URBAN DANCE SQUAD:
TRES MANOS
RUDEBOY
MAGIC STICK
SIL
guitar, programming,
backing vocals
leads, backing vocals,
shivering tremelo hand,
celestial combustible chaos orchestra
drums, batterie carton,
piano, fender rhodes,
percussion, backing vocals
bass, standing bass,
cuica, backing vocals
1. Nonstarter
HAVE A SOUNDBITE
(200 KB EACH):
2. Temporarily Expandable
3. Forgery
4. Planet Ultra
5. Dresscode
6. Totalled
7. Warzone 109
8. Metaphore Warfare
9. Ego
10. Carbon Copy
11. Everyday Blitzkrieg
12. Inside-Outsider
13. Stark Sharkers & Backlashes
14. Pass The Baton Right
15. Damn Tthe Quota
16. Grifter Swifter
17. Tabloid Say
18. Natural Born Communicator
In January '96 the recordings can start in Jet, Brussels and Orkater, Asterdam. Here with the help of Andrew, Rob and Tom the fourth album, Planet Ultra, is recorded. Ther are guest roles for Seda, contributing the musical bases for songs like 'Dresscode' and 'Pass the Baton right', and the Wizards of Ooze adding the extra spark to some songs with their hallucinogenic keyboard sounds. Some songs, recorded before at UDS' own studio, turn out to be unsurpassed in atmosphere and energy and finally appear on the album in their naked original form. After about four recording sessions, in three different studios, 21 songs manage to survive all recording processes and selection criteria. In May '96 Butcher Brother Phil Nicolo (producer of Persona non Grata) is called in for the mix. In his Studio 4 at Conshohocken, PA, he mixes the songs into a powerful, coherent and very diverse album. Planet Ultra has been born. Once again UDS releases a kaleidoscopical album (although in a creative sense in no way related to the first two albums), on which heavy centrifugal powers seem to be at work, but which, in spite of its extreme palette of colours is a unity because of the musical flexibility and experience.
On Planet Ultra you hear a UDS which has succeeded in developing and changing without denying their 'roots'. The 'classic' Squad sound has been given an extra dimension, has been approached from a different perspective, the result being a new workable balance between form and content. The drive and power with which the songs are performed, underline the subtle distinctions of the arrangements and compositions. Rudeboy still talks straight from the shoulder, but his sense of humour and relativity are more obvious than ever. As is apparent from what he says about Planet Ultra: 'The 'crossover' category doesn't exist, this band simply makes music! Also, this is not a concept album, just an album with a lot of ideas that reflect the way we live. Before you say it's all fiction, nothing about realtiy, for there are not so many 'political' things said on this album (everybody nowadays wants to be political - then it's real!!), I'd like to point out that the reason why there's a lot of comic related stuff on the album, is simply because I live comics, I eat comics, I shit comics, I sleep comics, I f**ck comics, etc. Comics reflect the wishes, or hopes of individuals, to be better persons than they actually are, and even if it's not possible to reach that goal, then at least the dream lives on in a fully detailed, full colour, portrayed image. The title Planet Ultra is just a reflection of the world in our heads, when things get too boring, dull or hard to bear in life; it's things beyond the ordinary. No big deal! If you can't see it, you're not supposed to see it. If you can't hear it, you're not supposed to hear it!'