{"product_id":"ultramarine-a-users-guide-lp","title":"Ultramarine - A User's Guide LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eReissue of revered UK electronic duo \u003cstrong\u003eUltramarine's\u003c\/strong\u003e best-kept secret from their discography, the superb \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e album, available as a limited double LP housed in a beautiful heavyweight sleeve with inside-out printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the rare occasions that \u003cstrong\u003eUltramarine's\u003c\/strong\u003e story is told, the duo's fifth album, 1998's \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e, tends to get omitted from the narrative. Radically different from anything the duo released before or since, it has remained a slept-on, timeless, and inherently futurist classic ever since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnavailable on vinyl since the year it was released – in part because the label it originally came out on, New Electronica, folded shortly afterwards – \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e was the result of a conscious decision by \u003cstrong\u003eUltramarine\u003c\/strong\u003e members Paul Hammond and Ian Cooper to change their working methods and the \"sound palette\" that underpinned their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOut went the partially improvised hybrid electronic\/acoustic sounds and the collaborations with guest musicians they'd become famous for. They were replaced by painstakingly created electronic sounds and textures, metallic motifs, spaced-out chords, rhythms rooted in contemporary techno and drum \u0026amp; bass culture, and nods aplenty to pioneering music of the period.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver a quarter of a century may have passed since it first appeared in record stores, but \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e still sounds fresh and modern – a remarkable achievement given the relatively sparse and basic equipment used in the making of the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs this first vinyl reissue conclusively proves, the material showcased on \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e has lost none of its sparkle in the 26 years that have passed since its release. For proof, check the head-nodding IDM bubbliness of opener \"\u003cem\u003eAll of a Sudden\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the queasy, lopsided tech-jazz of \"\u003cem\u003eSucker For You\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the locked-in beats and mind-mangling motifs of \"\u003cem\u003eZombie\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the ghostly, out-there electro of \"\u003cem\u003eAmbush\u003c\/em\u003e,\" the Autechre-esque \"\u003cem\u003eGhost Routine\u003c\/em\u003e,\" and the triumphant closing cut \"\u003cem\u003eWhat Machines Want\u003c\/em\u003e,\" a classic of minimalistic, jazz-flecked techno futurism.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFully remastered from the original DATs by Jason G at Transition Studios, the 2024 vinyl edition of \u003cem\u003eA User's Guide\u003c\/em\u003e thrusts \u003cstrong\u003eUltramarine's\u003c\/strong\u003e most overlooked album back into the spotlight. This WRWTFWW edition also features brand new contextualizing sleeve notes, complete with new quotes on the production process from \u003cstrong\u003eUltramarine\u003c\/strong\u003e, by dance music historian Matt Anniss (author of \u003cem\u003eJoin The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music\u003c\/em\u003e, and founder of online electronic music platform Jointhefuture.net).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57164559352190,"sku":"wrwtfww093","price":31.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/4032\/2968\/files\/WRWTFWW093_e72901fc_thumbnail_4096.webp?v=1774455683","url":"https:\/\/goodvibesrecords.co\/products\/ultramarine-a-users-guide-lp","provider":"Good Vibes Neighbourhood Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}