Come 1999 and the turn of the millennium, Underworld were untouchable. Following two sterling albums and the blockbuster international success of “Born Slippy,” Karl Hyde and Rick Smith joined DJ Darren Emerson one final time, for the release of the last of their three studio sets together as the all-conquering heroes of electronica. Released on March 1, 1999, Beaucoup Fish was a long-gestating, massive-selling, Mercury Prize-nominated double-album, which the group once more wrapped in the attractive visuals of their own Tomato design collective.

Despite recording sessions taking place remotely, with each band member in a different place, Underworld ensured that Beaucoup Fish excelled in its combination of rhythm and texture. Vocodered deep-house opener “Cups” appeared to fit snugly into the bar-grooves scene of the time, prefacing the night ahead. As befits Underworld’s nature, however, and sticking to their envelope-pushing interpretation of progressive house, the track twists into something pacier before smashing into the massive house chords and trademark Hyde stream-of-consciousness lyrics of “Push Upstairs.” The latter is a splendid example of the intense style that the group had perfected with “Born Slippy,” the listener feeling a perverse rush of exhilaration as experience something close to the feeling of slipping into a whirlpool before finally being rescued, breaking the waterline in a rush.