We live in a time of extraterrestrial hopes and anxieties.
~~ Martin Amis

Are we unique? Are we something com- utterly special in the universe? Or are we an example of many many different civilizations that have emerged, many many different lifeforms?
~~ Sample, "Are We Here?"

Science Friction

Formed by Paul and Phil Hartnoll in Sevenoaks (England) in 1990, Orbital is one of Britain's most creative cross-over electronica acts. Orbital was first associated with early 1990s Acid House culture: the group was named after the M-25 (the London Orbital), which The Guardian called "the Sunset Strip of acid house parties" (raves). They are mentioned alongside Aphex Twin, Underworld, The Orb, and Future Sound of London as exponents of arthouse and introspective electronica, in contrast to extroverted rock-influenced artists like The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers. Their strange journey to global eminence also charted the growth of ambient experimentalism to Ambient House.

Orbital released their debut single "Chime" in 1989, which reached number 17 on the UK charts. "Chimes" became an anthem for the Ecstasy Generation. When the group was invited to play Top Of The Pops in 1990, the Hartnoll Brothers wore anti-Poll Tax t-shirts, the first overt hint of their subversive political conscience.

The first album Orbital (WEA/London/Sire, 1991) became known as The "Green" Album by fans. Featuring the singles "Chime", "Satan" and "Fahrenheit 303", Orbital was the first bloom of exotic fauna in an as-yet unmapped territory. The opener "Belfast" was hauntingly beautiful, "The Moebius" sampled Star Trek: The Next Generation, and "Desert Storm" quotes from the mystic Hildegard of Bingen. The album signalled a shift away from personality-driven pop imagery to a more intimate producer/audience dyad.

A Blip in the 2012 Acceleration Curve

During the 1992 Communion tour with Meat Beat Manifesto and Ultramarine, the Hartnolls tested material-in-progress for audience feedback. They relied on live sequencers to create new shows each night, instead of DAT routines; this suited the nightclubs and dancefloors that Orbital played. This material became Orbital 2 (WEA/London/Sire, 1992), also known as The "Brown" Album. For many ravers, tracks like "Lush" and "Halcyon On + On" were revelatory experiences, and the album became a benchmark that subsequent albums were judged against (the power of imprinting on fans!). The ten minute track "Impact (The Earth Us Burning)" revealed that the Hartnoll Brothers had assimilated orchestral movements into their epic soundscapes, creating a sonic depth that was to prove enduring.

Forced by an American promoter into a package deal to attract larger crowds, Orbital joined NASA's "See The Light Tour" (1993), which featured Aphex Twin, Moby and Vapourware (an act included on the bill at the behest of London Records). Orbital then released the Diversions remix EP (WEA/London/Sire, 1992). Having proved that electronica could have a meditative dimension, the Orbital chrysalis began to metamorphose into new horizons.

Quality Seconds

More than ten years after its genesis, most 'dance' has been consigned to the club ghetto of 4/4 robotic rhythms or introspective tripping. What set Orbital apart was the sculptural quality and malleability of its computer music, and the band's willingness to morph into new forms. This became apparent on the transitional album Snivilization (WEA/London, Sire, 1994), considered Orbital's most experimental release to date. Snivilzation fused layered ambience, House, classical forms and world music with stunning agitprop samples. The opening track "Forever" merged the specter of Televangelists with environmental destruction and colonialist policies. "I Wish I Had Duck Feet" juxtaposed samples from a circus freakshow with "beauty myth" advertisements. "Philosophy By Numbers" sampled British education advertisements that promoted philosophy and technology, mocking the crackdown on the UK rave scene and youth policies.

The album also featured guest vocalist Allison Goldfrapp on "Sad But True" and "Are We Here?". A close friend of Phil Hartnoll, Goldfrapp would subsequently appear on Tricky's Maxinquaye (Universal/Mercury, 1995). Snivilization exulted a blueprint for new activism: fans could go beyond experiencing political/spiritual liberation through music, by using samples and sounds as cultural warfare. The anti-establishment rage had created an aural landmark, a harbinger of the geopolitical hotspots to come.

Orbital toured heavily between 1993 and 1996, playing many festivals, including the Fordham Park Festival (1993), Glastonbery Festival (1994 and 1995), Tribal Gathering (1995), Feile Festival (1995), the Earth Energy Festuval (1996) and Chelmsford Festival (1996).

Escaping The Boxed Universe

Although structurally nebulous, Orbital's music morphs from psychotropic vortices to gorgeous, hovering atmospherics. They spent the next eighteen months recording In Sides (WEA/London/Sire, 1996). Orbital's political conscience was evident from the opening track "The Girl With The Sunshine In Her Head", recorded using Greenpeace's Cyrus solar generator, and dedicated to photographer Sally Harding. "Dwr Budr" (Welsh for "Dirty Water") referenced the Sea Empress oil tanker spill (February 1996) in the Welsh port of Milford Haven, that polluted over 100km of coastline. Snivilization had proclaimed its messages upfront whereas In Sides was less strident and more subdued.

In Sides was also a commercial breakthrough. "Petrol" was featured in the popular game Wipeout. The first single "The Box" was promoted on MTV's "120 Minutes": this legendary clip was directed by Jen Benstock and Luke Losey, and starred Tilda Swinton, who subsequently appeared in The Beach (2000). The exposure gained them a Lollapalooza Festiva berth.

The album closer was "Out There Somewhere?", an epic twenty-four minute track that shifted from edy darkness and cavernous spaces (Part 1) to neo-minimalist orchestration (Part 2), transforming electronica's repetitive beats into light streaming through stained glass windows. They played the Royal Albert Hall in May 1996.

No surprise that Orbital desired to create film soundtracks. They collaborated with Michael Kamen on Event Horizon: Selections From The Motion Picture (Universal/London Classics, 1997), remixed The Saint theme (WEA/London/Sire, 1997), and provided a "Satan" remix (with Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett) for the Spawn (Sony/Columbia, 1997) soundtrack.

Way Out

Orbital's orbit had drifted ever-closer to mainstream success. Middle of Nowhere (WEA/London/Sire, 1999) seemed more commercial and upbeat on the surface. The album's sonic blueprint was emotive sounds and live sampling. "Way Out" sampled horns, "Style" featured bagpipes. "Nothing Left 1 & 2" continued Orbital's epic pieces, "I Don't Know You People" glanced backward at Snivilization, and "Otono" featured haunting vocals. Tracks like "Know Where To Run" (featured on the game Wipeout 3) and "Spare Parts Express" played with hypnotic layering and stylistic conventions.

2001 finds Orbital releasing The Altogether (WEA/London/Sire, 2001) in CD and DVD Audio. The band's experiment with greater diversity and shorter tracks has alienated some older fans, who expected "coherence" and epic ten-minute raves. Yet tracks like "Doctor ?" (a tribute to the classic BBC series), "Oi!" (a tribute to Ian Drury) and "Funny Break (One Is Enough)" run the gamut from electro-surf to old school atmospherics to melodic and upbeat moodscapes. The Altogether finds Orbital experimenting with samples and featuring collaborative vocalists like Naomi Bedford and David Gray. Delicate musical ecologies can still be found.