Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Wednesday, September 03, 2003
THE ORB STORY
The first official Orb recording is enclosed in a compilation entitled Eternity Project One released in February 1989. The track is Tripping On Sunshine and the compilation features Jimmy Cauty (credited as Rockman), Youth (credited as Eternity), and Thrash (credited as Bass). Previously, in 1983, a promo had been released entitled Mr. Smiley DJ Pre-release with the track Let Jimmy Take Overdue Mix featuring Alex Paterson.
In May 1989 the Kiss EP is released that had already been included in a compilation entitled Dancebuster Vol. 1 - Suck My Kiss; the record, originally printed in only 1000 copies, sold out shortly and was reprinted by the Wau! Mr. Modo label founded by Paterson, Youth and Adam Modo. This track comes from a collection of tape cuts collected by Alex at the legendary New York Kiss FM radio in the early Eighties. This track is already valued by collectioners at something like £100.
In October that year the 12" A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Loving You) is released; with this 23 minute track a new frontier for electronic music opens up. Ambient House comes into the light: music which although drawing on the classic style of electronic music, uses dance rhythm patterns. This wonderful hybrid made up of Minnie Riperton (American country singer) samplings, bell swirls, space sounds, water flowing and minimal keyboards, is greeted with success by the public.
Paterson himself is surprised: "I could not believe it, I knew it was beautiful but I could not imagine anybody else liking it."
The track has all the features of a single that is set to make history; it was to influence groups of the British musical scene such as KLF, 808 State, Innocence and many others.
The first official Orb recording is enclosed in a compilation entitled Eternity Project One released in February 1989. The track is Tripping On Sunshine and the compilation features Jimmy Cauty (credited as Rockman), Youth (credited as Eternity), and Thrash (credited as Bass). Previously, in 1983, a promo had been released entitled Mr. Smiley DJ Pre-release with the track Let Jimmy Take Overdue Mix featuring Alex Paterson.
In May 1989 the Kiss EP is released that had already been included in a compilation entitled Dancebuster Vol. 1 - Suck My Kiss; the record, originally printed in only 1000 copies, sold out shortly and was reprinted by the Wau! Mr. Modo label founded by Paterson, Youth and Adam Modo. This track comes from a collection of tape cuts collected by Alex at the legendary New York Kiss FM radio in the early Eighties. This track is already valued by collectioners at something like £100.
In October that year the 12" A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Loving You) is released; with this 23 minute track a new frontier for electronic music opens up. Ambient House comes into the light: music which although drawing on the classic style of electronic music, uses dance rhythm patterns. This wonderful hybrid made up of Minnie Riperton (American country singer) samplings, bell swirls, space sounds, water flowing and minimal keyboards, is greeted with success by the public.
Paterson himself is surprised: "I could not believe it, I knew it was beautiful but I could not imagine anybody else liking it."
The track has all the features of a single that is set to make history; it was to influence groups of the British musical scene such as KLF, 808 State, Innocence and many others.
"Perhaps music is a way to prepare our minds and personalities to confront the real world."
John Cage
John Cage
Sunday, August 31, 2003
THE ORB STORY
Duncan Robert Alexander Paterson (DR has engendered the belief that he is a doctor while DR are just the initials of his first names and his only link, as Alex says, to the medical profession is his mother being a nurse). He began his trip into the London musical scene when he was 18, working as a drums roadie for Killing Joke and remaining with them until 1987. "I spent an intense period of my life with Killing Joke: we used to live all together in a squat, and often at the end of a concert I would jump on stage and sing with them some covers."
After this experience as a roadie, that allowed him to earn a living and visit several countries making a number of important friendships that still continue, for about one year he worked as a DJ and chef, specialising in Italian meals: "I'm still proud of my fish lasagne."
After this not so easy time, he manages to be enrolled by EG Records (Robert Fripp) as press officer.
It was quite a good job, giving Alex the opportunity of working on material that he liked: border music, a sort of aesthetics of possible music.
His familiarity with such music induced EG to ask him to assemble a compilation of ambient tracks from their catalogue.
At that time EG was preparing track lists in order to publish compilations. They thought Alex was suitable to such a task and wanted him to select the material for a box dedicated to the music of Brian Eno.
"I was 19 years old when I listened to Music for Films by Eno; the record had just been published, at that time I was in Germany and used to listen to his music all during the day. Then I was informed that Killing Joke had signed to EG and Eno was with that label. I discovered that some of the records I used to listen to more frequently (such as the Ultravox first album or Bowie's Low and Heroes, two of my all-time favourites) had been produced by him."
Eno's music was clearly a catalyst for the design of what would have been ORB music. To Alex, he was the main source of inspiration beside Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead.
"I met Eno when I was working at EG, but I never dared to talk with him about music. I don't think I could because I was scared to death by him; however, he helped me a lot to understand music beside the pop scene. His strength is that he can make a record with only one rhythm without being boring, but rather hypnotic and relaxing."
In the beginning, The Orb project saw the involvement of both Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty: together they had completed the Chilly Out, undoubtedly the sound artefact that most contributed to focus Alex's ideas for The Orb's first album.
This partnership did not last very long. Soon Cauty leaves Paterson who continues to work on his own. The split-up takes places when the contract between The Orb and Big Life is being defined: their different views of what an artist should be like brought their collaboration to an end.
With Cauty gone, Alex was totally confused and had to think once again all over The Orb project and decide whether he wanted to continue on his own or recruit other people instead.
He eventually took on board Thrash (aka Kristian Wenston), a fan of electronics who was usually attending Killing Joke recording sessions. He was named Thrash By Youth himself after his fondness for Thrash Metal. The two met for the remixing of some tracks at EG. The feeling was immediate.
They were managing to write first with words, later with the studio devices, the musical structure they had in mind; Paterson took the role of ideas designer, rather than conventional musician, Thrash proved an ideal manipulator of mixer buttons and sliders.
Duncan Robert Alexander Paterson (DR has engendered the belief that he is a doctor while DR are just the initials of his first names and his only link, as Alex says, to the medical profession is his mother being a nurse). He began his trip into the London musical scene when he was 18, working as a drums roadie for Killing Joke and remaining with them until 1987. "I spent an intense period of my life with Killing Joke: we used to live all together in a squat, and often at the end of a concert I would jump on stage and sing with them some covers."
After this experience as a roadie, that allowed him to earn a living and visit several countries making a number of important friendships that still continue, for about one year he worked as a DJ and chef, specialising in Italian meals: "I'm still proud of my fish lasagne."
After this not so easy time, he manages to be enrolled by EG Records (Robert Fripp) as press officer.
It was quite a good job, giving Alex the opportunity of working on material that he liked: border music, a sort of aesthetics of possible music.
His familiarity with such music induced EG to ask him to assemble a compilation of ambient tracks from their catalogue.
At that time EG was preparing track lists in order to publish compilations. They thought Alex was suitable to such a task and wanted him to select the material for a box dedicated to the music of Brian Eno.
"I was 19 years old when I listened to Music for Films by Eno; the record had just been published, at that time I was in Germany and used to listen to his music all during the day. Then I was informed that Killing Joke had signed to EG and Eno was with that label. I discovered that some of the records I used to listen to more frequently (such as the Ultravox first album or Bowie's Low and Heroes, two of my all-time favourites) had been produced by him."
Eno's music was clearly a catalyst for the design of what would have been ORB music. To Alex, he was the main source of inspiration beside Pink Floyd and the Grateful Dead.
"I met Eno when I was working at EG, but I never dared to talk with him about music. I don't think I could because I was scared to death by him; however, he helped me a lot to understand music beside the pop scene. His strength is that he can make a record with only one rhythm without being boring, but rather hypnotic and relaxing."
In the beginning, The Orb project saw the involvement of both Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty: together they had completed the Chilly Out, undoubtedly the sound artefact that most contributed to focus Alex's ideas for The Orb's first album.
This partnership did not last very long. Soon Cauty leaves Paterson who continues to work on his own. The split-up takes places when the contract between The Orb and Big Life is being defined: their different views of what an artist should be like brought their collaboration to an end.
With Cauty gone, Alex was totally confused and had to think once again all over The Orb project and decide whether he wanted to continue on his own or recruit other people instead.
He eventually took on board Thrash (aka Kristian Wenston), a fan of electronics who was usually attending Killing Joke recording sessions. He was named Thrash By Youth himself after his fondness for Thrash Metal. The two met for the remixing of some tracks at EG. The feeling was immediate.
They were managing to write first with words, later with the studio devices, the musical structure they had in mind; Paterson took the role of ideas designer, rather than conventional musician, Thrash proved an ideal manipulator of mixer buttons and sliders.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
THE ORB STORY
In 1975 Discreet Music by Brian Eno was published, a musical project which was not structured according to rigid pre-formed patterns but following a new criterion created by Eno himself and denominated Oblique Strategies, a sort of experiment in writing, music for non musicians as the former Roxy Music member liked to say.
A long time has passed since then, and the Oblique Strategies are more and more used and updated by an increasing number of musicians and non musicians that, unlike Eno and his contemporaries, can afford far more sophisticated technologies.
Nowadays anybody can, with a modest amount of money, use machines that just a few years ago were limited to high-tech studios.
Electronic music has made giant leaps forward, favoured by a market demand which has been increasingly receptive to such kinds of proposals.
It has thereby allowed a new generation of musicians to come out of the closet and take over a great portion of today's scene.
The initial idea of taking fragments out of the collective imagination or out of the earth's endeavour and rearrange them so as to make them sound extraterrestrial, was put into practice by Alex Paterson during the Land of Oz nights at London's Heaven in 1989.
As a DJ, he was working with a 4 channel mixer and a DAT player; those 5 channels were the musical sources he used to obtain a fluid and personal effect out of the rhythmless music. "Just like if I were playing all those BBC sound effects records."
Initially the public is hesitant but later it begins to like this new style and the Land of Oz nights become a small cult that grows night by night.
Paterson finally decides to apply the ideas collected during the Oz nights to the group that he directs together with Jimmy Cauty: The Orb.
In 1975 Discreet Music by Brian Eno was published, a musical project which was not structured according to rigid pre-formed patterns but following a new criterion created by Eno himself and denominated Oblique Strategies, a sort of experiment in writing, music for non musicians as the former Roxy Music member liked to say.
A long time has passed since then, and the Oblique Strategies are more and more used and updated by an increasing number of musicians and non musicians that, unlike Eno and his contemporaries, can afford far more sophisticated technologies.
Nowadays anybody can, with a modest amount of money, use machines that just a few years ago were limited to high-tech studios.
Electronic music has made giant leaps forward, favoured by a market demand which has been increasingly receptive to such kinds of proposals.
It has thereby allowed a new generation of musicians to come out of the closet and take over a great portion of today's scene.
The initial idea of taking fragments out of the collective imagination or out of the earth's endeavour and rearrange them so as to make them sound extraterrestrial, was put into practice by Alex Paterson during the Land of Oz nights at London's Heaven in 1989.
As a DJ, he was working with a 4 channel mixer and a DAT player; those 5 channels were the musical sources he used to obtain a fluid and personal effect out of the rhythmless music. "Just like if I were playing all those BBC sound effects records."
Initially the public is hesitant but later it begins to like this new style and the Land of Oz nights become a small cult that grows night by night.
Paterson finally decides to apply the ideas collected during the Oz nights to the group that he directs together with Jimmy Cauty: The Orb.
"If we define beautiful what we appreciate, and we get interested in what we find beautiful, at the end we will be still interested in the same things. Beauty does not interest me; I am interested in the new, although it might be ugly."
La Monte Young
La Monte Young
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
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Monday, August 18, 2003
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LATEST ORB NEWS:
BICYCLES AND TRICYCLES
The new Orb album Bicycles & Tricycles was released on 17 June 2003 in Japan, the album will be released in the UK and Europe on new label Hexus in September 2003. A USA deal is currently being finalised. The Euro version will contain a longer version of 'Compania' and a different running order with a bonus-bonus track. Tracks on the Japanese release are: From A Distance, Land Of Green Ginger, Hell's Kitchen, Gee Strings, Prime Evil, Orb Is, Now Here, Abstractions, Luca, Compania, Tower 23, Dilmun, Master Blaster. The Orb's current line-up of Alex Paterson, Simon Phillips (Prayer Box) and John Roome (Witchman), are joined on 'Bicycles & Tricycles' by collaborators Thomas Fehlmann (That Swiss Fella), Jimmy Cauty (Custerd), Fil (Autolump), Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto), Soom-T and Erik.
Stay tuned to the latest Orb info!
BICYCLES AND TRICYCLES
The new Orb album Bicycles & Tricycles was released on 17 June 2003 in Japan, the album will be released in the UK and Europe on new label Hexus in September 2003. A USA deal is currently being finalised. The Euro version will contain a longer version of 'Compania' and a different running order with a bonus-bonus track. Tracks on the Japanese release are: From A Distance, Land Of Green Ginger, Hell's Kitchen, Gee Strings, Prime Evil, Orb Is, Now Here, Abstractions, Luca, Compania, Tower 23, Dilmun, Master Blaster. The Orb's current line-up of Alex Paterson, Simon Phillips (Prayer Box) and John Roome (Witchman), are joined on 'Bicycles & Tricycles' by collaborators Thomas Fehlmann (That Swiss Fella), Jimmy Cauty (Custerd), Fil (Autolump), Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto), Soom-T and Erik.
Stay tuned to the latest Orb info!
THE ORB STORY
Sound spreads around reaching every corner of our life. Everywhere, at every time, music is with us; we breath it without even noticing anymore. It talks to our nature in a more direct and complex way than any other art, it excites reactions and therefore is exciting. The art of sound, thanks to electronic music, is able to offer new stimulus not just because there are machines that can produce sounds that would be otherwise impossible to imagine, but most of all because electronic music introduces a new conceptual and theoretical approach, a deeper understanding of the acoustic world and of the perceptual process related to music.
The Orb have always searched their own sound within the electronic world.
They have exploited sound transformation to get a voice out of the mixer, elaborating a never-ending contrappunto of rhythmical patterns.
Their music is originally undecided between the absolutely realistic and the purely onirical dimension, between some kind of documentary soundtrack and shivers from free synapses; it is like painting a (inner/outer) landscape around the listener.
The sound belt that they form is made of suggestive iridescence with changing thickness and it apparently evokes infinite spaces, rarefied sounds, electronic sounds bouncing in a galactic empire filled with lost spaceships: other worlds, visions, hetereal and galactic sounds, melodies that make the space culture of the seventies meet the house dance...
Sound spreads around reaching every corner of our life. Everywhere, at every time, music is with us; we breath it without even noticing anymore. It talks to our nature in a more direct and complex way than any other art, it excites reactions and therefore is exciting. The art of sound, thanks to electronic music, is able to offer new stimulus not just because there are machines that can produce sounds that would be otherwise impossible to imagine, but most of all because electronic music introduces a new conceptual and theoretical approach, a deeper understanding of the acoustic world and of the perceptual process related to music.
The Orb have always searched their own sound within the electronic world.
They have exploited sound transformation to get a voice out of the mixer, elaborating a never-ending contrappunto of rhythmical patterns.
Their music is originally undecided between the absolutely realistic and the purely onirical dimension, between some kind of documentary soundtrack and shivers from free synapses; it is like painting a (inner/outer) landscape around the listener.
The sound belt that they form is made of suggestive iridescence with changing thickness and it apparently evokes infinite spaces, rarefied sounds, electronic sounds bouncing in a galactic empire filled with lost spaceships: other worlds, visions, hetereal and galactic sounds, melodies that make the space culture of the seventies meet the house dance...
