Ultramarine (band)

Ultramarine
Ultramarine; Essex, 2013
Background information
Origin Essex, England
Genres Electronic
House
Techno
IDM
Post-rock
Years active 1989–present
Labels Les Disques du Crépuscule
Brainiak Records
Rough Trade
Blanco Y Negro
Sire
New Electronica
LTM
Real Soon
Website Official website
Members Ian Cooper
Paul Hammond
Ultramarine performing at Axis, Boston MA, USA on 3 December 1992

Ultramarine are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1989 by Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond.

Biography

Cooper and Hammond first worked together in the band A Primary Industry during the mid-1980s.[1] Following the split of that band, they formed Ultramarine and released their debut album Folk in April 1990 on seminal Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule. The duo's second long player, Every Man and Woman is a Star (initially released in 1991 by Brainiak Records and reissued as an expanded version by Rough Trade in 1992), found critical acclaim and was neatly described by music writer Simon Reynolds in his book Energy Flash as:

Perhaps the first and best stab at that seeming contradiction-in-terms, pastoral techno... all sun-ripened, meandering lassitude and undulant dub-sway tempos... like acid-house suffused with the folky-jazzy ambience of the Canterbury scene.

Live appearances during this period included a US tour in 1992 with Meat Beat Manifesto and Orbital and US and European tours in 1993 supporting Björk. The group's collaborative work has included a songwriting & recording partnership with Robert Wyatt, recordings with Kevin Ayers and David McAlmont plus numerous live and studio sessions with members of the London jazz scene, including Lol Coxhill, Iain Ballamy, Elton Dean, Dave Green, Roger Beaujolais, Greg Heath and Jimmy Hastings.

Every Man And Woman Is A Star was followed by the albums United Kingdoms (1993), which features an extensive collaboration with Robert Wyatt, Bel Air (1995) and A User's Guide (1998). After a long sabbatical, Ultramarine released two new singles in 2011. Their sixth album, This Time Last Year, was released on 30 September 2013. Every Man and Woman is a Star was reissued by Rough Trade in 2014 as a triple vinyl set including a previously unreleased 1992 John Peel BBC Radio session.

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Singles / EPs

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ultramarine (band).

References

  1. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Ultramarine | Biography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 September 2013.