Dubnobasswithmyheadman – Underworld – Released January 24th, 1994, Junior Boys Own records.
Dubnobasswithmyheadman is Underworld’s third album and the first one to feature Darren Emerson.
Before this Underworld were a synthpop group consisting of founding (and remaining) members Rick Smith and Karl Hyde.
Like many other British groups from the late 80s, such as The Shamen and Primal Scream, Underworld found themselves completely transformed by the acid house era and eager to tap the zeitgeist.
Emerson was therefore brought in to help refine their sound, bringing newfound techno sensibilities to Underworld’s production. This proved to be precisely the missing ingredient the band needed to reach a broader audience, with a new sonic pallet that meshed perfectly with Hyde’s ethereal vocal style.
A style which, I have no problem publicly admitting, to both loving and hating in equal measure depending on the track in question.
It’s not an issue here. I love every moment of this album, top quality from start to finish but I abhor the extended larger lout mantra of Born Slippy on a deep, visceral and primeval level.
Y’know, that one Underworld track everyone knows that also happens to be worst thing they ever recorded? (It was a b-side for a reason)
Which is annoying because whenever you mention these guys to members of the general public the reaction is often, “oh you mean the laahger laahger guys?”
No, well, yes, but no…😡 </rant>
Karl Hyde’s lyrics were always a coin flip, equal parts infectious and infuriating depending on the track but always encapsulating the flushed jabbering nonsense the rave generation is famous for.
Seemingly comprised entirely of thought fragments, random word jumbles and sloshy chemical brain farts, they none the less could materialise drenched with sweaty profundity when delivered in the right context via simmering pulses of electronically generated bass.
Dubnobasswithmyheadman brought all those elements together.
A duo that became a trio. A new injection of creative blood, pumping with bass and tingling with electronic euphoria, projecting a deep sense of meaning delivered though intricately crafted layers of utterly nonsensical lyrics.
As of 1994, Underworld had undergone a deep metamorphosis. And club culture was about to follow suit.
30,000ft Above The Earth…
The album begins with Dark and Long.
The Dark Train remix of this track is far better known having appeared in the cold turkey montage sequence of the movie Trainspotting.
The original, however, is a much slower, chug-along tune and always reminds me of car journeys in the rain, torrents of it cascading down, the scattering oily spray off multiple tires jetting along the motorway, “thunder, thunder, lightning….” ⛈️
See, Dubnobasswithmyheadman was one of those glove compartment CDs, back when having a CD player in the car was considered posh. (Not my car, but I supplied the music.)
Every time the car would start, the album would start again so there was an extended period in my life where this track got played a lot.
I vividly recall a drenched Wednesday morning commute having one of my sonic OCD moments because the wipers were lagging slightly behind the beat and the lack of synchronicity was causing discomfort because I wanted the kick and the wipers to line up
Welcome to the inside of my brain.
I should mention I wasn’t the one actually driving at the time else we’d have ended up wrapped around a lamppost.
Onto track two, Mmm Skyscraper I Love You.
First of all, what a crazy fucking name for a song.
Second, those atmospheric pads that serve as the intro, love it. One imagines a raging penthouse party for loved-up Replicants atop a vast towering edifice all cloaked in cyberpunk neon.
Third, the tribal drums as they ease in, slow and steady, the high hats slinking alongside and then finally the big bubbly bassline… ooh yeah… “30,00 feet above the earth! It’s a beautiful thing!”
Textbook Underworld this one; blissful dancefloor sensibilities drenched in lyrical gibberish.
There’s skyscrapers, there’s Elvis, there’s a bored dog sniffing the wind, or maybe it’s a porn dog, it’s long been a subject of debate that one.
So honestly I don’t know, the dog doesn’t seem to know know either, it’s just sniffing the wind, head tilted slightly, utterly bamboozled by the proceedings, just as confused by it all as we are, it makes no fucking sense whatsoever, and yet, somehow, it totally does.
Then, completely unexpected at the end, the track morphs into something else entirely and we get a three minute headnodder with a juicy bassline, dub effects and rich shimmering synths.
Surfboy is a faster instrumental track with elements of dub percussion. Midway there’s a big fluffy arpeggio, later augmented by soft pad chords, before again reverting back to percussion and bass.
There’s really not much more to say about beyond that and I’ve got no car-related story nonsense to accompany it so let’s move on…
In 1967 John Lennon was the Walrus. And he was the Eggman.
In 1994 Karl Hyde was the Spoonman. And he talked to God.
Because who cares if the lyrics are bollocks when there’s lots of drugs about? Sense? We didn’t need that shit, it was the 90s ffs!
Spoonman starts with timestretched vocals saying, “Monday, Tuesday”, because time stretched vocals were all the rage in 1994.
Also, as any raver will tell you, those specific days do tend to be the ones that get stretched out the longest so yeah, at least that part makes perfect sense.
But let’s not lose track of the main point here which is that he’s the Spoonman, and he talks to God.
Make of that what you will.
Tongue is a piece of beatless guitar-driven ambience with shades of 60s psychedelia and perhaps even a hint of Floyd on this one too.
Not much to say here either, just pure hazy morning after music this one and another album highlight for me.
Dirty Epic is a slow, brooding ambient house track all about phone sex and eeh, actually I’m not sure what the fuck this one’s about either but here comes Christ on crutches…
(Howya Jayziz, what’s wrong? Did you twist your ankle? Miracles not working today then or what?)
Time for some Cowgirl – always up for a bitta cowgirl me.
First we get a lengthy intro full sizzling synth bass and funky shakers, then comes the bluesy vocals, the high hats and finally the main ravenous earworm of hook, “an eraser of love, an eraser of love…”
The synths on this one sound dated in places but keep in mind this is 1994 and the first wave of progressive house was still very much in effect.
(Before the genre turned to shite.)
Cowgirl does what exactly a progressive track is meant to do, which is to slowly progress to a peak by gently adding subtle layers of rhythm and melody. (Producers take note, the clue is kinda in the name though.)
River Of Bass is a slow meandering downtempo tune, love this one too.
It’s not a vast ocean of bass, just a gently flowing low frequency tributary to gently nod your head to, drifting along and just going where the current takes you.
M.E. glistens with sweet little arpeggios while a Japanese woman starts saying Japanese stuff.
Feel free to look it up and translate it. I’m going to assume it makes about as much sense most of the other vocals on this album, but I could be wrong, let us know in the comments below, as those YouTubers always say…
I think some kid is screaming “Godzilla” at some point, I could be wrong. The Japanese speech is throwing me off and maybe painting my perceptions slightly.
Plus, because it’s the early 90s, we also get some of that classic retro glitchy Atari speech poorly enunciating, “goodbye Mother Earth.”
(I believe this sound was generated using the Atari ST text to speech program. It was sound used by a lot of producers in the early 90s, including Richard D James on his album Polygon Window.)
But anyways, yeah, it’s a beautiful destination, for what it’s worth – Goodbye Mother Earth.
That’s the song.
This is a rare one actually, in that the lyrics not only make sense but convey a clear message:
“You just rip up the planet and take what you want,
I’m coming to get you if you don’t give up.”
– Karl Hyde, M.E., Dubnobasswthmyheadman 1994
Alas 30 years on and shit’s worse than ever, seems we’re closer to saying our goodbyes now than ever before.
What a perfect track to finish the album though. One of those tunes that very much sounds of its era (especially the Atari voices) and yet somehow has a timeless quality to it.
Elvis Presley And A Little Whipped Cream
Yes, Dubnobasswithmyheadman truly has it all.
It’s glorious nonsense and pure sonorous perfection from start to finish.
Familiar nostalgia for those who remember it first time around and an album of surprising inventiveness for newcomers, who’ll no doubt be surprised by how well this holds up, given it’s now exactly three decades old and counting.
Dubnobasswithmyheadman kicked off a hat trick of classic 90s albums ahead of Emerson’s eventual departure at the end of the decade.
For me – well me and everyone else I’ve ever discussed this with – this run of albums with Emerson represented the peak of Underworld’s musical output.
Underworld as a group survived Emerson’s departure, reverting back to a duo and they continue to release new material to this day. And while I’ve enjoyed a lot of it (I especially enjoyed their collaboration with Aussie longform jazz noodlers, The Necks), something’s definitely missing.
Is that something Darren Emerson? Is it the jubilant spirit of the 90s or worse, are we, the long-time fans, suffering from severe nostalgia that clouds our judgement?
I’m going to assume that it’s a combination of all three.
Listening back to this one brings back many fond memories for me, having racked up three decades worth of playtime.
A meandering river of bass, running concurrently with my life, all the different places where I’ve lived, worked or travelled to, and all the people I’ve met along he way.
Like this album, there are moments of sheer joy, tinged with melancholia. And I can’t help but feel like there’s a deeper meaning to it all, but at the same time, I can’t shake the feeling that most of it’s just an involuntary stream of chaotic gibberish.
One can go mad trying to make sense of absurdity, best just to surrender to it.
Dubnobasswithmyheadman is like life itself, you’ll enjoy it a lot more if you don’t overthink it.