Hyde's Page

A self confessed alcoholic, Karl was probably the main man responsible for starting the Underworld phenomenon.

Karl had a pop band, the Screen Gemz and badgered Rick Smith into joining whilst at Cardiff art college. A single with cover artwork by Karl is exists - see on the right - the single is like a cross between Elvis Costello & Ian Dury, and sits very much in 1979 when it was released...Much to their surprise a full record deal was offered to the two, who had formed a more sturdy collective known as Freur. see history for more details.

Freur grew into Underworld, Mark I. The highlight, or lowlight depending on the perspective, was touring with the Eurythmics, after which the band spilt and while Rick returned to Romford to marry his girlfriend. Karl stayed on in America recording session tracks at Prince's paisley park studios - notably with Terri Nunn. Then, as a session guitarist ended up on tour with Debbie Harry even playing Wembley Stadium in the process. Karl has appeared as a session musician for many artists all of which are listed on the discography page.

The formation of Underworld Mark II happened during a fallow period. Rick and Karl were both now involved with Tomato and wanted to re investigate their dance music leanings of the early 80's. When Rick and Karl met up with Darren a DJing friend of Rick's brother-in-law. The young fresh faced Darren claimed the 'old' Underworld sound was 'shit', to which Karl and Rick took note and the Underworld of today formed.

Karl is the band's writer of lyrics. Most of these he notes in his journal whilst touring with the band.

Many of the band's lyrics were collected on regular missions into the seedy world of bars and clubs around Romford and East End London. It was this quest for lyrics that Karl blames for his past alcoholism. Born Slippy's lyrics bearing some testament to this fact...if you spend too much time in bars you end up drinking, which was what happened to Karl. Now clean Karl has a tougher time writing but the sound is fresher and perhaps better for it.. Beaucoup Fish proving this point.

Karl has never done Ecstacy and all of the early Underworld rambling lyrics had come purely from the drinking forays and overheard conversations...He writes incessantly, listing every word that he has overheard...conversations on the bus...people in the street, he even records conversations on his trusty dictaphone / tape recorder and also his own camera - for his own art projects within tomato.

Many of the samples on the 'Beaucoup Fish' LP come from such recordings, and one such observation inspired the 'second toughest in the infants' album title, which Karl took from one of Darren's family videos. Darren's nephew was proudly boasting that he was the 'second toughest in the infants'. (he later claimed he was now the toughest after beating the his rival up!!)

According to Karl, most of the lyrics for Beaucoup Fish were inspired from a road trip he took with a friend across America whilst helping him to move home. Traveling in a Ryder rental truck, towing a merc, the trip took 6 days and resulted in possible the best written (lyrically) Underworld LP.

Karl is also part of the Tomato collective and is part responsible for many of the band's Album covers and artwork, and has had many exhibitions showing his work to the trendy art collective around Europe - The underworld Live website conatins daily art updates from Karl, and he has worked fairly recently on projects entilted sofa and abandoned, which focussed on sofas and abandonned cars.
Karl wrote a book with John Warwicker - once a memeber of the old Underworld - which was entitled Mmm...Skyscrpaer a Typographical Journal of New York - Karl is currently working on a follow up book r which is set to focus on London
Karl has gone through many image changes in his 20 or so years in the music business from indie rocker to punk goth to leatherclad cowboy, to mickey mouse wearing loon, to the trendy tracksuit wearing messiah he is today...check out a few of the images of him on the various pages in the site as well as the press photos here
Karl's energy sums up underworld and the scattered images on this page are testament to his frontmanship of the band...Rick is the genius behind the music and production and Karl is the energeitc front man...crazy crazy crazy...