A Primary Industry- (Mostly Full) Discography

Got an email request for the early material of A Primary Industry, an incredibly underrated UK band who walked a fine line between the avant ghetto of SPK, 23 Skidoo, and A Certain Ratio and the ethereal textures of Cocteau Twins and Operating Theatre. While their lone LP Ultramarine was released in 1986, there are quite a few tracks that point heavily towards the shoegaze genre that was barely a glimmer across a pedalboard at the time.

That all said, A Primary Industry released most of their material on Sweatbox, an excellent label also responsible for the like-minded In the Nursery during their earlier and more experimental phase. The label also released a handful of Meat Beat Manifesto records, so you get an idea of some of the wildly oscillating moods and textures that can be found across all three bands. Otherwise, once A Primary Industry ran its course, the band morphed into Ultramarine (sharing the name with API’s lone LP), who released a series of more electronic/downtempo records in the 90s, and one in 2013. While Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond stayed on board for both projects, vocalist Jemma Mellerio left after Ultramarine’s first LP, Folk.

A Primary Industry’s work has been shared before, but at low bitrates that have since been scrubbed from the internet blogosphere. As their work is some of my very favorite, it was due time to dust off my copies of these records and share them across the board. Thanks also to Jeffo! for supplying a great rip of the band’s first 7”. I’ve uploaded the band’s four main singles and excellent LP from fresh rips, but have also included a handful of compilation tracks. I can’t take credit in any way for the lower bitrate comp rips, with the exception of the exclusive track from Bark, an excellent compilation from the Sweatbox label that also features The Anti Group, Perennial Divide, Meat Beat Manifesto, and In the Nursery. Just wanted to include the other comp tracks (minus Life at the Top, as the version of “Perversion” is identical to the 7” b-side, as is the mix of “Heart of Glass” from Bark) to complete the discography, more or less.

That said, if anyone has the elusive Real Time 6 compilation (or the exclusive track “Under Western Eyes”) I’d love to hear it, as that’s all we’re really missing here… Otherwise, enjoy!

A Primary Industry- At Gunpoint 7” (1984)
1. At Gunpoint
2. Perversion

Various Artists- Heures Sans Soleil LP (1985)
11. From This Prospect

A Primary Industry- 7 Hertz 12” (1986)
1. Cicatrice
2. Obeah
3. Biting Back
4. Bled Dry

A Primary Industry- Ultramarine (1986)
1. Body Blow
2. Beacon Hill
3. Shear
4. Sans Orange
5. Cicatrice
6. Watchword Weal
7. Gush
8. Raw Umber
9. Silesia
10. Rose Madder

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Various Artists- Suck (A Soundtrack For Everyday Living) LP (1986)
5. Rose Madder (Edit)

Various Artists- Abstract Magazine Issue 6 – Audio Visual LP (1986)
10. They’re Biting

A Primary Industry- Heart of Glass 7” (1987)
1. Heart of Glass
2. Where Is Your Vortex

A Primary Industry- Heart of Glass 12” (1987)
1. Heart of Glass A
2. Heart of Glass B

Various Artists- Vinile No. 1 7” (1987)
5. Fokker Bomb-Shit

Various Artists- Perdurabo LP (1987)
1. Watchword Weal (Remix)

Various Artists- Bark LP (1988)
9. Merde Alors

*download everything here*

When’s the last time we had a video here?! With that in mind, there’s a video for “Cicatrice” (the first track of theirs I heard, and the winner among winners). Enjoy!

15 Responses to “A Primary Industry- (Mostly Full) Discography”

  1. I’m 52 years old. I’ve heard a lot of music and I’ve collected a ton of great runes over the decades. And yet, I am still regularly stunned when a treasure trove of music I never knew existed – hell, an entire BAND I’d never heard of! – turns up on my doorstep. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to listen to this.

  2. Anyway you could post up the full comps that API appear on and not just their individual tracks?

    • Frankie Teardrop Says:

      super grateful.

      • That did come off incredibly ungrateful, which wasn’t my intention. I’m very sorry. I’ve been following SoR for about a decade and am incredibly grateful for some of the music you’ve introduced me to and some rips of out of print favorites.

        • Frankie Teardrop Says:

          We’re good! I do have rips of the comps I could share privately, but I prob won’t feature them here as I don’t often post things I didn’t rip or source through the kindness of friends.

          Feel free to email me and I can send you a few treats, perhaps!

  3. What Don said: I can’t improve on it or disagree with a word.

    Thank you very much!

  4. Incredible band… ethereal, darkness, minimal, sounds of shadows and lights… when god create post punk music… Thanks

  5. Thanks for filling in a few blanks for us, much appreciated!

  6. Ian Fryer Says:

    A new band on me and I’m really looking forward to hearing them. I’ve learned to trust the person who introduced me to Bunny and the Lakers!

    Thanks for the work you put in here.

  7. Minus my 2 cents worth, which is completely in accord with your intro (re underrated, Cocteau meets ACR, etc), this post is not only great but truly necessary. LTM claims the band members aren’t interested in re-issuing Ultramarine. And no one else seems to have an upload of 7 Hertz. T h a n k Y o u. (The Armchair Collective).

  8. I saw API at a small venue in London along with Throwing Muses – top gig!

    Many thanks for the rare compilation tracks.

  9. This is so so good. <3

  10. Alexandre Silva Says:

    Please… Fix the link!!!
    Thanxs!!!

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