Ultramarine are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1989 by Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. Their work blends elements of techno,

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 c ...

and

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes Musical tone, tone and atmosphere over traditional Musical form, musical structure or rhythm. Often "peaceful" sounding and lacking Musical composition, composition, beat, and/or structured melod ...

with acoustic instrumentation, the influence of the 1970s Canterbury scene, 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. 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 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 Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

. The group's collaborative work has included a songwriting and recording partnership with Robert Wyatt, 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 asso ...

and David McAlmont, plus numerous live and studio sessions with members of the London jazz scene, including Lol Coxhill, 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, 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

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 Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

session. Ultramarine simultaneously released a double-album ''Signals into Space'' and a mini-album ''Meditations'' on Les Disques du Crépuscule in 2019. ''Signals into Space'' includes songs written in collaboration with Anna Domino and contributions from saxophonist Iain Ballamy. The group appears on Woo's album ''Arcturian Corridor'' (2020), remixing the track ''Arc II''.

Musicians

*Ian Harvey Cooper (born 15 August 1966,

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

, 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 Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

, England)

Discography

Albums

*''Folk'' ( Les Disques du Crépuscule, 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 (US), 1993) *''Bel Air'' ( Blanco Y Negro, 1995) *''A User's Guide'' (New Electronica, 1998 / WRWTFWW, Reissue 2025) *''This Time Last Year'' (Real Soon, 2013) *''Signals into Space'' ( Les Disques du Crépuscule, 2019) *''Meditations'' ( Les Disques du Crépuscule / Real Soon, 2019) *''Send and Return'' (Blackford Hill, 2023)

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, 2021) *''$10 Rework'' (Real Soon, 2022)

References

External links

Official websiteFull discography at Discogs

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