CROSSING THE BRIDGE AT PONTYRIDD:
Standing at the apex of William Edwards beautiful stone arc
we look north to the Brecons then south to the Atlantic,
the Taff’s relentless journey beneath us & the heat of
summer sun on our skin. In the moment, not escaping,
but celebrating, moving.
(K)
Karl Hyde 
Hi, I have no idea how to contact you, and this is probably not the best way. I am a phd student at London College of Communication working on a photographic practice based thesis exploring the representation of edgeland sites. I am trying to put together a symposium on the subject and trying to assemble a wider range of speakers than the usual academic sector. I would really love you to be able to speak about the album and film, I am looking for artists that fit the concept of eye witness, ear witness, interviewer and cartographer as a means of defining a place. I can be contacted through my blog simonleerobinson.wordpress.com
Hey Karl,
I heard that Underworld has a song called “Faith Healer” from back in the early days. I’m really interested in this topic, and I’m wondering if you could tell me anything about this song… like are you & Rick interested in this topic? and what are the lyrics? and do you have any recordings of it? I’ve never heard it, and can’t find any information about it, and I’ve been wanting to ask you about this. There’s two other musicians from Essex who also wrote a song/video called “Faith Healer”–it’s by Alan Wilder (from Depeche Mode) and Doug McCarthy (from Nitzer Ebb), both bands from Essex.
Anyways, I keep getting this strong intuitive feeling that guys who become musicians might also have healing abilities, and can channel and work with energy in a way that could be healing and powerful for others. Personally, I could probably be a Faith Healer because I can get super energized with Spiritual Enthusiasm and really send out the Love to people, and I can feel massive Joy and go into an Ecstatic Trance (actually, your music can put me into an ecstatic trance state), but this is more on the individual level. I couldn’t get up in front of a crowd and channel/direct the energy of a whole big group of people–this would totally overwhelm me–but you and Rick can do this, and you’re really good at it. I know you guys realize how fun this is for everyone, and you love how everyone totally gets off on the super good vibes that are generated at your live shows, but have you ever thought about how this could possibly be healing and spiritual for people in addition to being fun?
Actually, African Religion and Healthcare includes practices such as fast and vigorous ritual dances to polyrhythmic dance music, which is very much like your live shows, where your audience is like the african dancers and you guys are like the drummers. These kinds of ceremonies and rituals are CHURCH for the Africans and form the foundation of their Spiritual Life. Africans hold ceremonies like this to heal sick people and solve problems in the community, because (as the Africans see it) these ceremonies channel and recirculate a great deal of energy through the community and allow the universe to rebalance itself.
I’ve been noticing some really cool correlations between African Spiritual Practices and your music and art and live shows. Back in the 90’s I just thought I was partying and I didn’t realize that collective bonding through music & dance & trance states could be so spiritually fulfilling, but now I see that it really has become my spiritual life and I love it. Rather than sit in a boring church service, I’d much rather see one of your live shows and get all energized from the good vibes–it puts me in a GREAT MOOD. I truly respect you so much for being able to get up on stage and work with so much energy at once, and kick out the good vibes and take it to such a high place. You’re awesome, and this is like spiritual food for me, and I know there are many others who feel the same way.
Here are some videos showing a faith healing, and some church services where people are feeling the Beautiful Vibrations (they’re calling it “God’s Power” or the Holy Spirit, but I think it’s the same type of good energy regardless of what words are used to refer to it). My grandfather actually went to a church like this, and I got to go with him once, and I actually saw people falling over and shaking on the ground, and crying with joy and getting emotional. (When I was there I felt happy and energized, but I didn’t fall over or start crying or anything, but people right next to me were doing this spontaneously.) The music was pretty lively and people were dancing and singing in the aisles and making eye contact with me and smiling, and I could feel the joy and enthusiasm (however, the music wasn’t even nearly as good as yours, and most of your fans are much more conscious and spiritually evolved than the people in this congregation, which would Magnify the Power even more). It was really cool, and I sort of felt like I was walking around at a rave instead of a church service–a rave with a bunch of old people and little kids!! But hey, I love to see people really getting off on the good vibes, no matter who they are. It’s a Beautiful Thing. Everybody’s a Beautiful Thing.
Anyways, I’ve put some videos together of some Faith Healings and your live shows to illustrate the Contrast and the Resonance between them. The visual resemblence is really interesting–it’s almost shocking. But the main point I’m trying to make is how different people can work with energy in different ways, on an individual level and on a collective level, and it seems like you might be able to work with energy in a manner similar to a Faith Healer, and I think that’s really cool. And I wanna know about your song “Faith Healer”. Love, Cari
This one shows a faith healing. I think it’s really cool. Notice how big of a role the musicians play in keeping super tuned-in to the emotional energy of the congregation, and how they really lift everyone’s spirits with the music, at just the right times. It’s probably the “prayer” or focused intention/will of all the people in the congregation that’s actually the main force for the healing, and I’m sure the music plays a giant role in driving this motivational/emotional energy of the people. Music can have such a dramatic and intense effect on people’s emotions–it can move people in powerful ways.
By the way, I’m so interested in this stuff because I’ve had a life-long interest in Health & Spirituality & Higher States of Consciousness. I’m really interested in Integrative Medicine–I have lots of personal experience with the Healing Arts, and I’ve studied lots of Health Science (especially the nervous system and the brain–it’s really cool and interesting), and i’ve done research on unconventional healing modalities (that are considered to be “Complementary & Alternative Medicine” in the United States) such as Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Energy Healing, Mind-Body Medicine, Hypnosis, Prayer, Homeopathy and stuff like that. I’m super interested in Mysticism, Alchemy, Faith Healing, Divination and Psychic Abilities, and stuff that seems almost Magical and Supernatural. I find this stuff to be extremely interesting, and it turns me on like crazy. I think there’s actually a lot of people in our generation who have powerful psychic abilities that we’re only just beginning to tap into, and life is gonna become REALLY FUN after we’ve learned how to use them. Everyday can be like Magic. Love, Cari
“Immortality for Two Miracles can come to You” –Faith Healer (Recoil)
IN THE MOMENT…
Depending on the angle you can see the sky or the Baltic Sea through his eyes.
Art is magic.
I´m looking forward to celebrate my vacation with Rusty this year 🙂
Blackt Out
Very much retro but the guitars are really good.
http://www.nowness.com/day/2014/5/18/3880/lee-ranaldo-and-the-dust–blackt-out