Underworld Named Music Directors for Opening Ceremony
On Thursday, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games announced that British electronic music veterans Underworld have been appointed Music Directors for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The ceremony will take place on July 27, 2012.
Why such a big deal?
Following Tiesto‘s Opening Ceremony performance at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, the selection of Underworld demonstrates that electronic dance music is here to stay! With over 30 years working together, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of Underworld will have 3 hours to demonstrate their talents to nearly 3 billion viewers worldwide. Simply, this is huge!
About Underworld
Over the past two decades, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde have earned a reputation as electronic music pioneers. With six studio albums under their belts, film credits for Academy Award-winning directors Anthony Minghella and Danny Boyle, and headliner performances at some of the biggest stages worldwide, they are as qualified as they come for the job. You may best know them for their 1995 hit track “Born Slippy.”
The Danny Boyle Factor
Underworld will be working directly with renowned film producer Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later), the ceremony’s artistic director. Together they have enjoyed 15 years of collaborations, starting with Boyle’s inclusion of Underworld’s track “Born Slippy” in the film Trainspotting. Underworld has contributed music to other Boyle works like as A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach, co-scored Sunshine, and worked with him on an acclaimed theater production of Frankenstein.
Big in Britain
With EDM’s recent evolution into today’s “hot” music, Underworld’s selection makes perfect sense. Britain has always been at the forefront of electronic music’s development in the world, with roots in an emerging rave and underground party scene in the late 1980s. Claiming ownership to genres like drum & bass and dubstep, the UK remains a haven for EDM today!