RicksDubbedOutDriftExperience and DRIFT Series 1 Complete

[potatobroth]

yuuuup! Brussels + 7 Drone + awesome

[bazwint]

Awesome is spot on.
Am I right to infer that, because Rick is still into the improv, the lack of improv in the UW main sets is Karl's preference? Just sayin. Probably more complex than that.

[jetpig]

It's probably way more complex.

Reasons I've heard/read:
If memory serves from 2010, it was the lighting guys who wanted to make the switch to a static setlist as it made it easier to give a contemporary live electronic music experience.

I recall Karl saying once, "We didn't have as many songs to make it through back then."

Reasons I've guessed at:
Improv will always have the risk of going poorly. 1998 glasto's NUXX has an aimless endbit for a handful of minutes, for example. Rick seems like a perfectionist to me and would rather not risk providing a less than perfect show to fans.

I also bet that making the jump from regular sub-headliner of the 90s to legacy headliner act comes with an expectation of polish on stage.

All these reasons *feel* accurate to me, but then there's one show that throws it all for a loop... Amsterdam Dance Event 2017. It was fully a pre-2010 style Underworld set, and it was EXCELLENT. Karl fully behind the desk with Rick, reworkings of old material, and even some brand new material that we still don't have even after Drift.

Anyhow, this is a rambling post with little concrete evidence behind it, take it with a few grains of salt. Maybe drift 2 will be a live project where they ceremonially burn a setlist before the first show of the tour and start every show with short versions of NUXX and TMO.

Originally Posted by bazwint

Awesome is spot on.
Am I right to infer that, because Rick is still into the improv, the lack of improv in the UW main sets is Karl's preference? Just sayin. Probably more complex than that.

[iamneorev]

Personally, I prefer the chaos and improv. That's a live show. Forget some elaborate bpm synced light show. I want a balls to the wall Underworld gig with them just going for it. Giving me pointless jam sections. I miss the spontaneity. But a lot of the legendary electronic acts have gone this way with preset sets. I miss the jams. I think they should stick with preset sets for festivals and jam sets for solo gigs.

[potatobroth]

Originally Posted by jetpig

Amsterdam Dance Event 2017

what's this?

[potatobroth]

Originally Posted by jetpig

If memory serves from 2010, it was the lighting guys who wanted to make the switch to a static setlist as it made it easier to give a contemporary live electronic music experience.

but that still doesn't explain why you'd lug a HUGE screen around just to show the name of the song and the same pattern of dots (with different colors) for an entire 2+ hour show

[WhiteNoise]

I think past a certain point, when you've performed these songs for 15-25 years, there's only so many ways you can arrange a song, only so much enjoyment and surprise you can get out of improvising. Once you've found a fantastic arrangement for a live song, there's not as much satisfaction in performing an "inferior" take for the hell of it, when you can execute a great version that gives you a rush to pull off exactly right and makes audiences go nuts.



I definitely still love the sense of surprise and interaction, over hearing a take executed exactly like the album or Everything, Everything. But even the most die hard fans have maybe heard only 30-40% of all the shows they've ever done and that's exhausting. Imagine hearing all of them, playing all of them, and the one thing you haven't done is put together the "perfect performance" and tour it consistently.



Besides, the entire ethos of spontaneity and improvisation found a new home in Drift and I'm pretty happy to hear it. And live, it makes sense that Rick gets back into being improv heavy when it comes to new material like this and the Carnival sets from 2017 - the element of surprise is back, he hasn't performed those songs a hundred times yet.



I get how the lightshow could have led to more controlled setlists - the lightshows from 2010-2014 were a lot more elaborate. Following that was Dubno's tour which introduced performing studio-exact renditions of songs paired with minimal visuals which made sense, and likely felt comfortable and new for them, so it was an easy decision to carry that on to Barbara Barbara's tours. Then the band has some fun again in 2017-2018 - Amsterdam, Rick's opener sets, surprise additions like And I Will Kiss - while also getting to continue presenting studio-exact performances. Immediately after that? Summer 2018 is the start of Drift recording, and no spare time to re-imagine things.


It's definitely weird to have a giant high res screen just to show off some typography, but IDK, it's not my money. If we keep getting great studio tunes I'm pretty happy, and it's not worth seeing a band live if they're not enjoying what they're doing, and you're only going to get good improv if they're into it.

[TheBang]

I have a few answers on some questions:

1. The Drift Series 1 Complete box set will not contain a download code for the Additional Releases.

2. The Drift Series 1 Complete box set will also be available through normal retail channels (i.e. it's not an Underworldlive exclusive)

3. Normal retail channels (both physical and digital) are through Universal/Caroline, and UW have much less control over that. Going forward, everything will also be posted in 24-48 quality on Bandcamp and Underworldlive.com (Shopify) which are channels that they have full control over.

[TheBang]

One more thing, the correct name of the track is "Seven Music Drone" not "Seven Drone Music". It's been corrected on "Drift Series 1 Complete" on Bandcamp already. Not sure if the correction will make it to the other digital platforms or not.

[crank]

"Additional Releases." what additional releases? are there more coming?