Long term CMU favourites Underworld have won the title of Best Dance Artist at the 25th Anniversary celebrations of Tower Records in Japan - beating off competition from the likes of Daft Punk, the Chemical Brothers, the Prodigy, Fatboy Slim and Massive Attack. The awards event, held in Budo-Kan on Friday, gave awards to leading homegrown artists, recognised top global artists in terms of sales (it was in this capacity Underworld took the dance gong), and made additional awards based on public vote.
Commenting on the award, Underworld's Karl Hyde told CMU: "It is an honour to receive this award, especially when you see who we were up against. Japan has always been an extraordinary place for us, not least of all for the hi-energy response we experience at our shows. Japan was the first country to fully embrace and encourage the work Rick and I do within and outside of Underworld and our fans there have consistently driven us to challenge our conception of Underworld music and to keep moving on."
Shoe Nakamura who runs the Japanese end of Underworld's label V2 added: "This award is very important - despite changes in the dance market, many fans have continued to support Underworld here in Japan from the beginning. When we heard that Underworld album sales at Tower Records are ranked Number One across the board, nobody here was surprised! We have been constantly surprised and fascinated with their work over the years. Thank you to Tower Records and all the fans"