Ultramarine are an English

electronic music duo A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, ...

, formed in 1989 by Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. Their work blends elements of

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

with acoustic instrumentation, the influence of the 1970s

Canterbury scene The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound) was a musical scene centred on the town of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Associated with progressive rock, the term describes a loosely-defined, improvisational styl ...

, and other eclectic sources. They are best known for their 1991 album '' Every Man and Woman Is a Star'', reissued on Rough Trade the following year.

Biography

Cooper and Hammond first worked together in the band, A Primary Industry, during the mid-1980s. 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 Les Disques du Crépuscule is an independent record label founded in Belgium. The label was founded in 1980 by Michel Duval and Annik Honoré. It also had a prominent associated sublabel, Factory Benelux. Both are now run by former employee Ja ...

. 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), was described by music writer

Simon Reynolds Simon Reynolds (born 19 June 1963) is an English music journalist and author who began his professional career on the staff of ''Melody Maker'' in the mid-1980s. He has since gone on to freelance and publish a number of full-length books on music ...

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 Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthes ...

suffused with the folky-jazzy ambience of the

Live appearances during this period included a US tour in 1992 with

Meat Beat Manifesto Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened as Meat Beat, Manifesto or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens that was formed in 1987 in Swindon, United Kingdom. The band, fronted by Dangers (the only ...

and Orbital and US and European tours in 1993 supporting

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

. The group's collaborative work has included a songwriting and recording partnership with

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

, recordings with

Kevin Ayers Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely assoc ...

and

David McAlmont David Irving McAlmont (born 2 May 1967) is a British vocalist, essayist and art historian. He came to prominence in the 1990s as a singer, particularly through his collaboration with Bernard Butler. In the 2010s he returned to academia, working ...

, plus numerous live and studio sessions with members of the London jazz scene, including

Lol Coxhill George Lowen Coxhill (19 September 1932 – 10 July 2012) known professionally as Lol Coxhill, was an English free improvising saxophonist. He played soprano and sopranino saxophone. Biography Coxhill was born to George Compton Coxhill ...

Elton Dean Elton Dean (28 October 1945 – 8 February 2006) was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello (a variant of the soprano saxophone) and occasionally keyboards. Part of the Canterbury scene, he featured in, among oth ...

, Dave Green, Roger Beaujolais, Greg Heath and

Jimmy Hastings James Brian Gordon Hastings (born 12 May 1938) is a British musician associated with the Canterbury scene who plays saxophones, flute and clarinet. Hastings was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He has played with his brother Pye Hastings in Caravan, ...

. ''Every Man and Woman Is a Star'' was followed by the albums ''United Kingdoms'' (1993), which features an extensive collaboration with

, ''Bel Air'' (1995) and ''A User's Guide'' (1998). After a long sabbatical, the group released their sixth album, ''This Time Last Year'' in 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 John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

session. Ultramarine simultaneously released a double-album ''Signals Into Space'' and a mini-album ''Meditations'' on

in 2019. ''Signals Into Space'' includes songs written in collaboration with Anna Domino and contributions from saxophonist

Iain Ballamy Iain Ballamy (born 20 February 1964) is a British composer and saxophonist. He is considered one of the greatest modern jazz saxophonists. Career Ballamy was born in Guildford, Surrey, and educated at George Abbot School, Guildford, from 1975 ...

. The group appears on

Woo Woo, WoO, WOO, W.O.O. and variants may refer to: People Woo or Wu, romanization of several East Asian names: * Hu (surname): 胡, 瓠, 護, 戶, 扈, 虎, 呼, 忽, 斛 * Wu (surname): 吳, 伍, 武, 仵, 烏, 鄔, 巫 * Ng (name): 吳, 伍 * ...

's album ''Arcturian Corridor'' (2020), remixing the track ''Arc II''.

Musicians

*Ian Harvey Cooper (born 15 August 1966,

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, England) *Paul John Hammond (born 7 December 1965,

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, England)

Discography

Albums

*''Folk'' (

, 1990 / Foam On A Wave, Reissue 2020) *'' Every Man and Woman Is a Star'' (Brainiak Records, 1991 / Rough Trade, 1992, Reissue 2014) *'' United Kingdoms'' ( Blanco Y Negro (UK);

Sire Sire is an archaic respectful form of address to reigning kings in Europe. In French and other languages it is less archaic and relatively more current. In Belgium, the king is addressed as "Sire..." in both Dutch and French. The words "sire" a ...

(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'' (

, 2019) *''Meditations'' (

/ Real Soon, 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) *''Interiors'' (Blackford Hill Audio, 2021)

References

External links

Official websiteFull discography at Discogs

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultramarine English electronic music duos Male musical duos Folktronica musicians Musical groups from Essex Musical groups established in 1989 Sire Records artists Rough Trade Records artists