And so it came to pass. Underworld and Junior's crossed paths, joined forces and re-set the controls. The men were now separated from the boys.

The first release in 1992 "Skyscraper, I Love You" revealed a band of brains, wit and brawn driven by vision, beats and wonder. Natural leaders in their own (and later in a literal sense at 1992's Glastonbury Festival) field, Underworld simultaneously created and raised the benchmark for all that was to follow in great dance music. Then and now, Underworld has no equal.

Given the collective nature and individual talents of the principals, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith (of '80s experimentalist one hitters Freur) plus frisky DJ Darren Emerson, it was a no-brainer that theirs was destined to be the sound that drew people from all factions of musical appreciation. You had to be there, I guess. Early '90s techno was often a nosebleed affair of mind-numbing, beat-laden sequences, grandstanding basic repetitive noise patterns without a clue, purpose or point. In Europe particularly, rock 'n' roll purists hissed, but massive consumptions of Ecstasy changed all that. Everybody dance now!

Rock bands leapt to the challenge. Syntheses of looping keyboards, four to the floor beats, guitar solos and flamboyantly outre front men abounded. In the ring was the school of EMF, Primal Scream, Charlatans, Happy Mondays, and even Jesus Jones, all battling for chart positions and column inches. On the ropes was the disposable fodder of the likes of Guru Josh, Leila K, Technotronic et al. Samplers and midis may have opened the floodgates of experimentation, but Underworld's manifesto was always bigger than the sum of parts that could be plugged into a wall. Consequently, given the band's immeasurable influence on modern multi-cultural mediums (the visual graphics of Tomato, movie soundtracks, TV commercials, et cetera) it seems almost redundant to merely review this retrospective release. Instead, it is more appropriate to reflect on Underworld as ambassadors of visceral communication. What has been accomplished musically, visually, on record and live over the past 10 years cannot be easily encapsulated in words alone. Watch the Everything Everything DVD and remain unmoved if you can.

So, ladies and gentleman, I let the music speak for itself. Underworld 1992-2002 the first 10 years of bending light and sound. Forget the pills, the vision quests and the yoga. This is all the endorphin and spiritual fixes you'll need to make you feel connected, joyous, secure and enlightened. All the great tracks are included. Underworld has mastered the art of moving your feet and your head. Wasn't that the point, all along?

Underworld1s "1992-2002" is out December 4, 2003 on JBO/V2 Music.