  51. ^ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  52. ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  53. ^ "{{{artist}}} Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  54. ^ "BBC Radio 6 Music - Underworld's Manchester Street Poem - 6 Music Mix". BBC. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  55. ^ "Manchester Street Poem". mcrstreetpoem.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  56. ^ "DRIFT LIVE". Underworld. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
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