August 19, 2008 sees the release Alchemy: G.S.T. Reloaded double-CD/download. It is the follow-up-and perfect companion album-to her critically acclaimed 2007 album, Grime, Silk & Thunder.
Disc 1 is a set of spanking new-as well as previously unreleased-mixes from her “Grime, Silk & Thunder” album by a posse of the world’s top remixers, among them Bimbo Jones, Kenny Dope, Quentin Harris, Morgan Page, Craig C., Mood II Swing, DJ Spen, TIkaro and DFA. The first single, just released, is the “Automatic 2008 Remixes,” released due to popular demand by DJs and fans alike. The next single/video is new promo favorite, “Twisted.”
Disc 2, marks Ultra’s first ever commercially released DJ mix compilation-“The Sugar Sessions 01”-a sah-lamming set of additional remixes from the “G.S.T.” album, mixed by DJ Ultra Naté herself.
Here follows the original, updated, Grime, Silk & Thunder bio.
Grime, Silk & Thunder may serve as the ideal, if intriguing, title of Ultra Naté’s new disc, but something along the lines of Resilience, Regal and Real could best describe her well-established position in pop and dance music.
Ever since Ultra released the internationally renowned deep house classic, “It’s Over Now” with the esteemed Basement Boys in 1989, which led to her equally eminent debut album, Blue Notes in the Basement (Warner Bros., 1991), Ultra has been a perennial force in dance music, regardless of idiomatic styles. Considering the ephemeral nature of dance/electronica music (e.g. Hot today, gone tomorrow), Naté’s endurance attests to her musical acumen. She attributes solid songwriting and being a true artist, as opposed to an anonymous voice, to her longevity. “I’m a songwriter. I’ve written about 95 percent of my material,” Naté explains. “In that music, there’s a very specific personality that comes across, which really transcends the dance-floor moment and becomes a part of people’s lives.”
Ultra’s music not only “transcends the dance-floor moment,” it traverses various styles. Next to her instantly recognizable husky voice, her sheer versatility serves as a high trump card. On Grime, Silk & Thunder, she covers the waterfront of pop, club and DJ culture, ranging from glittery, anthemic, crystal ball swirling gems like “Give It All You Got,” “Star,” and a revisited Naté classic “Scandal” to the technosoul of the Pointer Sisters cover “Automatic” and the bouncy, electro pop ode to her new son, Izaya with” Falling” to seductive, R&B-inflected midtempo joints like “Feel Love,” “This House” and an inspired makeover of her breakthrough single, “It’s Over Now.” Ultra admirably channels early-’80s club reggae (think Sly & Robbie’s work with Grace Jones and Gwen Guthrie) on “Love’s the Only Drug” (which simultaneously alludes to the legendary Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte), “Lethal Shot” and “Slow Grind” then effortlessly channels vintage Philadelphia International soul with the Teddy Pendergrass’ inspired “Getaway.”
With all its stylistic variety, Grime, Silk & Thunder proceeds like a bona fide album versus a collection ofunrelated singles. Naté and longtime manager and co-producer Bill Coleman also made a conscientious decision to ensure that each song showcased Ultra’s distinct and varied personalities but were state of the dancefloor. “I definitely wanted it to be a DJ-oriented record, because people are really checking for the DJ-ready songs. There’s a possibility to play every track on the album in various club atmospheres or on the radio,” she says.
Naté and Coleman also recruited an international cadre of A-list producers alongside some very talented newcomers. The 14-song collection features contributions from the likes of Eric Kupper, Quentin Harris, Dajae, Andre Levin (Yerba Buena), Mood II Swing, N’Dea Davenport (Brand New Heavies), MorganPage, 2007 Grammy nominees GoodandEvil (Naty Botero), The Muthafunkas, Double Deuce, Funky Junction, Chris Willis (David Guetta) and Jens Bergmark. The legendary StoneBridge not only produced the infectious international club and Top 10 pop hit “Freak On” but also mixed the entire album. As statedbefore, Naté is no mere ingénue singer; she was hands-on in the production of all of the tracks, particularly the studio wizardry of her voice. “As an artist, you really want to grow. I know my musical abilities and I’m trying to expand upon them. All of these songs went through many stages of evolution,” Naté.
When asked about the new disc’s provocative title, Ultra again illustrates her enormous musical swath by mentioning the heroic ’90s grunge band Nirvana. “The idea came from a Rolling Stone magazine article about Nirvana,” she says. “They said Nevermind was a great mix of grime, silk and thunder. That’s a real cool concept of what a record should really be about. In relationship to me, it had an elemental feeling, kind of like earth, wind and fire but in an edgier form.”
Naté’s edgy artistry at once recalls the fierceness of Grace Jones, the sensuality of Donna Summer and the riot girl soulfulness of Nona Hendryx. Adding more ammunition to Ultra, the singer, songwriter and producer, is being a DJ and record producer.
Rocking the decks for over five years at Deep Sugar (at the Paradox every 2nd Saturday) Ultra has secured gigs in Australia, Montreal, Brazil, the UK (at Ministry Of Sound, no less) and France, where she drops a regular radio mix on the respected dance station, Radio FG. [More: Read the “10 Q&As With DJ Ultra Naté” on penetrationinc.com.]
On the production tip, Ultra owns Blufire (on which she releases her own records via Tommy Boy) and the Deep Sugar Music label, an imprint which is released under the Strictly Rhythm umbrella that is affiliated with her Sugar party. Releases are scheduled for singles by R&B /Dance diva Sybil (“Shining Star”) and two new artists: Jada (“Beatutiful”) and Lisa Mack.
The residency at Club is very close to Ultra, because Baltimore is her hometown, where she first came in contact with the club scene. While in college, she intended on pursuing a career in medicine. But one life-alternating night at Baltimore’s O’Dells changed that. “I had never really been exposed to nightclub life until I went to this club. The energy was so powerful and incredible! It was just a completely overwhelming experience. I was immediately addicted,” she recalls.
At O’Dells, Naté met producer Thomas Davis (who reunites here with Ultra on the song “Falling”), formerly of the Basement Boys, who were in search of various singers to accompany their house tracks. The first song Ultra recorded with them was “It’s Over Now,” which first spread throughout the underground deep house scene, from Baltimore to Tony Humphries in New Jersey and New York City to across the Atlantic with Norman Jay in London. The song became a global phenomenon that led to Ultra being signed to Warner Bros. in the U.K.
1991’s Blue Notes in the Basement kicked off Naté’s career as an artist who could deliver albums as opposed to a string of singles. Songs like “Deeper Love” and “Rejoicing” became instant DJ staples. Her follow-up Warner Bros. album, One Woman’s Insanity (1994) also garnered critical praise, thanks to its club smashes, “How Long” “Joy” and “Show Me.” Ultra’s following two albums, Situation Critical (1998)and Stranger Than Fiction (2001) were released on the venerable Strictly Rhythm label, both of which solidified her reputation as an enduring songstress and a platinum selling artist with radio, video and club favorites such as, the now-classic “Free,” “Found A Cure”, “Desire”, “Twisted” and “Divine Love.” Contributions to films such as the cult mainstay “Party Girl” (Ultra wrote and performed its title theme) and Ô54’ (Ultra along with Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez ushered in the soundtrack’s hit single “If You Could Read My Mind”) continue to endear fans around the globe.
Over the last 16 years, Ultra has had the fortune of working with an array of acclaimed and varied producers / collaborators and visual artists including such luminaries as Nellee Hooper, Masters At Work, David Lachapelle, Lenny Kravitz, Deee-lite, Murlyn Music, Blaze, Eric Johnson, Armand Van Helden, Charles Stone, Soulshock, Cutfather and Karlin, Nona Hendryx, Dah-Len, the Berman Brothers, 4 Hero, Bart Everly, Attica Blues, D-Influence, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, World Of Wonder and Robert Clivilles.
The sparkling Grime, Silk & Thunder, Naté’s fifth album and now Alchemy, her sixth amount to another benchmark in that its released, in partnership with Tommy Boy Records, on her own boutique imprint, Blufire. In an era of 15-minute divas, the album is an apt and passionate portrait of a remarkable, versatile singer, songwriter, producer, who’s survived the cutthroat music business by being resilient, regal and real.
In mid-2009 it was announced that U.S. R&B songstress Michelle Williams, previously of Destiny's Child has collaborated on a song with Ultra called "I'm Waiting On You", for use on both of their next studio albums.[3] In 2010 Ultra has released a Bob Sinclar remix of her classic hit "Free" on Strictly Rhythm. "Give It 2 U" in collaboration with Quentin Harris for his album "Sacrifice" which is considered a preview of an upcoming duet project between Ultra and Quentin called "Black Stereo Faith". She also released "Destination" in collaboration with Tony Moran which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Dance Play chart. "Destination" was the second single off Tony's album, Mix Magic Music.
In 2010 she released an EP titled "Things Happen At Night" featuring Ultra's pop and soul melodies and vocal stylings over manic percussive club beats done by Unruly productions. In September 2011 she submitted a song to represent Switzerland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, to be held in Azerbaijan.
January 2011 is slated for the release of Ultra's new single with Strictly Rhythm on her Deep Sugar label imprint called "Turn It Up" with a music video directed by Leo Herrara. "Turn It Up" is the first single to be released from her sixth studio album to be titled "Hero Worship" released on July 23, 2013.
Official site: www.ultranate.com.
Automatic
Ultra Naté Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm utterly at your whim
All of my defenses down
Your camera looks through me
With its X-ray vision
And all systems run aground
All I can manage to push from my lips
Is a stream of absurdities
Every word I intended to speak
Wind up locked in the circuitry
[Chorus]
No way to control it
It's totally automatic
Whenever you're around
I'm walking blindfolded
Completely automatic
All of my systems are down
Down, down, down
Automatic
Automatic
What is this madness
That makes my motor run
And my legs too weak to stand?
I go from sadness
To exhilaration
Like a robot at your command
My hands perspire and shake like a leaf
Up and down goes my temperature
I summon doctors to get some relief
But they tell me there is no cure
They tell me...
[Chorus]
In the song "Automatic" by Ultra Naté, the artist describes the overwhelming power that another person has over her when they are around. She is at their mercy and her defenses are completely down. The person's gaze feels like X-ray vision, penetrating deep into her soul. Despite her attempts to speak clearly, she finds herself speaking nonsense and behaving like a robot controlled by the other person. She cannot control the strong emotions within her body, and seeks medical help to alleviate the symptoms, but is told there is no cure.
The lyrics of this song symbolize the experience of falling madly in love with someone and feeling utterly powerless around them. The imagery of a camera with X-ray vision represents the gaze of the other person, who sees through the artist's mask to the vulnerable person within. The use of language related to technology, such as "locked in the circuitry," "systems run aground," and "robot at your command," emphasizes the idea of being completely at the mercy of the other person. The chorus further underscores this feeling of lack of control, as the artist describes being completely automatic and walking blindfolded whenever the other person is around.
Line by Line Meaning
Look what you're doing to me
You're having a huge impact on me
I'm utterly at your whim
I do everything you want me to
All of my defenses down
I'm not protecting myself anymore
Your camera looks through me
You see everything about me
With its X-ray vision
You see everything deep inside of me
And all systems run aground
I'm unable to function normally
All I can manage to push from my lips
I only say things that make no sense
Is a stream of absurdities
My words don't make any logical sense
Every word I intended to speak
The words I wanted to say
Wind up locked in the circuitry
They don't come out and remain inside me
No way to control it
I can't help the way I'm feeling
It's totally automatic
My reactions just happen, without me thinking
Whenever you're around
Whenever I'm with you
I'm walking blindfolded
I'm not thinking rationally anymore
Completely automatic
My reactions just happen without thinking
All of my systems are down
I'm not functioning properly
What is this madness
What is happening to me?
That makes my motor run
That makes me feel so strongly
And my legs too weak to stand?
And makes me feel physically weak
I go from sadness
I have extreme mood swings
To exhilaration
From extreme sadness to extreme happiness
Like a robot at your command
I'm controlled by you
My hands perspire and shake like a leaf
I feel physically nervous around you
Up and down goes my temperature
I feel hot or cold suddenly
I summon doctors to get some relief
I seek medical help
But they tell me there is no cure
They can't cure me of the way I'm feeling
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus again
Lyrics © DO WRITE MUSIC LLC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TROY COLEMAN, JOHN D. RICH, ADAM SHOENFELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RBS_
....Ultra hit#1 Dance (April 2007) with this DRASTIC cover of the Pointer Sisters' classic from 1983 / 1984...let's peek at the Dance charts, when Ultra ruled the top...(cont.)
10. Pegate (Remixes) - Ricky Martin
9. Read My Mind (remixes) - The Killers
8. Gimme Gimme (Disco Shimmy) - Frankie Knuckles
7. Make It Happen - Maya Azucena
6. Rise - Samantha James
5. Drums In the Club - DJ Russ Harris
4. It's My Life - S-Blush
3. With Love (remixes) - Hillary Duff
2. Discotech - Young Love
1. **Automatic (Remixes)** - Ultra Nate (1 week)
@GaymingAndStuff
Who else is still rocking the hell out of this in 2020?
@68mitzy
Me me me
@aaronwise1089
Fuck... I am rocking it out in 2021 currently as I am posting this comment
@arthurwarnock8516
2022!!
@manuelquijada1520
August 28th
@richardcrooks11
2023!
@jnuss2012
The whole club scene in "Looking" with this song gives me life! I'm going to miss that show!
@tinoaguero8901
i never get tired of hearing this version.. Ultra Nate is amazing...
@dominuspax9579
I saw you live in Columbus Ohio and at the time we were OBSESSED with your music! It was at AXIS. You rock!
@Max-wm4yt
I still cant get over LOOKING MOVIE, i just cant