Universal Indicator serves as an acid house outlet for members of the label Rephlex. The collective formed as a result of the disappearance of many Chicago house masters once trance and progressive took over as the "it" way to make money from DJing and production. It was also inspired by producers such as Baby Ford, A Guy Called Gerald, and 808 State. The members of Universal Indicator wanted to focus on making a record that they themselves would buy, rather than just having big names on the record or catchy track titles and design. Though all the contributors to Univeral Indicator aren't exactly known, Richard D. James and Mike Dred have lent their skills to productions. James performs under the alias Martin Tressider, and Dred under Kosmik Kommando, The.

Four limited releases were put out by Universal Indicator on Rephlex, using the colours red, yellow, blue, and green as titles, respectively. Dred is thought to have produced Blue and Yellow, while James was probably behind Red and Green.