Name: Folk
Brand: Ultramarine

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

FMOAW001

{"blocks": [{"data": {"text": "FMOAW001"}, "type": "paragraph"}]}

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: Yes

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

w/ Insert Containing Interview and Archive Photographs

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2020-12-11

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Kudos

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

Total Cap

1 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / black

Artist

Ultramarine

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Foam On A Wave

Surface disturbances. Foam On A Wave is a reissue label founded by Will Bradbury and Alastair Brook. With a passion for preserving and sharing rare musical gems, this label dives deep into the archives to bring you timeless classics from various genres. From obscure psychedelic rock to forgotten jazz masterpieces, Foam On A Wave curates a collection that will transport you to another era. Discover the magic of these hidden treasures and let the music take you on a journey through time.

Ultramarine is a London and Essex-based UK duo formed in 1989 by Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond. Both members were previously part of the band A Primary Industry. Their early releases were on the Brussels-based label Les Disques du Crépuscule and later on Brainiak Records, closely affiliated with The Brain club in Soho, London. They gained recognition for their second album, which was described as "pastoral techno" by Simon Reynolds. Ultramarine has released several albums over the years, including collaborations with Robert Wyatt.

In 2011, after a 13-year hiatus, Ultramarine returned with two new singles followed by their sixth album in 2013. Their music combines elements of acid-house and folk-jazzy ambience to create a unique sound that has captivated audiences worldwide.

LTM Publishing (Les Temps Modernes) released a collection of remixes and alternative versions from Ultramarine's early-90s period in 2003. The group's discography also includes reissues of previous albums to cater to fans who have been eagerly awaiting their return.

For their first outing, new London-based reissue label Foam On A Wave resurface the remarkable debut album from one of the UK’s foremost artists of ‘ambient techno’, Ultramarine’s Folk. Like the surrealist collage of the sleeve designed by Benoit Hennebert, Ultramarine weave together unique instrumentation and sonic influences into rich, ethereal soundscapes, now fully remastered for its 30th anniversary.

Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond admitted they weren't totally sure what they were doing when they signed a record deal with the famously bohemian label Les Disques du Crépuscule and found themselves on their way to Brussels. There, over a two week stint, the Essex duo recorded the album - drawing on a kaleidoscopic palette influenced by both the Canterbury scene's jazz-infused psychedelia, as well as the contemporary Benelux scene, with particular nods to the likes of Benjamin Lew, The Durutti Column and Anna Domino. Conceived at a time when technology began reshaping the process of recording and production, the band's interest in fusing the organic and the electronic is apparent, and one that has remained with them throughout their career.

Folk both sits apart from and serves as a precursor to the ‘pastoral techno’ sound Ultramarine’s went on to pioneer. Following a US and European tour alongside Orbital and Bjork, a few more albums and collaborations with the likes of Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers, plus remixes for and by Everything But The Girl, Carl Craig, Luke Slater and more, they folded the project for a number of years. Last year the band returned to their inaugural imprint with the ethereal Signals Into Space. Albeit somewhat sparser, more sedate, it is in some ways a coming full-circle to the jazz-laden, analogue sound of their debut, which makes reissuing Folk feel all the more timely.

Folk

Music GB

Buy Ultramarine - Folk (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.