Every Man and Woman is a Star

 

„Was the title – Every Man And Woman Is A Star – a conscious nod to Aleister Crowley?

Yes. I think we liked the idea of the all-inclusive slightly hippyish sound of it, but it coming from quite a dark, esoteric source.“

from a Interview with Paul Hammond on Ban Ban Ton Ton

„We would like to dedicate this album to Dewey, whose spirit pervaded the sessions and who will be fondly remembered by us all for his kindness and his wisdom. It was on a late summer evening at Dewey and Cassie's place in Sweetleaf County, Arkansas, that the seeds of these songs were sown.

With a belly full of Cassie's hog-roast and a head full of Dewey's moonshine, talk turned to music. Dewey said "There is music for the body and there is music for the mind. Music for the body picks you off the floor and hurls you into physical activity. Music for the mind floats you gently downstream, through pleasurable twists and turns, ups and downs, rapids and calm waters...

And sometimes there is music for the body and for the mind."

After a few more bottles and some fine bearclaw, we made our way up to the ridge to take in the night air. Looking up at the sky, Dewey said, with a tear in his eye and way too much booze inside him, "Every man and woman is a star." His comment passed us by at the time, but these words stayed with us and gradually became our focal point during work on this album.“

- from the inlay cover of Every Man and Woman is a Star - 

Who can say why and why one was interested in this or that thing in one's life? Why you read this book, or another one, or whether you read books at all, or whether you liked music and what kind. You are certainly influenced by your parents and friends and were dependent on their understanding of culture before you discovered and followed your own path. It's difficult for me to attribute my interest in this or that music, or my preference for certain authors and films, to these influences. There must always have been something of its own there that emerged at some point and found its way. For me it was electronic pop music, OMD, Heaven 17, Depeche Mode, New Order & Cabaret Voltaire, later acid house, ambient & dub and everything else developed from that. The music itself was my biggest influence, and the radio DJs who shared the music with us. I owe more to John Peel or Monika Dietl than to any living person around me. And I'm glad it's this music & not death metal or classical music from the 18th century. Fans of this music will probably think the same as me.

In 1992, a friend and I were sitting in our sparsely furnished apartments, each our first apartment after moving out of our parents' homes, and listening to the album by a band called Ultramarine - which had become our attention through reviews in magazines - “Every Man and Woman is a Star.” We both grew up with the pop of the 80s, but while my friend, after an initial interest in house music and techno, including visits to the relevant clubs (Tresor etc.), increasingly felt drawn to Prince and Eros Ramazotti, I kept going the electronic route. Calexico, Tindersticks and so many other things came much later. And the realization that all this music found space inside me.

“Every Man and Woman is a Star” was an album that we both agreed on pretty quickly. I don't know how this friend feels about this music today. This album has never left me. An incredibly enjoyable album that contains everything I like.

Acid, ambient, pop, summer meadows, field recordings, nature sounds, wonderful voice samples.

Ian Cooper & Paul Hammond remained from the post punk predecessor band “A Primary Industry” and named themselves after the only album that came out in 1986: Ultramarine. 

Their first album “Folk” already contained many elements that distinguished EMAWiaS, but it was only with this second album that everything came together in a perfect way. The band now worked heavily with samples and continued to include acoustic instruments, but also a 303 / 808, which would become crucial for their sound.

„All sun-ripened, meandering lassitude and undulant dub-sway tempos like acid-house suffused with the folky-jazzy ambience of the Canterbury scene." As well as the sublime single cuts Stella and Saratoga, the album offers a mesh of acoustic textures underpinned by a sometimes dubby, sometimes upfront beat. It's a lavish mix of light yet infectious rhythms and mellow vibes, recalling lazy afternoons and bright summer seascapes. Largely instrumental, the album also features lyric snatches from Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt, while on Stella the found voice speaks to the "deepest part of the soul." "It isn't really techno music," confesses Ian. "We use the shape and form of dance music but use different acoustic sounds. It's the sort of stuff which seeps into you."

• Simon Reynolds/Energy Flash - 

https://www.discogs.com/master/33359-Ultramarine-Every-Man-And-Woman-Is-A-Star