DRIFT Series 1

Editors’ Notes In November 2018, the UK electronic duo Underworld embarked upon an ambitious—some would say audacious—experiment: to release a new track every Thursday over the course of an entire year. Fifty-two weeks later, DRIFT Series 1 is the result of that experiment: a 40-track encapsulation of the project’s most inspired output. Underworld has always resisted pigeonholing, genre restraints, and similar limitations, so the open format suits them well. They roam freely between pile-driving acid (“Another Silent Way”), lyrical ambient (“Brilliant Yes That Would Be”), heads-down techno (“Threat of Rain”), and sometimes much further than that. “Altitude Dub” takes acoustic guitars and mournful saxophones to Kingston, Jamaica, via Route 66; “A Moth at the Door” folds in classical choir; and with Australian improvising trio The Necks, they indulge in jams stretching out for a half hour or more. Despite the intimidating size, it’s a welcoming listen, full of the sorts of moments that gave Beaucoup Fish its rich emotional payoffs. More than just a bounty for fans, DRIFT Series 1 promises ample rewards to even the merely curious.