Ultramarine London & Essex-based electronic duo Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. Formed in 1989, 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 better known 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 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.' Live appearances included a US tour in 1992 with Meat Beat Manifesto and Orbital and a US & European tours in 1993 supporting Björk. The group's collaborative work 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, Matt Wates and Jimmy Hastings. '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 and 'A User's Guide' (1998) on New Electronica. LTM released 'Companion' (2003), a collection of remixes and alternative versions from the group's early-90s period, and reissued 'A User's Guide' (2005). In 2011, Ultramarine broke a 13-year silence with two new singles, 'Find A Way' (Real Soon) and 'Acid'/'Butch' (WNCL Recordings). Their sixth album, 'This Time Last Year' was released on the Real Soon label in September 2013.

 

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