The Orb POLL

sort of partial to live 93 because it splits the difference between ultraworld and u.f.orb

True that. Has to be Ultraworld for personal reasons - heard it aged 14 and had never heard anything like that before. Opened up a whole world of sound.

My cassette copy of Live always seemed interminably quiet for looooooong stretches but I should probably listen to it again digitally or something. I'm still going to vote for UFOrb tho because that's the one me and my acidhead buddies played longest and hardest back in the day, to the point where one time I hallucinated the "Towers of Dub" bassline for a couple of hours.

I've gone for Orblivion as it's underrated and I really like Toxygene and S.A.L.T.

how's the new one?

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I love UFOrb a lot (first one I heard and, really, kind of my introduction to dance/electronic music in general), but I have a very, very special place in my heart for Pomme Fritz (at least in part for reasons similar to NV's).

how's the new one?

― This part of the sentence is even dumber. (lukas), Friday, 20 November 2009 12:09 (2 weeks ago) Bookmark

Wrote a short review for Clash, although their 140 word limit didn't really let me expand into much detail. I hadn't checked out the Orb for about ten years until then. It's fairly diminutive in sound, and equal parts Fehlmann as it is Paterson. So it's basically a slightly dubbed-out Kompakt album with the odd library sample thrown in. Not bad - not a great deal that stands out other than this one track, which I think is called Super Soakers, that's good fun.

http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/the-orb-baghdad-batteries

Tough poll. as others have said, Ultraworld and UFOrb especially were big albums for me when i first started going to raves and are completely classic and hold many fond memories for me. however Pomme Fritz and Terrarum are the ones i'm more likely to revisit, as they have a certain weird, unpredictable crazy edge to them which for me still holds up very well. When Pomme Fritz first came out i remember being very dissapointed with it, I wanted another smoothed out trippy dubby UFOrb, what got instead was a messy largely beatless and melodyless evil sounding musique concrete epic, which over time i grew to love. Ultraworld and UfOrb invented whole genres, the later transcended them.

I also like the Orb on Kompact so i guess i'll be getting the new one. Hadn't heard of it till now.

UFOrb -- not b/c it's "the best" but b/c it's my sentimental fave.

You know when polls get 'at least one vote' for every album?

This is not one of them.

I like parts of all of these albums. I share a similar story with Pomme Fritz as above. Hated it until I heard the 2cd reissue and was blown away. Great album and the disc of mixes is just as good, if not better.

UFOrb -- not b/c it's "the best" but b/c it's my sentimental fave

ditto

Hated it until I heard the 2cd reissue and was blown away.

Whoa whoa whoa. Back up. I was not aware of this happening. Goodbye, a little bit more of my money, I guess...

Yeah, loads of those..

I have not heard the last half of these options. Does that disqualify me from voting for UFOrb? Because I'm going to.

I hope Orblivion does not get many votes because I sold it and have been regretting it since the next day and I would like to pretend that maybe it needed to go after all ;_;

Orblivion is pretty good (sorry)

SALT and Toxygene are great but the rest got on my nerves and I decided it had dated badly.

The other things I took to the shop at the same time hung around the racks for weeks afterwards; Orblivion had already gone by the next time I could get there. Oh well, hope it found a good home.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Surprise result! I never really rated Ultraworld. Most of their stuff has magically escaped the curse of sounding at all dated, but not that one so much.

And only two votes for Pomme Fritz? Pssssh...

Fair results I suppose, though I actually quite liked The Dream - certainly was better than Cydonia from what little I recall of Cydonia, which bored me to no end.

(I ended up voting Orblivion btw - sorry spacecadet)

I voted 'Pomme Fritz', or at least thought I did. I was on the fence about them but when this one came out, we're pastie to be grill you

'Orbus Terrarum' I almost loved more but I was ready for it to be good & full on 70's prog (I always skipped the first two tracks of that one, but even that left 60 minutes)

Orblivion is good, but it's the last real one

'Orbus Terrarum' I almost loved more but I was ready for it to be good & full on 70's prog (I always skipped the first two tracks of that one, but even that left 60 minutes)

I felt the same way -- and between the Miles samples (Get Up With It's "Calypso Frelimo" etc.) and its expansion on the Pomme Fritz ideas, you felt like your beak was whet for that. But it was still good and the last thing I bought of theirs.

Orblivion really is underrated!!

yes it is. great album. really love this thomas fehlmann mix of asylum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf6NDOwxMuI

how did Orbus Terrarum only get 1 vote. that's like one of the most complex, insane, awesome ambient discs ever

I can't remember if I voted for it. It's probably one of my favourites now along with Pomme Fritz EP but they're both growers, remember not thinking much of either originally.

Right, I mean the first two tracks "Valley" and "Plateau" are the simplest and most likeable, but IMO it's after that where the album really kicks off. Pomme Fritz was the one that grew on me as well. That middle section terrifies me like nothing else.

anyone got the 2008 remasters? were they discussed on another thread? they all come with what is basically an alternate mix of most of the disc; I'm sure a lot of you have all these tracks already, but it's pretty eye-opening for me

Yeah, I got all the 08 reissues. Made me reevaluate Orbus Terrarum and Pomme Fritz again. Excellent value in those sets.

Sausage Tats Mit Gravy - Dom Mix #1

from the Pomme Fritz remaster is all time

What's with reviving this st midnight?

l thought it was a poll closing...

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/04/us/kentucky-derby/index.html?c=weekend-homepage-t

http://25.media.tumblr.com/35572d93dc83877b83382d5d94c8d443/tumblr_mldqhbS3gM1rftdpwo1_1280.png

unpleasant: https://krisweston.com/index.php/rant/

goddamn I couldn't read most of that but I think I get the idea

"revealing" that they put the drums from a Nilsson track onto "Little Fluffy Clouds" was the best part though

can't believe that Thrash is splenetically venting about his lack of due credit on the internet

Wow, talk about speaking ill of the dead (re. Andy Hughes)

lol, I can distinctly remember Weston engaging in a huge flame war for talking shit about Burial in the comments section of a YouTube video

holy shit this is actually Thrash that's doing the ranting? i didn't realise.

http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/340/MI0001340045.jpg

er, kinda uncool to post that in light of what he says about Hughes?

yeah .. he sounds a very angry unpleasant fella.

03. Perpetual Dawn (Solar Youth Mix) note: what an absolute crock of wank

lol

I quite like that Youth mix of "Perpetual Dawn" with the soulful reggae vocals. It even has the vocal count-off from "Groove Is in the Heart" thrown in for good measure!

stopped reading at "thomas (fehlmann) go fuck yourself, go make more bland shitty tunes and leave my ones the fuck alone you weird looking aids victim."

Myself and Falconer then had an altercation, where he kicked me in the testicles without any warning whatsoever, and we never found out why

I could hazard a guess.

I think he sounds pretty funny

Buried deep at the end:

I left the band simply because I was tired of working with Alex, he did practically nothing on the records, fell asleep a lot (stoned) and had little to give in terms of musical knowledge or taste. I just had outgrown him. I wanted to work with someone more technically proficient. Unfortunately I still havent found anyone thats any good.

Is that so.

Didn't he work with Paul McCartney?

That was Youth.

I love Orblivion!

I'm sure I used to have a mix/remix of Star 6 & 7 8 9 that actually had a vocal/sample of a woman saying "Star 6, 7, 8, 9" but can't find it anywhere now.

Anyone know what version it was? Perhaps it was a live one.

Just re listened to Orbus Terrarum last night. I've always enjoyed how dense and complex that is compared to the first two albums (which I also have a special place for). Not sure there was much else for them to do – there's only so musically sophisticated whimsical ambient can probably be. And I sort of lost track of them after that until hearing a one of the (surprisingly enjoyable) Kompakt releases. But to that point they were always worth a spin or two.

xp

version on Live Evil has that iirc

about 3/4 of the way in he seems to be very sincerely complaining about Google on the basis that if you GIS his name, some of the pictures are of other people

i should be so lucky

I followed him on Twitter for a while but he's just a bitter, crazy, drug casualty who thinks he's more important than he is.

My god Orbus Terrarum is such a beautiful album.

Finally read that Weston rant which, oddly enough, is only available on his own website:

http://archive.is/dviP7

It is brilliant.

Naive Teen Idol otm re the "density and complexity" of orbus terranum... in a strictly textural way. In that listening to it is like trudging through massive dense foliage that keeps changing shape... every listen untangles another layer.... *cough cough*

you okay?

I didn't know about the remasters! Going to start with Orbus which I think will benefit the most.

Pomme Fritz 2CD may have been the most eye-opening to me. The 2nd disc is maybe better than the first.

Interestingly enough, Weston's rant includes a lot about Terrarum – in effect, he says he did tons of mixes with the intention of editing them together but that Andy Hughes did the editing after he left and did a poor job of it.

That said, some of what survives (particularly "Occidental") is some of the best work they ever did.

'Alpine: Prins Thomas Diskomiks' is a rather wonderful thing

My cassette copy of Live always seemed interminably quiet for looooooong stretches

now I'm older and unwiser I've come to really appreciate this about Live 93, it feels like their absolute dreamiest

COW is an awesome album

so far the new one is exactly what I want in a summer Orb album, praise Jah

have been wondering.
I have really enjoyed the recent KOMPAKT releases, and so was somewhat concerned when I heard this was a full band collab album.

I heard a single? a few weeks back that was so bad it hurt

First song they previewed from this album sounded terrible to me too, but I really like this album. Just ordered the red vinyl from the website.

reminds me a lot of Cydonia...lots of dub, some straight-up pop songs, a few bizarre attempts to keep up to date ("Wolfbane", lol), and a long ambient closer that's probably the best thing on the disc.

i really love the orb

listened to the full 40 minute “blue moon” a couple times last week. still mind blowing. so liquid. glad i have it on cd.

“blue room” gahh what was that

I also love the Orb. Do chase down the new Alex memoir by Kris Needs. Very enjoyable reading, lots of detail and stories. 'Babble On An Ting'

i really love the orb

― STOCK FIST-PUMPER BRAD (BradNelson), Monday, July 26, 2021 1:54 PM (five months ago) bookmarkflaglink

http://auscillate.com/post/343

i was trying to find writing about orbus terrarum and stumbled on someone's track-by-track fake 33 1/3 pitch for the record and thought it was surprisingly good

Big Fish Little Fish is back in October (30th) and this time it's with special guest DJ Alex Peterson of @Orbinfo. For more information on the best club for young people click here https://t.co/5ZlBZQOdY8 pic.twitter.com/0oEGEchFeL

— Epic Studios (@EPICNorwich) May 25, 2022

absolutely want to hear Paterson play a set for kids

i did not like any of their albums but i do like their compilations!

guarantee the new Orb single is not what you're expecting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdlIv-0vvwY

dig

Is that The Orb? No stupid samples? Has Alex farmed off all duties to unknown 20yr old kids?

right now the Orb is Patterson and some guy named Michael Rendall. I don't think Fehlmann is involved anymore. no clue how old Rendall is but in the promo pics he looks quite young, like maybe in his early 30s? kinda explains why No Sounds and Abolition sounded quite unlike The Orb as usual. at least in certain spots. I really like Abolition though. If this new album is on the same level I'm really looking forward to it.

also dig the cover

NEW ALBUM ANNOUNCMENT
Our upcoming album 'Prism' is available to pre-order/save now!
We're celebrating this announcement by releasing 'living in recycled times'.
You can stream our new single, watch the video and pre-order 'Prism' here:https://t.co/j512XwMA3Q pic.twitter.com/Q8eaiDPonX

— The Orb (@Orbinfo) January 25, 2023

new single super good as to be expected - Patterson's ear is underestimated imo, going uptempo isn't a surprising shift to me. great great stuff

Orb have been playing more and more warm up sets/gigs at a few events recently.

most of the classics are now performed with uptempo beats behind them, so I think this is more giving the punters what they want, and whats expected of a warm up set.

This new track is very much “what if The Orb did a Rudimental track” but also isn’t a gigantic step from stuff like “Delta Mk II” off of Toxygene

right now the Orb is Patterson and some guy named Michael Rendall. I don't think Fehlmann is involved anymore. no clue how old Rendall is but in the promo pics he looks quite young, like maybe in his early 30s?

Rendall has been a frequent studio engineer and live half-the-Orb since 2010, including on some albums where Fehlmann is in the band; he started writing on the all-Orb-star No Sounds (alongside LX, Youth, Fehlmann, Roger Eno, Wobble, Pratt et al), and became the current other-half-of-the-band on Abolition.

is there a more embarrassing moment in 90s electronic music than the "marcus garvey meets with haile selassie" bit at the beginning of the otherwise pretty great "trance dub"? i mean, i'm sure there is, but i am curious to hear what

*towers of dub, obv

It’s a Victor Lewis Smith sample, not a skit recorded for the album, fwiw

funny you should mention, just the other day I wondered if Alex Patteron's voice actually ever appeared on an Orb album. or anyone else in the band for that matter.

they have a new record out. I'm waiting for my shop to get it in but I liked the advance singles. it's kind of funny to hear people complain about the voices again. they've been complaining about that since Cydonia, which at this point was 24 years ago.

this reminds me I gotta get a copy of UFOrb, I sold the 3LP b/c surface noise

It’s a Victor Lewis Smith sample, not a skit recorded for the album, fwiw

― fall of the house of urrsher (sic), Tuesday, October 21, 2025 10:03 AM (thirty-three minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

still tho

this reminds me I gotta get a copy of UFOrb, I sold the 3LP b/c surface noise

― sleeve, Tuesday, October 21, 2025 8:23 AM (eleven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

see if you can get this one, it has a bonus disc with the full 40 minute "blue room".

ha that I have! I just need the regular LP

that 40-min "Blue Room" is in my top 5 of theirs for sure

otoh it looks like I don't have the other tracks on that disc, so thanks!

I like the new album quite a lot.

Wasn't sure, but last night I checked, and I do have the double-CD-Single "Blue Room", so that's all right then.

I like the new album a lot too. I feel like pretty much every new album they've done since I became a fan (around the time of Bicycles & Tricycles) gets dumped on by the longtime fans. I've actually liked nearly all of them. I don't think the collab albums have been too hot but every 'main' Orb album save for maybe No Sounds Are Out of Bounds has been pretty great to my ears. "Blue Room" is great but I don't want them to just keep making clones of it. The new stuff I think still has the same DNA but with the rave knob turned up. Okay maybe not everything on here, there's some real wtf moments but I guess most Orb albums have those

I’ve never listened to “Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt”, but perhaps today is the day. It just such a shrug of a title, like “here we are innit”

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never kept up with this band in a meaningful way. UFOrb (2xCD set) and Orbvs T are what I know (and love). Every once in a long while I’ll try on a new album for size and just not be feeling it.

I dunno. I've tried with a few of the latter-day albums, but basically I go back to the first five albums (Pomme Fritz rarely, tbrr) and nothing past that. I guess I'm one of the fans frogbs describes!

What the hell, I’m gonna give myself over to this record - released, eerily, almost exactly 20 years ago!!! - on the morning walk.

https://theorb.bandcamp.com/album/okie-dokie-it-s-the-orb-on-kompakt

for me it's everything through Orblivion and then Chill Out
World! which was a great return to the older sound. I've missed a lot between those and after COW, though.

if you like Chill Out World I would recommend the Sedibus and Chocolate Hills albums, which resemble old school Orb much more than the current Orb albums do. and Patterson is involved with all of them so what's the difference really. they're all single LPs too so they're kept nice and tight.