An Apple a day for British techno duo Underworld
By: Tom Lanham
Special to The Examiner
August 6, 2009
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| Technical details: The British duo Underworld will present what’s being billed as the first free concert direct to iPhones. (Courtesy photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Karl Hyde doesn’t want to sound like a walking advertisement. But the frontman for British techno duo Underworld just can’t stop raving about Apple products.
He calls the iPod’s Shuffle program “one of the greatest pieces of software known to man, because it randomizes your music like a good radio show.”
For years, he and his bandmate Rick Smith have relied on Mac computers onstage and in studio, and on the company’s Quicktime to present its ongoing series of Internet broadcasts.
So when the band had a recent chance to return the favor, they pounced.
“Apple makes human things that are simple, friendly and inviting — I get it, it doesn’t fight me,” says Hyde, who just licensed the entire Underworld catalog to iTunes, and is launching an iPhone iDrum application that allows fans to remix classics like “Cowgirl” and “Born Slippy,” plus a brand-new track.
Friday at Oakland’s Fox Theatre, the band will again team up with Quicktime to broadcast the world’s first free concert direct to iPhones (accessible through Underworldlive.com).
“So my whole house is Apple, my two kids have grown up with nothing but Apple, I’ve got no complaints at all,” he says. “I’m a very happy customer.”
Is Hyde worried about slipping up during “Born Slippy” at the Fox? No, he laughs. That perfectly encapsulates Underworld’s raison d’etre.
“When you work with any kind of machine, even a trumpet or a violin, at some point you’re going to find it throwing you a curve ball,” explains the singer, who formed Underworld from the ashes of Freur back in 1987.
“Some of our greatest moments have come from unplanned changes in direction caused by our instruments,” he says. “Years ago at a major industry presentation in San Francisco, all the power went off and all that was left was me, singing, and the drummer. But everybody thought it was the best part of the show!”
So Fox/iPhone viewers should expect the unexpected. Hyde never composes a set list until he arrives at the venue, and even then it’s only a rough sketch.
“We’re always improvising, making it up as we go along, depending on the audience vibe,” he says. “We are in the moment, giving the audience something raw. The idea of pressing a button and it’s the same show every night? That would be a crushing bore. I want to walk out onstage and not really know what’s going to happen!”
IF YOU GO
Underworld
Where: The Fox Theatre, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Tickets: $43.50
Contact: www.ticketmaster.com
