Orbital are an electronic duo from Sevenoaks, England, consisting of brothers Phil Hartnoll and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, however in 2008 it was announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill[1], in addition to a number of other live shows in 2009[1]. The band's name was taken from Greater London's orbital motorway, the M25, which was central to the early rave scene and party network in the South East during the early days of acid house [2]. One of the biggest names in British electronica during the 1990s, Orbital were both critically and commercially successful, and known particularly for their element of live improvisation during shows, a rarity within techno acts. They were initially influenced by early electro and punk rock.
Early years
In 1989 Orbital recorded "Chime" on their father's cassette deck, which they released on Oh Zone Records in December 1989, and then re-released on FFRR Records a few months later. The track became a rave anthem, reaching number 17 in the UK charts and earning them an appearance on Top of the Pops, during which they wore anti-Poll Tax t-shirts.[5]. A few singles and EPs followed, and their first self-titled album, a collection of tracks recorded at various times, was released in late 1991.
In late 1992, the Radiccio EP barely reached the UK top forty, but it included one of their most popular songs, "Halcyon". This song featured a backwards sample of Kirsty Hawkshaw from "It's a Fine Day" (a chart hit for Opus III earlier that year), and B-side "The Naked and the Dead" was similarly based on a line from Scott Walker's rendition of Jacques Brel's song "Next". "Halcyon" was dedicated to the Hartnolls' mother, who was addicted to the tranquiliser Halcion (Triazolam) for many years.[6].
The duo's popularity grew rapidly with the release of their second album, titled Orbital 2, in 1993. The album featured complex arrangements and textures, and opens with the two-minute track "Time Becomes", which comprises nothing more than two slightly detuned, looped samples of a Michael Dorn line from Star Trek: The Next Generation, "...where time becomes a loop" being played simultaneously through the left and right channels, respectively (until one cycle of phase difference has happened). This same sample was used at the beginning of "the Mobius", the opening track in the previous album. This audio pun was intended to make listeners believe that they had bought a mis-pressed album (Orbital 1 packaged as Orbital 2). The album reached #28 on the UK album charts, staying in the top chart for fifteen weeks. "Halcyon" was remixed for the album, as "Halcyon + On + On". The version played live has also gained notoriety amongst fans for containing a complete mashup of diverse samples including "You Give Love a Bad Name" by the band Bon Jovi, "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" by Belinda Carlisle, and most recently "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by the band The Darkness. The first two albums are commonly known as "the green album" and "the brown album", after the colour of their covers.[2].
[edit] 1994 breakthrough
Orbital won a NME award for Vibes Best Dance Act early in 1994, but it was their headline appearance at the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 1994 that brought them most attention. Q magazine classed it as one of the top 50 gigs of all time, and in 2002 included Orbital in their list of 50 Bands to See Before You Die.[3] Orbital gave an improvisational element to live electronic music as the brothers mixed and sequenced their tracks on the fly, wearing their trademark head-mounted torches behind banks of equipment. Orbital were one of the few electronic acts invited to play at Woodstock '94.
The third album, Snivilisation, was released in August 1994. Alison Goldfrapp provided vocals on a couple of the tracks, including the single "Are We Here?". This track also included a sample from "Man at C&A" by The Specials. Among the remixes of "Are We Here?" was "Criminal Justice Bill?" - four minutes of silence, a reference to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which was in part intended to clamp down on the rave scene which had given birth to Orbital. The other track with Goldfrapp vocals, "Sad But True", was remixed for the Times Fly EP, the band's only release in 1995.[7].
The single "The Box" was released in April 1996, reaching number 11 in the UK, and its parent album In Sides, released in May 1996, became their second Top Five album. It revealed a less obviously dance-oriented sound than previously, and had more in common with soundtrack music. In Sides has since come to be considered one of their most critically well-regarded works. As with the previous album, there was a vague theme of ecological disaster and dissatisfaction with society.[2].
The following year, the duo contributed to film soundtracks (The Saint, Event Horizon) and enjoyed the biggest singles of their career, with a live version of "Satan" and their reworking of the aforementioned The Saint theme both reaching number three in the UK. 1997 also saw the inclusion of the In Sides track "Out There Somewhere (Part 2)" in the long-awaited game series relaunch Test Drive 4.[4]
[edit] Later albums
1998 saw a return to the studio to work on their fifth album The Middle of Nowhere. This was released in 1999, becoming their third top five album, and was a return to a more upbeat style, with Alison Goldfrapp returning on vocals, and included the single "Style" featuring the stylophone.[8]. In 2000 the single "Beached" was released from the soundtrack to the film The Beach, mixing the brothers' musical style with a melody by Angelo Badalamenti and the words of Leonardo DiCaprio from the film.
2001's The Altogether featured guest vocals by the Hartnolls' brother-in-law David Gray, a sampled Ian Dury, and a version of the Doctor Who theme. It was to be their last album for FFRR, and had a mixed critical reception. The following year, Work 1989-2002 collected various singles from "Chime" onwards.
Orbital split up in 2004[9]. They played a final series of gigs from June through July 2004 at the Glastonbury Festival, the T in the Park Festival in Scotland, the Oxegen festival (formerly known as Witnness) in Ireland, and the Wire Festival in Japan, concluding with a live Peel Session gig at Maida Vale Studios in London on 28 July 2004. The release of their seventh and last original album, Blue Album (which, unlike the untitled previous green and brown albums, was actually named "Blue Album"), coincided with this final wave of shows. The album featured Sparks (on "Acid Pants") and Lisa Gerrard (on the final single, "One Perfect Sunrise").
[edit] Following the break up
Paul Hartnoll continues to record music under his own name, including tracks for the new Wipeout Pure game for the PSP[10]. He released his first full length solo album, entitled The Ideal Condition on the ACP record label in June 2007.[2].
Phil Hartnoll formed a new electronica duo, Long Range, with Nick Smith. Their debut album, Madness and Me, was released on their own label, Long Range Recordings, on 6th August 2007. In 2008, as Long Range, they signed to commercial management company Angel Artists, [5] which also represent musicians such as Dave Ball (of Soft Cell), The Grid, Paul Dakeyne & Icehouse Project[11]. He lives in Brighton with his three sons, Louis, Milo and Conrad.
Orbital released a two-CD/DVD compilation Orbital: Live at Glastonbury 1994-2004 on 11 June 2007. The collection contains over two hours of music recorded during the group's performances at the festival over the course of a decade of appearances there.
On 21 November 2008, Orbital announced they would be reforming to play a gig together called "20 years after Chime" at The Big Chill Festival 2009. They precede this show with a headline performance at Rock Ness 2009 in June [6].
On 26 January 2009, Loopz announced confirmed dates. "The Orbital reformation gathers momentum with headline shows now confirmed for Manchester and London this September." [7].
On 17 April 2009, it was announced that Orbital would be playing at The Electric Picnic in September 2009.
On 16 June 2009, Orbital plans to release a 2-CD collection of their favorite tracks. The collection, simply called "20", will cover the 20 years since 'Chime' and contain 20 tracks. This compilation is the most definitive summary of our work since Chime came out in 1989, says Paul Hartnoll.
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