| Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann of The Orb at Culture Box in Copenhagen.The Orb are an English electronic music group known for popularising chill out music in the 1990s and spawning the genre of ambient house.Founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and KLF member Jimmy Cauty, The Orb began as ambient and dub DJs in London.Their early performances were inspired by ambient and electronic artists of the 1970s and 1980s, most notably Brian Eno and Kraftwerk.German producer Thomas Fehlmann.Alex Paterson prides The Orb on manipulating obscure samples beyond recognition in their albums and concerts; however, his unauthorised use of other artist's work has led to disputes with musicians such as Rickie Lee Jones.During their live shows of the 1990s, The Orb performed using digital audio tape machines optimised for live mixing and sampling before switching to laptops and digital media.Despite changes in their performance method, The Orb have maintained their colourful light shows and psychedelic imagery in concert.These visually intensive performances prompted many critics to compare The Orb to Pink Floyd.The Orb's critical and commercial success in the UK peaked in the early 1990s with their albums The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld and U.UK Albums Chart in 1992.This success led to their infamous appearance on Top of the Pops, where they showcased their quirky style by playing chess (an interest of Paterson's since his early youth) while the group's single "Blue Room" ran in the background.American publications such as Rolling Stone.The Orb shifted to the minimalist techno style spearheaded by member Thomas Fehlmann, releasing their new material on the record label Kompakt.Techniques, technology, live performances
3.It was released on Paterson and Glover's new record label WAU!London and landed a deal for The Orb to play the chill out room at London nightclub Heaven.Resident DJ Paul Oakenfold brought in the duo specifically as ambient DJs for his "The Land of Oz" event at Heaven.The Orb's performances became most popular among weary DJs and clubbers seeking solace from the loud, rhythmic music of the dancefloor.The Orb would build up melodies using multitrack recordings linked to multiple record decks and a mixer.Clip from The Orb's "Loving You" (which would later become "A Huge Ever Growing Brain..."Clip from The Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds", featuring vocal samples of Rickie Lee Jones.Throughout 1989, The Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings.The culmination of their musical work came towards the end of the year when The Orb recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1.For its release as a single on record label Big Life, The Orb changed the title to "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld".Soon thereafter, The Orb was commissioned by Dave Stewart to remix his top 20 single "Lily Was Here".The Orb obliged and was soon offered several more remix jobs from artists including Erasure and System 7.In 1990, Paterson and Cauty held several recording sessions at Cauty's studio, Trancentral.Due to these issues, Cauty and Paterson split in April 1990, with Paterson keeping the name The Orb.Space on KLF Communications.Jones pursued the issue in the legal system.Big Life chose to settle out of court for an undisclosed sum of money for use of her voice on The Orb's recording.Glover's other production obligations, he did not become a permanent member of The Orb.Clip from The Orb's near 40 minute version of "Blue Room", the longest single to chart in the UK.In 1991, Paterson invited energetic studio engineer Kris "Thrash" Weston to join The Orb.Along with producer Thomas Fehlmann and audio engineer Andy Falconer, The Orb completed several additional tracks for their first album, The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld.Weston's technical abilities and Hillages's guitar work allowed The Orb to craft panoramic sounds portraying aspects of space travel, most notably the launch of Apollo 11.Adventures sold well in the UK and received praise for its balance of ambient music, house music, and sampling.To promote the release of an edited single disc version for an American release, The Orb embarked on their first tour of the United States beginning in Phoenix, Arizona in October 1991.The Orb often used bizarre imagery, such as for their live album Live 93, the cover of which parodied Pink Floyd's Animals album cover.Top of the Pops where Patterson and Weston played a game of chess in space suits while footage of dolphins and an edited version of "Blue Room" ran in the background.Orb was released featuring "Blue Room" and, in the US release, The Orb's next single, "Assassin".Orb, combining "drum and bass rhythms" with "velvet keyboards" and "rippling synth lines".UK Albums Chart to the shock of critics, who were surprised that fans had embraced what journalists considered to be progressive rock.Despite The Orb's success, Paterson and Weston preferred to avoid personal publicity and instead allow their music to be the focus of attention.Because of this partial anonymity and The Orb's rotating membership, they are often recognised as more of a musical collective than a "band".Over the next year and a half, Paterson and Weston continued to produce new material, but releases stalled when Paterson began to feel that Big Life was trying to dictate the direction of The Orb's music.This led to intense disagreements with Big Life and The Orb soon left the label to sign a deal with Island Records.Their first release on Island Records was the live album Live 93, which gathered highlights from The Orb's recent performances in Europe and Asia.It featured The Orb's live crew of Paterson, Weston, producers Nick Burton and Simon Phillips, as well as audio engineer Andy Hughes, who had stepped in previously when Weston had decided to stop touring.The Orb's first studio production on Island Records was Pomme Fritz, a chaotic EP noted for its heavy use of strange samples and its lack of conventional harmonies.Soon after production finished on Pomme Fritz, Paterson, Weston, and Orb contributor Thomas Fehlmann joined with Robert Fripp to form the group FFWD as a side project.Modo label, which Fehlmann later described as "an Orb track which became so long that it became a whole album!".Soon after the release of FFWD in August 1994, Weston suddenly quit The Orb.Paterson claimed that Weston's departure was due to Weston's desire to have more control in The Orb.Paterson reaffirmed the status of The Orb saying, "The Orb is The Orb, and nothing can change that" and continued work with Hughes and Fehlmann.American critics, however, gave it great acclaim including Rolling Stone who made it their album of the month, citing the album's symphonic flow coupled with The Orb's "uniquely British wit".Despite high sales, Orblivion received a lukewarm reception from the UK press.As with Orbus Terrarum, Orblivion was better received by American critics, including Rolling Stone, who praised its "contrast of chaos and euphony".Meanwhile, the stresses of touring sat heavily on Paterson; he considered retiring The Orb, but ultimately continued touring and producing.Paterson and Fehlmann, along with usual collaborators Hughes, Burton, and Phillips, wrote and produced Cydonia for a planned 1999 release.Featured on the album were appearances from Robert Fripp, John Roome (Witchman), and Fil Le Gonidec, one of The Orb's live performers.The Orb's earlier work.NME harshly described it as "a stillborn relic, flawed throughout by chronically stunted ambitions" and describing its only appropriate audience to be "old ravers" seeking nostalgia.Not only did the album receive poor reviews, but The Orb was generally regarded by the UK press as past their prime and an "ambient dinosaur" out of place in the current dance music environment.After the release of Cydonia, Hughes left the group for undisclosed reasons, becoming "another acrimonious departure from The Orb" according to The Guardian.In 2001, Alex Paterson formed the record label Badorb.Cydonia, The Orb toured internationally, including their first visit to the United States in four years.The Orb, now composed of Paterson, Phillips and Fehlmannn, with guest John Roome, accepted an invitation to join the Area:One concert tour with Moby, Paul Oakenfold, and other alternative and electronic artists.Problems playing the files?The Orb left Island Records and released the album on Cooking Vinyl and Sanctuary Records.To promote the album, the band began a UK tour with dub reggae artist Mad Professor.Though The Orb still pulled in large crowds, The Guardian noted that they lacked the intensity found in their earlier performances.The Transit Kings performing at The Fringe Festival in Dublin.After two more EPs on Kompakt, The Orb (now composed of only Paterson and Fehlmann) released Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt, which featured new material in addition to tweaked versions of their previous Kompakt output.By this stage, the All Music Guide observed, Thomas Fehlmann had become the primary creative figure in The Orb, "inhibiting Alex Paterson's whimsical impulses".The Orb's releases with Kompakt gained The Orb back much of their musical credibility with the press and showed that The Orb could "age gracefully".The album featured appearances from The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and comedian Simon Day.Soon after the album's release, Cauty left the Transit Kings on "extended leave", leaving the project in indefinite limbo.Inspiration
The Orb's members have drawn from an assortment of influences in their music.The Orb's central figure, Alex Paterson, had early musical tastes and influences which included King Tubby, Alice Cooper, Prince, Kraftwerk, and T.Among these, Paterson cites Kraftwerk as one of the most important, claiming they created the foundation from which all modern dance music has been built.The reggae influence on Paterson and The Orb can readily be heard in tracks such as the single "Perpetual Dawn" and U.The earliest ambient influences of The Orb came in 1979 during Paterson's roadie days with Killing Joke.Along with Cluster and Kraftwerk, Paterson was also influenced by other German experimental music from Can and composer Karlheinz Stockhausen.Paterson has stated that The Orb's music is more influenced by experimental electronic music more so than progressive rock of the 1970s.The Orb's more recent influences consist largely of German techno producers, such as Triola, who themselves were inspired by The Orb's earlier work.Drug use
As chill out DJs in the late 1980s, The Orb often played to the needs of "the chemical generation" (ravers of the 1980s and 1990s), making music "to come down from drugs to".Paterson described The Orb's original intent as "basically about taking lots of drugs and going clubbing."Similarly, one of The Orb's early taglines was "Ambient house for the E generation".Drug references often turn up in tracks, such as "72" from Orblivion, which features a clip from Hair proclaiming "the youth of America on LSD!".The Orb's performances are noted for the use of psychedelic and science fiction images.Imagery has always been an important part of The Orb's persona.This is most prominent during live performances, where The Orb often projects surreal images against onstage screens.The Orb is also been noted for their original album art, which features much of the same imagery as their live act.Noted graphic design group The Designers Republic created the cover art for The Orb's earlier work, including Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld, U.For their next album, The Orb poked fun at their Pink Floyd comparisons with the cover of Live 93 featuring a floating stuffed sheep over the Battersea Power Station, which had appeared on the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals.Paterson has also dabbled in the creation of cover art himself, designing the cover of Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt.Science fiction and space
Some of the more prominent motifs in The Orb's work are outer space and science fiction, including alien visitations, space flight, and mind control.These have included The Orb's use of samples from serious sources such as NASA transmissions to comedic clips from films like Woody Allen's Sleeper.They used their equipment to harmonise recorded music and sound effect samples into an "endless sound continuum" for audiences of worn out dancers.Orb, The Orb performed using a digital audio tape machine and experimented with other media sources such as dubplates.Often, The Orb had a live musician accompanying them, such as Steve Hillage on guitar.Andy Hughes took Weston's place at live performances after the 1993 tour, though Weston did reappear for The Orb's concert at the rainy Woodstock '94.The next year, The Orb's touring group consisted of Paterson, Hughes, Nick Burton on percussion, and Simon Phillips on bass.This ensemble of live performers and electronic music created a "cacophony" of "gigantic, swarming sounds".The Orb's methods of studio music creation changed as well.For more recent albums such as Cydonia, The Orb used inexpensive equipment such as Korg's Electribe products, which Paterson described as employing more of a "bedroom techno" approach.Sampling and remixing
One of The Orb's most notable contributions to electronic music is their idea of blurring the distinction between sampling and remixing.Conversely, The Orb's remixes typically use only small sections of the original track, most notably in the case of their single "Toxygene".The Orb released the track themselves under the name "Toxygene", which further irritated Jarre, to whom Paterson retorted "The French are always five years behind us, anyway."Even though fans often try to guess the origins of many of The Orb's samples, Paterson states that they are rarely correct and that they would "die" if they discovered, for example, where the drums on "Little Fluffy Clouds" originated from.He has said that record labels have cautioned him, "Don't tell anyone where you got your samples until we get them cleared!".He and other members of The Orb record nature sounds for use on albums, most notably on FFWD and Orbus Terrarum.The Orb's combination of ambient music and sampling from lower fidelity audio sources often creates a "fuzzy texture" in the sound quality, depersonalising The Orb's music.The Orb has been a prolific remixing team, having completed over 80 commissioned remixes since 1989.Even during periods of label conflict and contractual limbo, The Orb found steady work remixing for artists including Depeche Mode, Lisa Stansfield, and Front 242.The Orb's remix of Nine Inch Nails' "The Perfect Drug", too, was described as "silly", as they made it sound like Trent Reznor was "drowning in his bathtub".Though Paterson maintains that much of The Orb's remix work is done to support other artists, he admits some of their remixes for major artists were performed so that The Orb could "pay the bills".Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions (Big Life)
1992: U.Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt (Kompakt)
2005: Orbsessions Volume One (Malicious Damage)
2007: Orbsessions Volume Two (Malicious Damage)
2007: The Dream (Traffic Inc.Daleth of Elphame EP (Badorb."Aftermath" (Sanctuary Records)
2004: The Orb vs.The Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age.The Rough Guide to Drum 'n' Bass.This phrase was printed on the reverse of the "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain...""KLF Communications Info Sheet Nine".Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld Review.Classical Composer Steve Reich Gets Remixed and Loves It.The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld Review.Brian Eno and the Ambient Series.The Orb: Pomme Fritz.The Orb: Orbus Terrarum.Orbus Terrarum: The Orb.The Orb Rolling Through U.The Orb: Brighton Concorde II.Area:One Festival's Details Come Into Focus.Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt Review.Talk time: Alex Paterson.The Orb Concert Review: Coronet, London.Okie Dokie Its The Orb on Kompakt.Okie Dokie, It's the Orb on Kompakt Review.Okie Dokie Its The Orb on Kompakt.Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty Part 2 Review.Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt.Dotmusic (retrieved from the Internet Archive).The Perfect Drug Editorial Review.Chart Stats: The Orb.External links
Official Website
The Orb at Discogs
The Orb discography at MusicBrainz
The Orb at Last.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.When you click the link to "Subscribe" you will be taken to a Feedburner Confirmation page outside of Myspace.Don't panic, once you have subscribed to The Orb Blog feed you can unsubscribe yourself at anytime and Feedburner has proved reliable and trustworthy so far.Guided, maybe you'd have a listen if you have a moment?Happy New Year, Mutant Soul!Hello,Thank you for adding your list!Keep the Orb mighty in 08!The Dream is fantastic!!Love Mis Sunshine Jaq xx.HELLO HELLO HAPPY NEW...!!!Keep the good tunes coming in 2008!That's on my birthday, honey :)I'll be in the front row in spirit!When i'm listening to your music i feel on a "Little Fluffy Cloud" which take's me a trip to the most beautiful place's on earth..Continue to be the best in 2008!Happy New Year 2008,i wish you serenity,love and...You're featured on my radio show "lekinky's exotica" on www.Sending love and best wishes to you and your family for 2008!Many thanks and kind regards,Dan.WISH YOU A MUSICAL AND SWEET POSITIV YEAR...WAITING FOR NEW TRACKS ON YOUR PLAYER !Wishing The Orb great adventures for the coming year!Hope you had a Corkin' Nu Years!It's called "FOOL" and I would appreciate any feedback you might have.FeedonSound on MySpaceAll the best for 2008Drop by anytime...HY, CHECK OUT MY NEW TRACK "ZIUWATANEO"!!!"Urgent Security Alert","Warning: You are submitting information to an outside site.This could be an attempt to steal your username and password.This is not a MySpace login page, please do not enter your MySpace login information (email address or password).Do you wish to continue your form submission?"Id + " Link: " + targetLink.It can be customized to a set of free channels, such
as market indices or weather in major cities.No computer or Internet connection required.Ambient president David Rose.This makes getting
information a 'glanceable' thing.Live with the Orb in your home or office.Sign in to get personalized recommendations.See all 82 customer reviews...Day Shipping at checkout.Amazon MP3 Downloads store.Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?FSCommands are received by VBScript in IE.Of("To view this content") !Track states defined in AlbumSampler."Embedding code will be displayed here."Essentially a techno album for tired dancers, it's held up nicely over time, thanks to its intricate, dreamy sonics.Send Orb ringtones to your cell phone now!Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.See all 348 customer reviews...The easiest way to shoot video reviews.The Orb weren't the first techno band, but they were techno's first major artistic success.The Orb, however, adopted rock's emphasis on the album as one cohesive statement, a collection of songs united by common themes.The Orb were not a musically inventive band.However, The Orb had excellent dramatic instincts.The Orb even used a few actual guitars, rarely found in early electronica.The music in this track, however, has little to do with brains or ruling, but evokes pristine scenes from nature with great clarity.One time, it so happened that I walked on a grassy, rocky shore by a sea.There were forests on both sides of me, rock formations behind me, endless water ahead of me, and not a soul in sight.So, I reclined on the grass and spent some time watching the waves, underneath a completely white sky.This is exactly the scene embodied by this track; nearly beatless, it's built around a clean, calm, majestic sounding keyboard melody, played relentlessly for all nineteen minutes, but gliding in and out of different keys from time to time, while some kind of male choir sings in the background.Detail is added by the sound of rushing water, shifts in volume, and numerous samples.The track derives some immediacy from being a live recording, all nineteen minutes of it.Unfortunately, it did The Orb little good.After releasing another album in 1992, they got mired in label troubles for three years, and in that time, the electronica crown had been seized forever by bands like Underworld and Orbital.Worse, those bands were better producers and musicians than The Orb, so even before the advent of jungle, Paterson and company's sound became out of step.Anyone with an interest in electronica wouldn't do badly to get it.Was this review helpful to you?"Thanks for the valuable feedback you provided to other Amazon.Your vote will be counted and will appear on the product page within 24 hours."What plaything do you have for me today?Most of this album is far less straightforward, but, in the final analysis, no less enjoyable.Was this review helpful to you?Still, you won't believe it how much the sound of this album is inspired by '70s space rockers like Pink Floyd, Gong, and Steve Hillage.And indeed, The Orb themselves have always claimed that they were big fans of '70s progressive rock music.Was this review helpful to you?See all 82 customer reviews...Published 10 days ago by Christina E.The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld
I can't believe no one has reviewed this album.Published on January 3, 2006 by C.Published on August 23, 2005 by J."Trip" Through the Universe
The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Underworld may officially be called techno, but it's hardly dance music.The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld succeeds with ego crushing absoluteness.This is a masterpiece
This is a masterpiece by some of the greatest electronic musicians and a must have for any electronic music's fan.Orb (I have quite a lot from them) and from any band for that matter.See all 82 customer reviews...Be the first person to add an article about this item at Amapedia.What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing Items Like This?My Top 20 Albums "no specific order..."Music You Should Hear: Artists' PicksWant to know what Norah Jones, Sting, and Il Divo are listening to?Find out in Music You Should Hear, where these and other artists tell you about the music they love.Off Your StairMaster and Nautilus Purchase
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1,230,273 plays scrobbled on Last.The Orb is a British electronic music band known for pioneering the genre of ambient house.The Orb is heavily influenced by dub music, and much of their later output has been in the electronic dub category, more so than ambient house.Alex Paterson (full name Duncan Robert Alex Paterson) and Jimmy Cauty (one half of The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and later The KLF).In return Paterson worked on Hillage's System 7 project.Add this track to your playlist
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U.Totally sweet stuff right hurr.Their mixes of Depeche Mode, Sun Electric and a few others are labelled this way.It caused confusion due to Orbitals subsequent appearance and success and that is why The Orb stopped titling remixes this way.Latest album isnt that good i have to say, still love Orb though.If you are a show promoter, a gig organiser, a friend or just a mate of someone who might be able to help out....Live Bookings (The Orb)
contact: Alex Nightingale
ec1 music agency
alex at ec1music.More stuff to arrive soon on last.Haven't had a chance to sample the new album, I definitely will given the chance (despite the negative reviews I've read).Orb' is his best ever for sheer epic downtempo yet danceable greatness.Their new album is unmistakenly Orb, but I do wish they'd be able to give us another Orblivion...Certainly their best album since Orbvs Terrarvm.Orbus Terrarum or Pomme Fritz ....Web Site Support
Last.Welcome to the new home of the ORB on the web!The ORB is an academic site, written and maintained by medieval scholars for the benefit of their fellow instructors and
serious students.NOTE: ORB'S OCLC number is 35987956.Last updated 10 November 2002.Writing a Research paper?Start your ORB explorations here!They are fully copyrighted but available for classroom use.You've seen the movie, now read the book(s)...English towns and churches.Links to excerpts and full texts from primary and secondary sources, housed here at the ORB server or elsewhere on the World Wide Web.Who we are, what we do, how to contact us, becoming a contributor, and statistics on site use.The Editor would like to thank the College of Staten Island, CUNY, for hosting the ORB.The College has generously provided the hardware and technical expertise to keep the ORB going.The Editor would especially like to thank Assistant President for Information Technology, Dr.ORB's Acknowledgements and History. |
