Daylight Saving

Seventy four minutes of Ultramarine aka Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond.

I think the first music I heard of theirs would have been the single Kingdom featuring Robert Wyatt, released in the summer of 1993. It was like nothing else I'd heard: an adaptation of a 19th century song, sung by the man I'd first encountered on Top Of The Pops, performing Shipbuilding, backed by music that was contemporary electronica yet pastoral and folky. I was hooked.

Ian and Paul have been making music together for over four decades now, initially as part of 5-piece A Primary Industry, who released a trio of singles and a sole album in 1986 titled, you guessed it, Ultramarine. Their debut album Folk emerged in 1990, they had a 13-year 'break' between 1998 and 2011, and their most recent release was a remix EP of $10 Heel (featuring Anna Domino) in 2022. 

 

In between, there have been multiple albums, EPs, remixes and collaborations. Far too many to reliably cover in a 12-song selection, but here's my attempt to capture the sunshine.

 

Robert Wyatt collaborated on several songs on 1993 album United Kingdoms. Happy Land featured here in April 2021 and was also released as a single, remixed by Aswad founder member Drummie Zeb as a glorious vocal and dub reggae sunsplash anthem.

Chris Coco remixed Ultramarine on the Nightfall In Sweetleaf EP way back in 1992. Nearly quarter of a century later, Ultramarine repaid the favour with a remix from his album How To Disappear Completely.

Japanese artists (and/or their labels) have a particular fascination with electronic artists reworking their back catalogue: Yellow Magic Orchestra, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Soft Ballet have all got in on the act. Tokyo-based female pop group Nav Katze released two volumes of Never Mind The Distortion in the 1990s, both worth looking up. Ultramarine opened the first of these in 1994 with an excellent remix of Nobody Home.

 

Black Hearted Brother are a super group of sorts, a 4-piece formed around the core of Mark Van Hoen (Locust) and Neil Halstead (Slowdive). There was a sole album - Stars Are Our Home - in 2013 and Got Your Love received the remix treatment from Ultramarine the following year.

Iain Ballamy is a noted composer and saxophonist. In 1996, the compilation Music With No Name Volume One (also highly recommended) included Ultramarine's remix of All Men Amen, the title track of Iain's 1994 album.

I discovered Tranquility Bass aka Michael Kandel via an Astralwerks sampler CD. We All Want To Be Free was remixed from the 1997 album Let The Freak Flag Fly and is the longest track on this selection, nine minutes of blissed out beats and circular vocals. Sadly, Michael passed on 17th May 2015. You can find some of the final Tranquility Bass releases on Bandcamp.

Woo are brothers Clive and Mark Ives who have been making music even longer than Ultramarine. However, their worlds finally converged in 2020, Ultramarine providing a remix of Arc II to close Woo's album Arcturian Corridor.

 

The selection began with a prog legend and so it ends in the same way, with fellow Soft Machine alumni Kevin Ayers, er, covering one of his own songs.

Hymn originally appeared on Kevin's 1973 album Bananamour and Ultramarine recorded their own version, until legal bullshit nearly put paid to the single's release, full stop. Happily, Hymn finally saw the light of day in 1996 with two CD singles packed full of songs and remixes. The 'lead' version and several reworks feature the gorgeous vocals of David McAlmont. However, it could only ever be Kevin's version to bring this selection to a fitting close.

If you like what you hear, you can find many of the more recent Ultramarine releases via the Real Soon label on Bandcamp.

 

1) Happy Land (Remixed By Drummie Zeb): Ultramarine ft. Robert Wyatt (1994)

2) It An Tells Ya (Ultramarine Remix): Chris Coco (2016)

3) Nobody Home (Ultramarine Mix): Nav Katze (1994)

4) Hooter (Album Version): Ultramarine (1993)

5) Got Your Love (Ultramarine Remix): Black Hearted Brother (2014) 

6) British Summertime (Album Version): Ultramarine (1991)

7) All Men Amen (Ultramarine Remix): Iain Ballamy (1996)

8) Citizen: Ultramarine ft. Pooka (1995)

9) $10 Heel: Ultramarine ft. Anna Domino (2019)

10) We All Want To Be Free (Ultramarine Remix): Tranquility Bass (1997)

11) Arc II (Ultramarine Remix): Woo (2020)

12) Hymn (Ultramarine - Kevin Ayers Version): Ultramarine (1996) 

 

1991: Every Man And Woman Is A Star: 6

1993: United Kingdoms: 4

1994: Barefoot EP: 1

1994: Never Mind The Distortion: 3 

1995: Bel Air: 8 

1996: Hymn EP: 12

1996: Music With No Name Volume One: 7 

1997: We All Want To Be Free EP: 10

2014: Got Your Love EP: 5

2016: It An Tells Ya EP: 2 

2019: Signals Into Space: 9

2020: Arcturian Corridor: 11

 

Daylight Saving (1:14:09) (KF) (Mega)

2001: The Party, The Future

As an accidental companion piece to recent posts on Bagging Area and No Badger Required, I've been sorting out some CDs that I will no longer keep, having ripped them to MP3 some time ago. Prior to donating the CDs, I've been listening to each of them in their entirety. Some, including today's selection, have a tenuous link to NBR's excellent "Crossover Tracks" series (coincidentally, the artist in this morning’s final post also features here).

One of the (re)discoveries was two cover-mounted CDs released to accompany the Muzik Magazine Dance Awards 2001, respectively sub-titled The Party and The Future. With 'The Future' now being over two decades in the past, it's been a really enjoyable listen, both solid compilations and music that - to my ears, at least - hasn't dated as much as I may have thought. 

No surprise that Dot Allison was smashing it with the title track of her album, co-produced with Keith Tenniswood. Her current more pastoral music is excellent but this bass-heavy electro chugger is a welcome reminder of her dancefloor credentials.

From Edinburgh to Glasgow and a very pleasant surprise to find Monica Queen providing vocals to Chris Coco's All Of My Beautiful Friends. I got her 2022 album Stop That Girl as part of my Last Night From Glasgow membership and from there was belatedly introduced to The Kingfishers, little realising that Monica had been hiding in my collection all along. A reminder that I should also seek out the Chris Coco solo album that this track is lifted from.

Fellow Glaswegians Craig Morrison and Graeme Reedie aka Silicone Soul also pop up, a reminder of how good they were. Sadly, they appear to have called it a day over a decade ago. 

Another sadly defunct duo is Fort Lauderdale aka Steve Webster and Toby Jenkins. I've just discovered that they went on to form Higamos Hogamos in the late 2000s and Steve resurrected the latter to record and release an album, Generation Games, during lockdown. We Ain't Got No Money Honey is the opener of Fort Lauderdale's second album, Time Is Of The Essence, and it makes for a rather beautiful closing track too.

 

1) Mindset To Cycle: FC Kahuna (2000)

2) We're Only Science (Album Version): Dot Allison (2001)

3) Big Groovy Fucker (Edit): Plump DJs (2001)

4) Star 69 (What The F**k) (Wine 'Em Dine 'Em 69 'Em Mix By X-Press 2): Fatboy Slim (2001)

5) The Answer (Album Version): Silicone Soul ft. Melanie Clarke (2000)

6) All Of My Beautiful Friends (Album Version): Chris Coco ft. Monica Queen (2001)

7) Deeper Water (Wookiee Slut Extended Vocal Remix): PMT ft. Michelle Breeze (2000)

8) Darkness 01/01/01: Steve Mac & Yousef (2001)

9) I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia's Labor Of Love Edit): Depeche Mode (2001)

10) One For You (Original Mix): James Holden (2001)

11) We Ain't Got No Money Honey: Fort Lauderdale (2001) 

 

2000: ...A Soul Thing: 5

2000: Big Kahuna Kicks Two Sampler (promo 12"): 1

2000: Deeper Water EP: 7 

2001: I Feel Loved EP: 9

2001: Muzik Magazine Dance Awards 2001 Vol.1: The Party: 3

2001: One For You EP: 10

2001: Star 69 (What The F**k) EP: 4 

2001: The Drumbums EP: 8

2001: Time Is Of The Essence: 11

2001: We Are Science: 2 

2002: Next Wave: 6

 

2001: The Party, The Future (1:13:52) (KF) (Mega)

Raindrops Keep Falling

Thirteen songs to sail through a soggy Sunday. Select cuts from some of my favourite EPs, albums and remixes from the last couple of years, several purchased on Bandcamp Friday, which will be continuing for the rest of this year. It won't be a great surprise to see Dan Wainwright, Andy Bell/GLOK or Pye Corner Audio here, but there have been a few unexpected 'comebacks' from Ultramarine and D:Ream, which I've really enjoyed.

 

1) I Love You: Dan Wainwright (2021) 

2) Ride Or Die (Single Version): Boys Noize ft. Kelsey Lu & Chilly Gonzales (2021)

3) Parallel 6: Four Tet (2020)

4) Meet Me At Midnight (Dan Wainwright Remix): D:Ream (2021)

5) In My Sleep (DJ Nature Remix By Milo Johnson): Margee (2021)

6) Lagrimas De San Lorenzo (Coyote Remix): Chris Coco & George Solar (2021)

7) That Time Of Night (Single Version): GLOK ft. Shiarra (2021)

8) Memory Of Rave: Pye Corner Audio (2020)

9) Fledgling Sun: The Future Sound Of London (2021)

10) Rickie's Alibi: Andres Y Xavi (2021)

11) The Commune (Pye Corner Audio Remix): Andy Bell (2021)

12) Spark From Flint To Clay: Ultramarine ft. Anna Domino (2019)

13) The County (Revisited By Dylan Henner): Valgeir Sigurðsson (2020)

 

Raindrops Keep Falling (1:16:19)
 

Keep Your Loving Warmer

In contrast to last week's summer washout mix, the beautiful blue sky weekend has inspired this week's 90 minute mix of blissed beats and summer sounds.

 

1) Asteroid ('Pearl & Dean Present' Theme): Pete Moore (1968)

2) Shout To The Top (Hifi Sean Mix): Fire Island ft. Loleatta Holloway (2021)

3) Lagrimas De San Lorenzo (Massivan Upcycled Remix): Chris Coco & George Solar (2021)

4) Forgive & Forget (Isabella 'Machine' Summers Remix): The Kooks (2015)

5) Indica (Pye Corner Audio Remix – GLOK Re-Edit): Andy Bell (2021)

6) Cosmorama: Beautify Junkyards (2020)

7) ¿Que Tal America? (Mericana Mix): A Man Called Adam (1996)

8) Intergalactic You, Intergalatic Me: Troubleman (2005)

9) Electric Blues (Full Length): The Soup Dragons (1991)

10) Feel: Dan Wainwright (2021)

11) Murphy's Law (Extended Mix): Róisín Murphy (2020)

12) This Rhythm (Fred Falke Remix - Radio Edit): Filthy Dukes ft. Samuel Dust (2009)

13) Inner Flight (FakeID In Outer Space Mix): Primal Scream (2005)

14) Alive: Hanni El Khatib (2020)

15) Touch Me With Your Love (Instrumental Version By Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood): Beth Orton (1997)

16) Do Do Do: Mike Polizze (2020)

 

Keep Your Loving Warmer (1:30:19)