nanovivid

Since my main birthday present this year was Underworld’s back catalog, I’ve been listening to them almost exclusively over the past week. Underworld is fairly unique among groups that create dance music because of their focus on lyrical content. While the music is always top notch, it’s Karl Hyde’s poetry that really sets Underworld apart.

Dirty Epic is from Underworld’s 1994 debut Dubnobasswithmyheadman. (Sidenote: although a lot of electronic music seems to sound “old” quickly, I’m amazed at how fresh most of the album still sounds). The song is true to the “Epic” part of its name, reaching to just shy of ten minutes. The heart of Dirty Epic is contained in these lines (the last being one of my favorite phrases to have recently crossed my ears):

i’m so dirty and the light it blinds my eyes

here comes christ on crutches

It feels like a prayer for a failed relationship (”you never touch me anymore this way”) and a confession of needed help. Though it ought to be quite sad, I always end up feeling hopeful at the same time.

Underworld - Dirty Epic

Note: This is actually the version from their 1992 - 2002 anthology, because the version on Dubnobass… mixes into Cowgirl at the end.

♫ Underworld - Skym