It’s incredible to believe that electronic music has persevered through three-plus decades. And it’s showing no signs of aging, slowing down, or losing any of the inspirational spark that started the whole crazy trip. If anything, it’s continuing to evolve through wild mutation and fortuitous maturation, absorbing and assimilating other genres into its seemingly infinite scope.
As testament, ambient dub and house pioneers The Orb are celebrating their 30th anniversary with performances of their earliest most influential tracks, as well as selections from their 15th studio album, “No Sounds are Out of Bounds.”
I remember when The Orb first debuted in the states. I saw them at a rodeo ring somewhere east of downtown Los Angeles. There were maybe 20 people tops in attendance. But whoa … it was nothing short of extraordinary. There wasn’t anything else like it. The music was expansive, exquisitely layered and directed through multiple surround speakers, creating an immersive sound bath of ambient textures and chilled beats.
At the time, they had one double album “The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld,” and it was punctuated by the 20 minute opus, “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain that Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld.” That title alone sums up the experience of listening to The Orb for the first time. And with the right sound system, or even a good pair of headphones, you could approximate the ambient enchantment of the live experience, sans funky visuals, or course. But you could close your eyes for that, and let your imagination do the heavy lifting.
The Orb are essentially British artist Alex Paterson and friends. They started with KLF member Jimmy Cauty, and through the years, have featured Killing Joke’s Youth, System 7’s Steve Hillage, experimental artist Thomas Fehlmann, and dub artist Lee Scratch Perry, to name a few. This latest tour features longtime collaborator Michael Rendall.
Live, the duo essentially perform a live mix of their material, treating the stage as their studio, and engineering their material in real-time. It’s more than a DJ set, but with less immediacy than a full band, which The Orb has featured in the past. These days, the music happens on the decks, laptops, and mixing boards, with the occasional guest musician.
Below is The Orb’s entire set, divided into four parts, due to file size. There’s plenty to love here, from the classic “Little Fluffy Clouds,” the epic “Blue Room,” which incidentally is the only 40 minute song to reach the British Top 10, and the aforementioned “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain that Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld.”
Enjoy!
Part 3 of The Orb’s full performance at the Teragram Ballroom on 11.21.18.
