Rick Smith (Underworld)

Rick Smith
Rick Smith at the Roundhouse with Underworld in 2016
Background information
Birth name	Richard Smith
Born	(1959-05-25) 25 May 1959 Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, Wales
Genres	Electronica, house, trance, progressive trance
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Electronic
Years active	1980-present
Associated acts	Underworld
Website	www.underworldlive.com

Richard (Rick) Smith (born 25 May 1959) is a Welsh musician. He is a founding member of British electronic music group Underworld and an acclaimed composer, having collaborated extensively with director Danny Boyle^[1] most famously as Musical Director for the London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony,^[2] alongside Underworld's Karl Hyde.^[3] He is a founding member of the multi-discipline design and film collective Tomato.^[4]

Career

Smith left a bank clerk job in Llanelli to do an electronic and electrical engineering degree, and was handy at fixing amps; he dropped out during his finals after being asked to join Hyde’s band The Screen Gemz.^[5] In 1983 they formed a second band with a proto-electroclash, new romantic sound, whose name was a graphic squiggle but which was soon given a pronunciation; Freur, and recorded two albums for CBS Records International. Freur’s biggest success was the 1983 Talk Talk-like single, "Doot Doot", (it got to No 59), however they disbanded in 1986.

In 1987 members of Freur created the band Underworld and tried a more guitar-orientated funky electropop sound on two albums for Sire Records, with minor hits in the US and Australia. The Underworld of that period is now often referred to as "Underworld Mk1",^[6] however this version of the band disbanded in 1990 and then became the Underworld we know today. Smith founded Underworld along with Karl Hyde, and the pair are the longest and only original serving members of the musical project, still performing together today.

Rick has been working with director Danny Boyle for two decades after the director used the band's music in his film Trainspotting. As part of Underworld Rick scored the soundtrack for Boyle’s stage production of Frankenstein in 2011, and in 2012 undertook a solo venture creating the soundtrack to Boyle’s film Trance.^[7] Rick was appointed the Musical Director for the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony.

References