To quote Discogs,London-based duo Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. Began life in 1989 initially inspired by early UK house music and long-standing schoolboy crushes on the white funk of A Certain Ratio, 23 Skidoo and Cabaret Voltaire. Their early releases were issued on the seminal Brussels-based label Les Disques du Crépuscule and shortly afterwards by Brainiak Records, a label closely affiliated to The Brain club (an early purveyor of regular house music nights in Soho, London). Their debut album Folk was issued by Crépuscule in 1990 but the group are best know for their classic second album Every Man And Woman Is A Star, initially released on Brainiak in 1991 and given a wider audience with the release of an expanded version on Rough Trade (UK) in 1992; neatly described by 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.
Ultramarine were one of the first groups of their generation to take electronic music into live situations and were adventurous in their integration of live instrumentation on stage and in the studio. Live appearances included a US tour in 1992 with Meat Beat Manifesto and Orbital and a US/European tour in 1993 supporting Björk. The group's collaborative work was also a strong feature – this included a songwriting/recording partnership with Robert Wyatt, recordings with Kevin Ayers and David McAlmont.
Every Man And Woman Is A Star was followed by the albums United Kingdoms (1993) and Bel Air (1995) – both released on Blanco Y Negro (UK) - and A User's Guide (1998) on New Electronica. Most recently, LTM Publishing (Les Temps Modernes) released Companion (Every Man And Woman Is A Star Versions) (2003), a collection of remixes and alternative versions from the group’s early-90s period, and reissued A User's Guide (2005).
Stand out tracks Weird Gear and Saratoga are sure to get your toes tapping.
Ripped from the 1992 Rough Trade compact disc version:
1. Discovery
2. Weird Gear
3. Pansy
4. Honey
5. Stella
6. British Summertime
7. Saratoga
8. Geezer
9. Nove Scotia
10.Panther
11.Lights In My Brain
12.Gravity
13.Canoe Trip
14.Skyclad
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