Orbital | |
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.jpg) Orbital performing at theBrighton Centre in 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Otford,Kent,England, United Kingdom |
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| Years active |
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| Labels |
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| Members | Phil Hartnoll Paul Hartnoll |
| Website | orbitalofficial |
Orbital are an Englishelectronic music duo fromDunton Green, Kent, England, consisting of brothers Phil andPaul Hartnoll. The band's name is taken from Greater London'sorbital motorway, theM25, which was central to the earlyrave scene during the early days ofacid house.[1] Additionally, the cover art on three of their albums showcase stylisedatomic orbitals. Orbital have been critically and commercially successful, known particularly for their liveimprovisation during shows.
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Paul Hartnoll described the early incarnation of Orbital as a "low-cost bedroomNew Order/Severed Heads". Other influences from the late 1970s and early 1980s includedThe Beat,Cabaret Voltaire,OMD andKate Bush. The catalogues ofTamla Motown,ZTT andTrojan Records, and the classic rock of bands likeDeep Purple,Led Zeppelin andGenesis, were also influential. The Hartnolls have expressed a deep appreciation ofKraftwerk.[2]
In 1989, Orbital recorded "Chime" on their father's 4-track tape deck, which they released on DJJazzy M's Oh Zone Records in December 1989. and re-released onFFRR Records a few three years later. The track became a rave anthem, reaching number 17 in the UK charts and earning them an appearance onTop of the Pops, during which they wore anti-Poll Tax T-shirts.[1] According to Paul Hartnoll, the track was recorded "under the stairs" of their parents' house in "a knocked-through stair cupboard that my dad set up as a home office". The track received its first live airing at a club night hosted by the promoter Que Pasa (Mark, Andrew and Nick Maddox) in a local Sevenoaks venue called the Grasshopper on Boxing Day. Next was a gig at the Town and Country 2 in Islington, performing for the first time under the name Orbital.[3] Several singles andEPs followed, and their firstself-titled album, a collection of tracks recorded at various times, was released in late 1991.
In late 1992, theRadiccio EP barely reached the UK top 40, although it included one of their most popular songs, "Halcyon". The track featured a sample ofKirsty Hawkshaw from "It's a Fine Day" (a chart hit forOpus III earlier that year). TheB-side "The Naked and the Dead" was similarly based on a line fromScott Walker's rendition ofJacques Brel's song "Next". "Halcyon" was dedicated to the Hartnolls' mother, who was addicted to thetranquiliserHalcion (Triazolam) for many years.[1]
The duo's popularity grew rapidly with the release of their secondself-titled album, in 1993. The album included complex arrangements and textures, opening with the two-minute track "Time Becomes". The track consisted of two slightly delayed, looped samples of a line from theStar Trek: The Next Generation episode "Time Squared" spoken by actorMichael Dorn as the character LieutenantWorf: "... where time becomes a loop" being played simultaneously through the left and right channels, respectively (until one cycle ofphase difference has happened). The same sample was used at the beginning of "the Moebius", the opening track on the previous album. This audio pun was intended to make listeners believe that they had bought a mis-pressed album (Orbital 1 packaged asOrbital 2). The album reached No. 28 on the UK albums chart, staying in the chart for 15 weeks. "Halcyon" wasremixed for the album, as "Halcyon + On + On". Versions of this song played live by the band have incorporated diverse samples, including "You Give Love a Bad Name" by the bandBon Jovi, "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" byBelinda Carlisle, and in 2004 "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by the bandThe Darkness.
The first two albums are commonly known as "The Green Album" and "The Brown Album", after the colours of their covers (although the first album's cover is yellow, one of the first printings had a misprint causing the cover to be yellow-green).[1]
Orbital won anNME award for Vibes Best Dance Act early in 1994, but it was their headline appearance at theGlastonbury 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".[4]
Crucially, the expanded TV coverage of the 1994 Glastonbury Festival byChannel 4 meant that Orbital's set reached a huge audience, in what is regarded as a pivotal moment.[5] Speaking toThe Guardian in 2013 about the gig, Paul Hartnoll commented: "I didn't know how much of an impact it would have. Being young myself, I just thought, 'It's about time – of course we should have acid house at Glastonbury'. It used to annoy me. I just used to think it should be happening."[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 atWoodstock '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" byThe Specials. Among the remixes of "Are We Here?" was "Criminal Justice Bill?" – four minutes of silence, a reference to theCriminal 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 theTimes Fly EP, the band's only release in 1995.[1]
The single "The Box" was released in April 1996, reaching number 11 in the UK, and its parent albumIn Sides, released in May 1996, became their second Top Five album.In Sides has since come to be 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.[1]
The following year, the duo contributed to film soundtracks (The Saint,Event Horizon,Spawn) and enjoyed the biggest singles of their career, with a live version of "Satan" and their reworking of the aforementionedThe Saint theme both reaching number three in the UK. TheIn Sides track "Out There Somewhere (Part 2)" was also included in the long-awaited game series relaunch ofTest Drive 4.[6]
Orbital contributed to theMortal Kombat film soundtrack, which reached Platinum selling status during 1995: a remix of "Halcyon" can be heard during the final scene of the film.[7]
Orbital headlined the now legendary Organic '96 Music Festival in the USA on 22 June 1996 at the Snow Valley Ski Resort in Running Springs, California.[8] This festival also featured Underworld, Chemical Brothers, The Orb, and Meat Beat Manifesto.
In 1998, they returned to the studio to work on their fifth albumThe 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 the single "Style" using thestylophone.[1] In 2000 the single "Beached" was released from the soundtrack to the filmThe Beach, mixing the brothers' musical style with a melody byAngelo Badalamenti and the words ofLeonardo DiCaprio from the film.
The Altogether, released in 2001, included guest vocals by the Hartnolls' brother-in-lawDavid Gray, a sampledIan Dury, and a version of theDoctor Who theme, and was mixed for 5.1 surround sound.[9] 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 recorded the track "Technologique Park" for the 2002 filmXXX, in which they can be seen playing the track live in a club.[10]
In 2003, Orbital recorded the soundtrack for the horror filmOctane.[11]
Orbital split up in 2004.[1] They played a final series of gigs in June and July 2004 at theGlastonbury Festival, theT in the Park Festival in Scotland, theOxegen festival in Ireland, Istanbul, Turkey and theWire Festival [ja] in Japan, concluding with a livePeel Session gig at Maida Vale Studios in London on 28 July 2004. The release of their seventh and last original album,Blue Album, coincided with this final wave of shows. The album includedSparks (on "Acid Pants") andLisa Gerrard (on the final single, "One Perfect Sunrise").
Paul Hartnoll continued to record music under his own name, including tracks for the 2005 gameWipeout Pure for thePSP.[1] He released his first solo album,The Ideal Condition, on the ACP record label in June 2007.[1] AlongsideFlood, he also jointly producedStrength in Numbers by bandThe Music.
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, in August 2007. Orbital released a two-CD/DVD compilationOrbital: Live at Glastonbury 1994-2004 in June 2007, containing over two hours of music recorded at their various performances at the festival.
On 21 November 2008, Orbital announced they would be reforming to play a gig together called "20 years after Chime" atThe Big Chill Festival 2009.[12] They preceded this show with a headline performance atRockNess 2009 in June.[13]
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On 26 January 2009, their official websiteLoopz announced confirmed dates for their 20th anniversary tour. "The Orbital reformation gathers momentum with headline shows now confirmed forManchester and London this September."[1] The concerts met with positive reviews.[14][15][16] The band's first performance after the breakup took place in June 2009 at Selector Festival in Cracow, Poland.[17] On 17 April 2009, it was announced that Orbital would be playing at TheElectric Picnic in September 2009.
On 16 June 2009, Orbital released a 2-CD collection of their favourite tracks. The collection,Orbital 20 (stylised as "20rbital"), covered the 20 years since "Chime" and contained 20 tracks. A single, "Don't Stop Me" / "The Gun is Good" was issued in 2010 on 12" and digital download. At theGlastonbury Festival on 27 June 2010 to close their set,Matt Smith, who played theEleventh Doctor, came on stage and performed with Orbital their cover of theDoctor Who theme tune.[18]
On 16 February 2011, Orbital posted a video diary onYouTube, via Loopz. The video diary reported their progress on the recording of their new album, along with remixes of existing material for their DJ sets. Subsequent diary updates have been published. In October 2011, Orbital announced a six gig UK tour (including a date at the Royal Albert Hall) and new album in April 2012. "Never", a track from the forthcoming album, was offered as a free download. The album titledWonky was released on 2 April 2012, and included collaborations with singerZola Jesus and MCLady Leshurr. The albums release was featured[19] on US radio on PrototypeRadio, which also marked the bands debut radio appearance onAmerican radio.
Orbital appeared at theopening ceremony for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, performing "Where Is It Going?" live withStephen Hawking delivering a speech about theLarge Hadron Collider.[20]
On 8 October 2012, Orbital released their soundtrack to the 2012 re-make ofPusher, including vocals fromToni Halliday.
On 21 October 2014, Orbital announced on their official website that they were "hanging up their iconic torch-glasses and parting ways for the final time"[21] but would continue to work on projects separately. Phil Hartnoll focused on a DJ career, including a performance atFuji Rock Festival,[22] while Paul Hartnoll worked on a variety of music projects, including asolo album under the name 8:58 in 2015, a collaboration with Vince Clarke ofErasure called 2Square, and soundtrack work forPeaky Blinders andAmerican Ultra.[23]
In February 2017, Orbital reunited and announced tour dates in June and July, at Forbidden Fruit in Dublin, Bluedot Festival atJodrell Bank and Standon Calling in Hertfordshire, and announced that they were working on a new album,[24][25] releasing "Kinetic 2017", an updated remix of an early single, alongside the announcement. At the Bluedot Festival in July, theBBC Radiophonic Workshop joined Orbital on stage to perform "Doctor?" live,[26] and in August 2017 the band released non-album single "Copenhagen" after working on the song during their summer live sets.
In December 2017, Orbital played two sell out shows over two nights at the Manchester O2 Apollo and the London Eventim Apollo. The sets included two previously unheard songs, "Phuk" (stylised "P.H.U.K.") and "Tiny Foldable Cities". These two shows were released on CD throughPledge Music.[27] A third previously unheard song, "The End is Nigh", was debuted May 2018 at theBiggest Weekend festival in Belfast.
A new album, entitledMonsters Exist, was released on 14 September 2018. It was the first Orbital album sinceIn Sides to feature artwork by John Greenwood, and featured physicistBrian Cox on its final track.
In 2019, Orbital revealed plans for a 30th anniversary album, which would feature a compilation of updated versions of their songs created by themselves and their contemporaries.[28] In early 2020, Orbital began performing two new songs tentatively titled "One Day" and "Treadmill" at live shows, including a live streamed "Stay-At-Home-Rave" hosted by United We Stream andThe Haçienda, benefiting those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Greater Manchester.[29][30]
In 2022, the duo composed and recorded the soundtrack for the Netflix comedy seriesThe Pentaverate created byMike Myers.[31] On 20 October, they announced their tenth studio album titledOptical Delusion, which was released on 17 February 2023, along with a lead single titled "Dirty Rat", featuringSleaford Mods.[32]
In June 2024, their performance at the Glastonbury Festival featured special guests Tilda Swinton (vocals on Deeper) and Mel C (vocals on Spicy).
In October 2024, they announced the release of a career-spanning compilationA Beginner's Guide on 8 November 2024.
Throughout their career, Orbital have incorporated political and environmental commentary into their music. Early single "Choice" samples a speech against militarization fromCrucifix's "Annihilation". The track "Forever" onSnivilisation samples a speech byGraham Crowden from the 1982Lindsay Anderson filmBritannia Hospital, in which he lambasts humankind;[33] and "You Lot" on theBlue Album included a confrontational, partiallyvocoded sample ofChristopher Eccleston playing the second coming of Jesus Christ in the TV two-part seriesThe Second Coming written byRussell T Davies.
Orbital first unveiled the 1995 track "Sad But New" with a version that extensively sampled and editedJohn Major's 1992Conservative Party conference speech, as part of a live broadcast onBBC Radio 1 "Interactive Radio Night", as a response to the newly passedCriminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.[34] Only the phrase "new age travellers" was retained in the release on the 1995Times Fly EP.[35]
The track "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" fromIn Sides was recorded in a studio powered only byGreenpeace's mobile solar power generator,CYRUS. On the same album, "Dŵr Budr", Welsh for "dirty water", was inspired by theSea Empress oil spill which took place just off the southern coast of Wales in February 1996.
The video for 2018 single "P.H.U.K" (offMonsters Exist) features photography taken from British news services, with loose references toBrexit, the Londonfatberg, theGrenfell Tower fire,moped crime, and the 2010smigrant crisis, among other current events, and the title "Please Help United Kingdom" reappearing. Although not strictly political, the track "There Will Come a Time" (also featured onMonsters Exist) includes a spoken passage by the physicistBrian Cox, where he addresses the future of an expanding universe and the inevitable demise of the Earth, and urges mankind to care for the planet and maintain a peaceful existence while the Earth is still our home.
Starting in 2019, live performances of the track "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)" have included a sampled speech from Swedish environmental activistGreta Thunberg, declaring "Our house is on fire. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic."
Paul Hartnoll described his intentions behind Orbital's sociopolitical messages as "quite ambiguous. Rather than making social comments, I suppose what we're doing is trying to put a score to the times we live in. I'd like to think that some of these are universal issues – the earth is still burning, even today, the world isn't fixed, and governments are still fucking idiots. I'm not saying I could do any better, but they could. With our music, we're saying 'go on then, sort it out!'"[36]
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NME Awards | Themselves | Best Dance Act | Won |
| 1995 | Live Performance atGlastonbury | Best Live Event | Won | |
| 1997 | Brit Awards | "The Box" | Best British Video | Nominated |
| 1998 | MVPA Awards | "The Saint" | Directional Debut of the Year | Won |
| D&AD Awards | Pop Promo Video with a budget over £40.000 | Wood Pencil | ||
| 2019 | Berlin Music Video Awards | "Tiny Foldable Cities" | Best Low Budget | Nominated |
| 2022 | UK Music Video Awards | "Smiley" | Best Dance/Electronic Video - UK[37] | Nominated |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
