Ultramarine (band)

Ultramarine are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1989 by Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. They are best known for their 1991 album Every Man and Woman is a Star. Their work blended elements of techno and ambient music with folk instrumentation, the influence of the 1970s Canterbury scene, and other eclectic sources.[1]

Ultramarine
Ultramarine performing at Axis, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, on 3 December 1992
Background information
OriginEssex, England
GenresElectronica, house, ambient techno, folktronica
Years active1989–present
LabelsLes Disques du Crépuscule
Brainiak Records
Rough Trade
Blanco Y Negro
Sire
New Electronica
LTM
Real Soon
WebsiteOfficial website
MembersIan Cooper
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 the Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule.[2] 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),[2] as 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."[3]

Ultramarine in Essex, 2013

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 and recording partnership with Robert Wyatt,[2] 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).[2] 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 1 session.

Musicians
  • Ian Harvey Cooper (born 15 August 1966, Derby, England)[2]
  • Paul John Hammond (born 12 December 1965, Chelmsford, Essex, England)[2]

Discography

Albums
  • Folk (Les Disques du Crépuscule, 1990)
  • Every Man and Woman Is a Star (Brainiak Records, 1991 / Rough Trade, 1992, Reissue 2014)
  • United Kingdoms (Blanco Y Negro (UK); Sire (US), 1993)
  • Bel Air (Blanco Y Negro, 1995)
  • A User's Guide (New Electronica, 1998)
  • This Time Last Year (Real Soon, 2013)
  • Signals Into Space (Les Disques du Crépuscule, 2019)
  • Meditations (Les Disques du Crépuscule, 2019)

Compilation albums
  • Companion (LTM, 2003)

Singles and EPs
  • Wyndham Lewis (Les Disques du Crépuscule, 1989)
  • Stella (Les Disques du Crépuscule / Dancyclopaedia, 1990)
  • Stella (Brainiak Records, 1991)
  • Weird Gear / British Summertime (Brainiak Records, 1991)
  • Saratoga / Nova Scotia (Rough Trade, 1992)
  • Nightfall In Sweetleaf (Rough Trade, 1992)
  • Kingdom (Blanco Y Negro, 1993)
  • Barefoot (Blanco Y Negro, 1994)
  • First Air (Blanco Y Negro, 1995)
  • Sketches (Blanco Y Negro, 1995)
  • Hymn (Blanco Y Negro, 1996)
  • Hymn Remixes (Blanco Y Negro, 1996)
  • On The Brink (New Electronica, 1998)
  • Carl Craig Remixes (Real Soon, 2003)
  • Find A Way (Real Soon, 2011)
  • Acid / Butch (WNCL, 2011)
  • Passwords (Real Soon, 2014)
  • Peel Session 1992 (Rough Trade, 2014)
  • Blackwaterside (Random Spectacular, 2018)
  • Breathing (Real Soon / Les Disques du Crépuscule, 2018)

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "Ultramarine | Biography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  2. Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 407/8. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  3. Reynolds, Simon (2012). Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture. Soft Skull Press. p. 178.
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