LIFE `N PERSPECTIVES OF A GENUINE CROSSOVER
MENTAL FLOSS FOR THE GLOBE
The money made in these two years of playing live is used by UDS to finance the recording of the first album: Mental Floss for the Globe. In the spring of '89 recorded at ICP, Brussels, with the help of Jean-Marie Aerts (TC Matic). In August '89 the ready-made mixed tapes are offered and just like the concert hall owners stand in line to contract the band, the labels are fighting to take the credit for contracting UDS. Ariola is the winner. Mental Floss for the Globe is a big success, critically acclaimed, an unprecedented combination of rock, rap, funk, ska, hiphop, soul, trash, reggae and acoustic sounds. The entire melting pot of what used to be traditionally separate music styles, full of rhythmic and tonal boobytraps. 'The world at large' meets UDS. The start of large international tours, among which two headlining clubtours in the US. UDS appears at much talked-of festivals (like Roskilde with amongst others 24/7 Spyz, and Pinkpop) and seminars (like the one in Bourges, with e.g. Public Enemy, and again the New Music Seminar NY, this time on the special opening night with amongst others Mano Negra). With its music the group knocks flat a group of a thousand people, as easily as it does an intimate club. In the US the album works as an eye-opener, to a complete generation of new musicians and bands. Here is a new approach, a new sound, and besides there is buttkicking, noisy clubgigs. In 1990 songs like 'No Kid', 'Fastlane' and 'Deeper Shade of Soul' are internationally regarded as classics. 'Deeper Shade' even got as far as a 21st position in the bastion of Billboard's Hot 100! After an extensive American tour with Living Colour the band, in the spring of '91, starts producing the second album itself. This album, Life 'n' Perspectives of a Genuine Crossover, is once again recorded at ICP, Brussels and released in the autumn of '91. Musically speaking this album is a more extreme and even more kaleidoscopical sequel to Mental Floss for the Globe. While press and audience do their utmost to invent all kinds of superlatives, the record company, especially when looking at it now, seems to have been quite insecure about what to do with an adventurous and progressive album like this. The absence of an obvious hit single makes American Arista stop promoting this album.
Not disturbed by all this inconvenience the band concludes the year '91
with performances in the European and American club scene. In March '92 the
band conquers Japan and a tour with the Rollins Band (+Andrew Weiss) makes
Germany 'fall' for them as well. A long summer of festivals follows, in
which UDS visits the large European festivals like Torhout/Werchter,
Pinkpop (Soundgarden) and Pukkelpop (Beastie Boys).
In September '92 UDS breaks up with Ariola and locks itself up in the
rehearsal room to write new material. In set-up this material seems to be
barer and more song-oriented. Without the trimmings and intentionally less
diverse than on the previous two albums.