The Ullulators

The Ullulators, an experimental dub and world music ensemble from Bath, UK, have long been associated with the UK’s free festival movement, tracing their creative lineage back to the mid-1980s. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙥𝙞𝙫𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚-𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙮—“𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝘿𝙪𝙗” 𝙖𝙣𝙙 “𝙀𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙤𝙬”—𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝟭𝟮” 𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙮𝙡, 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙.

The A-side, “Simply Conscious Dub”, originally featured on the 1986 cassette Beyond the Gates of Ull, exemplifies the band’s signature fusion of weighty dub rhythms with expansive and euphoric electronics.
In contrast, the B-side, “Eternal Now”, drawn from the 1985 cassette Share a Calm with the Ullulators, ventures into more introspective sonic territory. Built on minimalist structures and ambient textures, it evokes the kosmische tradition and aligns with the spatial sensibilities of Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4.

Together, these tracks not only showcase the group’s wide stylistic range but also underscore their forward-thinking approach to genre hybridity. This release stands as a unique document of a formative era in the
evolution of UK underground, dub, and ambient music.