Okay, now I’m really upset. After my ecstatic post the other day hailing the coming of Orbital’s next album, I’ve just read it will be their last. I almost cried.
Orbital is quite possibly my favorite “band” of all time. I listen to a lot of different styles of music, but most of my friends know me for my love of electronica (they usually just call it gay porn music). I discovered Orbital in the summer of 1996, while on a trip to King’s Dominion with my wife. Up until that point, my only exposure to electronica had been the Chemical Brothers and Future Sound of London. I liked the raw energy of both, but I knew there had to be more. We were staying two days at King’s Dominion, so we hit a local mall for some food. While there, I wondered into a music store and started browsing. I’d heard mention of Orbital in passing, but had never taken the time to find them until then. I purchased In Sides (their most recent at the time), and fell in love. I was hit with a barrage of sounds, both electronic and acoustic in nature, as well as a myriad of samples, all wonderfully layered. As I listened longer, unique patterns began to form in songs, which slide in, out, and around other patterns. The whole time I sat there and listened to it, I thought “so this is what electronica is supposed to be”.
Since that time, I have come to own all of their U.S. LP releases, and have begun to search for U.K. imports and singles with rare b-sides. Each album has its own sound, but they’re all infused with the spirit and style of Orbital. Every time I hear a new track, I’m reminded of that first listen to In Sides, I hear the layers build up, slide around, and fall apart. It makes me smile…
I have never found another artist that can match Orbital’s style, substance, and class. I’m quite certain I never will. Hats off to you, brothers Hartnoll, thanks for the music!
