LogFAQs > #957201967

37. Underworld Rez (1993)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Y7lcvubhU

Before Underworld captured the seediest dance club on earth with Born Slippy, they crafted one of the most uplifting pieces of electronic music ever recorded. Though Rez lacks lyrics, it kicks off with a bubbly synth line and only moves skyward. This is progressive trance, jumping from one familiar tone to the next, ever building upon its foundation while leaving the listener hypnotized throughout. A prime example of the human side of electronic music, Rez taps into a sense of elation I struggle to describe. How can I put into words the way these tones affect me? All I know is that I can turn this ten minute track on and immediately be drawn into a better state of mind.

The constant sense of motion is part of the appeal. For whatever reason, Rez leaves me feeling like Im sitting in a subway car, bright red tunnel lights flashing by with every beat. As a song, it asks nothing of me, instead moving me of its own accord. In fact, the idea of dancing along seems impossible. The sense of motion it generates is an internal rhythm, one that cannot be replicated in the physical realm.

Describing a song in these terms makes me feel like a madman, but Rez has earned my vulnerability. Some art denies an easy explanation. Rez is something primal, an electronic piece from the 90s that sounds inherently and eternally futuristic. In it, I hear wonder at the cosmos and an ever-evolving sense of what it means to be alive.

---

My top 100 games (with write-ups): https://foolfantastic.com/top-100-video-games-project/