Ulan Bator

Sharing its name with the capital of Mongolia, the experimental rock band Ulan Bator formed in France in the mid-'90s. The band originally counted Amaury Cambuzat (vocals, guitar, tapes), Olivier Manchion (bass, metal, tapes), and Franck Lantignac (percussion, trumpet) as its members. Lantignac was eventually replaced by Matteo Dainese. Their self-titled debut was issued in 1995 on the French label Les Disques Du Soleil Et De L'Acier. 2 Degrees was released the following year, gaining the band's first notice of consequence outside of their homeland -- Alternative Press cited it as one of the year's best. Polaire, a compilation, was released in 1997. Their third proper album, Vegetale, was released in the following year. They spent much of 1998 touring Europe, including a couple of dates opening for the like-minded Faust. Three weeks of intense recording sessions with Michael Gira in Italy during August of 1999 resulted in Ego: Echo. Released in late 2000 on Gira's Young God label (the group's first change of label), the association with the former Swans leader helped the band's exposure greatly, especially in the U.S.; until Ego: Echo, the band had produced themselves. Gira's background and understanding helped the band achieve something that they were pleasantly surprised with.