London レコード& CD

Review: A double CD celebrating the iconic award-winning UK electronic duo's 30th birthday, featuring reworks and remixes from the deep Orbital discography, as well as the well-known live improvisation tracks, featuring techno, acid house and electro contemporaries such as ANNA, Eli Brown and Shanti Celeste to name a few. With the actual 30th birthday delayed by the pandemic the duo concocted a physical compilation release with highlights all over the track list, especially Shanti Celeste's rendition of 'Are We Here?' and Eli Brown's update of the classic track 'Chime', lending the track more traditional house sensibilities. You can even find Professor Stephen Hawking lending vocals on CD1s hardcore techno banger 'Where is it Going?'. This compilation is a one stop shop for fans of Orbital's three-decade career, and the perfect starting point for those unfamiliar.

Review: Last year, the Hartnoll brothers gave their debut album, 1991's 'Green Album' (officially simply titled Orbital) the deluxe reissue treatment, offering an expanded quadruple CD edition backed with a detail-packed hardback book. They've now moved on to its similarly superb sequel (the 'Brown Album') from 1993. It gets a similar treatment, with a freshly remastered version of the original album (CD1) being joined by two discs of single versions, B-sides, remixes and 'Peel Session' cuts (including legendary Underworld and Psychik Warriors Ov Gaia takes on 'Lush 3', and the duo's own originally US-only extension of 'Impact'), and a fourth CD containing a previously unreleased live recording from the Limelight in New York in 1992. Oh, and a fine hardback book telling the story of the album. An early Christmas present for Orbital fans!

Review: There's a strong argument to be made that 1993's Orbital II, popularly known as 'The Brown Album', is the Hartnoll brothers' finest single album - a sublime fusion of bustling breakbeats, heady vocal samples (many provided by then unknown vocalist Alison Goldfrapp), twisted acid lines, memorable melodic motifs, and rush-inducing breakdowns. Here reissued in remastered and expanded form, the set - which includes fan favourites 'Lush 3', 'Halcyon' and the superb 'Impact (The Earth is Burning)' the album sounds as fresh and forthright as ever. This time round, it includes a second CD featuring key cuts from the two-part 'Raddicio' EP (including two takes on the Scott Walker-sampling 'The Naked & The Dead') and superb revisions of Lush 3 by Underworld and Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia.

Review: London Records has announced a deluxe reissue of Orbital's iconic debut album, affectionately known as the Green Album. Originally released in 1991, it straddled the line between rave and ambient techno, featuring timeless tracks like 'Chime', 'Belfast,' and the Butthole Surfers-sampling 'Satan.' Now, those tracks are considered cornerstones of the early UK techno movement. This 4 disc CD set offers the most comprehensive experience, with the original album on disc one and a treasure trove of Green Album-era B-sides, remixes, and alternative versions on discs two and three. Disc four treats fans to two live sets from 1991/92, sourced from the band's soundboard recordings. Wrapped in a 12" box, the deluxe edition includes reprinted flyers from the era and a lavish 60-page hardback book chronicling the Green Album's story, complete with new notes and a track-by-track analysis by Phil and Paul Hartnoll. This reissue is a must-have for Orbital fans and electronic music aficionados alike, offering a comprehensive exploration of a seminal album's legacy.