In 1982, he met Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard on the Isle of Dogs, London and joined Dead Can Dance on drums and percussion and, and the following year was signed with DCD to the 4AD label.

While Ulrich and Lloyd remained the linchpins, the project involved upwards of 50 musicians, largely drawn from the New York scene, as well as a vast array of instruments, and in June 2015 TPUC staged a showpiece performance at NYC's Webster Hall with a 17-strong band.

In 2021, Ulrich was invited to contribute extensively to the Tenzin album Echoes working with singer/songwriter Lisa Tenzin-Dolma and long-time guitarist with The Proclaimers, Zac Ware.

He also contributed to both the first and last albums in the highly acclaimed folk compilation series John Barleycorn: Dark Britannica on the Cold Spring label, the latter being a specially commissioned song "Lammas Dance".

2022 saw Ulrich debut as an author with the publication of his memoir Drumming with Dead Can Dance and Parallel Adventures (Red Hen Press), and with his first novel in the pipeline for which he also plans a companion soundtrack album.