Ultramarine - Find A Way

Artist: Ultramarine

Track: Find A Way - excerpt

From:
Find A Way, 7"
Real Soon, RS-022

REVIEWS
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Resident Advisor
http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=9800

The Wire (November 2011)
Fondly remembered by many, Ultramarine are the Essex duo of Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond, whose recordings with Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt forged a connection across the estuary with the Canterbury scene. Their debut album, 1990's 'Folk', set out a stall with homespun clarinet, accordion and reminiscing yokels, in the process earning them the unlovable 'folktronica' tag. Through the subsequent decade they released five albums of occasionally exotic electronica, a wistful meeting point of acoustic instruments, synthetic sheen and low-key sample detail. It was music you could enjoy at home without feeling your intelligence was being scorned, or that if you were not physically in a club, you were wasting your time.

Ultramarine have released nothing new since 1998, so this single marks a stealthy return to recording following some recent live dates. The feel is coolly tropical: "We've thrown away a million people," croon backing vocals over languid guitar chords and upfront congas. Electronics are held back, though halfway through they start creeping to centre stage. A version of the same tune on the B side continues this development, with a more pumping beat, though the tropical percussion still features strongly. Now bolstered by new technology, Ultramarine renew their engagement with marrying electronic beats and acoustic percussion skills - whether from Africa, Cuba or Brazil - an area recently explored by the likes of Ricardo Villalobos and Carl Craig, who has remixed Ultramarine in the past. Will this have you salivating in anticipation of the group's future work? Possibly, though Ultramarine are far too nice to be associated with anything as vulgar as saliva.

Clive Bell
http://www.thewire.co.uk/