December 10, 2011 - 09:25 AMT
Underwood selected Music Directors for London Olympic opening

The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games announced that British electronic music veterans Underwood have been appointed Music Directors for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The ceremony will take place on July 27, 2012.

With over 30 years working together, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of Underwood will have 3 hours to demonstrate their talents to nearly 3 billion viewers worldwide, clubglow.com reports.

Over the past two decades, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde have earned a reputation as electronic music pioneers. With six studio albums under their belts, film credits for Academy Award-winning directors Anthony Minghella and Danny Boyle, and headliner performances at some of the biggest stages worldwide, they are as qualified as they come for the job. You may best know them for their 1995 hit track “Born Slippy.”

Underwood will be working directly with renowned film producer Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours, 28 Days Later), the ceremony’s artistic director. Together they have enjoyed 15 years of collaborations, starting with Boyle’s inclusion of Underwood’s track “Born Slippy” in the film Trainspotting. Underwood has contributed music to other Boyle works like as A Life Less Ordinary and The Beach, co-scored Sunshine, and worked with him on an acclaimed theater production of Frankenstein.