Orbital

Named after Greater London's own circular autobahn, the M25 - central to the early Rave scene and party network in the South East of England during the halcyon 'daze' of Acid House - Orbital are manned by brothers Phil (born 09 Jan 64) and Paul Hartnoll (born 19 May 68).

From their relatively humble beginnings producing simple but infectious top 20 Pop-Dance tunes to their more recent sophisticated top 5 Pop-Dance tunes, classic albums, film & TV scores and beyond, Orbital have crafted some of the most innovative yet accessible electronic music since their inception in 1989 whilst at the same time retaining great respect for their live work due to their extraordinary shows around the globe which pay as much attention to the live mixing of visuals and choice of imagery, as to the live sound itself. Perhaps, though, one of their greatest achievements is their longevity which is firmly based on a sound that is recognizably their own, coupled with a will to proceed at their own pace and on their own terms with little regard to the industry machinations that surround them or the musical fads and trends that come and go.

Originally from Sevenoaks (a suburban 'commuter reservation' somewhere in deepest Kent) the Hartnolls grew up listening to second generation punk (Crass, Dead Kennedys, Crucifix...), mutant-electro (Severed Heads, Hula, Adrian Sherwood...) and early Hip Hop (Phil went over to New York in the mid-eighties in order to 'find' Hip Hop). By 1988 Paul had contributed two electro pieces (!) to FFrr's "House Sound Of London Volume 4" under the name D.S.Building Contractors, but it wasn't until the following year that the first true Orbital release emerged: the single "Chime".

The original 1,000 copies released through Jazzy M's Oh-Zone label sold out immediately through word of mouth alone and the track was picked up by London Records subsidiary FFrr with whom it soon became a nationwide Dance anthem. This translated into a number 17 singles chart position and gained the Hartnolls a 'Top Of The Pops' appearance where they 'performed' whilst sporting anti Poll Tax T-shirts. A decade later, the often sampled and bootlegged "Chime" is still regarded as a classic and has remained one of the highlights of many a live set over the years.

In the period 1990-1991 the burgeoning UK dance scene was still very much perceived as a short-lived phenomena with limited crossover potential and the very idea of a 'dance' artist producing an album as opposed to an endless stream of 12" cuts for club consumption was still a relatively uncommon occurance, yet when Orbital released their untitled debut long player, or "green" album, it was to unanimous critical approval and was early proof that dance/electronic music could after all produce albums that would have to be taken as seriously as those produced by conventional Rock acts. Over the coming months remixes carried out by Orbital became further evidence that the Hartnoll brothers had by now established a distinctive sound of their own whilst retaining a characteristically diverse approach to their work.

In the summer of '93 they became instrumental in setting-up and then went on to headline the Midi Circus Tour, a roaming electronic extravaganza which travelled the UK spreading the latest word on live dance music. Next came the release of their second album. Once again an untitled double LP, it became a resident in the upper reaches of the UK Indie album charts for the next few months. The "brown" album, as it's now generally referred to, bore the now classic Orbital live standards "Halcyon+on+on", "Remind" and "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)", going on to feature highly in most end-of-year Best Album polls. A tour of the US (their second) and two sell-out nights at the Brixton Academy (New Years Eve and New Years Day) finally brought Orbital's hectic year to a close.

March 1994 saw the release of their John Peel session (recorded the previous Autumn) which featured two tracks re-worked from the "brown" album together with two new compositions. At Glastonbury, Orbital played the coveted final slot on the second stage, previewing some of the new material from their soon to be released third album. The show was a resounding success and sections were broadcast by Channel 4 and John Peel. On its release, "Snivilisation" entered the album charts at number four, quickly followed by the single "Are We Here?". The album broke the hitherto 'no title' rule and sported for the first time a non-graphic cover courtesy of noted painter John Greenwood. Musically, too, it was a departure from their previous collections, the material being far more disparate in style than before. On the accompanying "Are We Here?" UK tour Orbital played to packed houses throughout the UK where they played 'in the round' from the top of a specially constructed scaffolding tower before heading off to play the Woodstock 2 festival in the US.

1995 saw the release of their remix of Madonna's "Bedtime Stories", followed by a triumphant headline slot at Tribal Gathering and Main Stage performance at Glastonbury, which many thought even better than that of the previous summer. The year's new material came in the shape of a track recorded for the Sony Play Station game "WipEout", an untitled EP featuring "Times Fly" (which proved to be too long to be eligible for chart inclusion) and a track, "Adnan", donated to the "Help" compilation.

In April 1996 Orbital released a new single, the dulcimer-driven "The Box" (number11), quickly followed by their fourth long player, "In Sides". Perhaps their most adventurous collection up until that point, the album may have been a more studied and sombre affair than "Snivilisation" yet the Hartnolls' love of film soundtracks revealed some startling results, and though it's well-crafted mixture of beats and cinematics unwittingly opened the floodgates to a stream of largely uninspiring copycat James-Bond-with-a-dance-beat efforts, "In Sides" was universally acclaimed and entered the album charts at number five on week of release.

By May, the Hartnolls had embarked on their first full UK tour for over two years which included a triumphant performance at a filled-to-bursting Royal Albert Hall, proving once and for all that Orbital had finally escaped the limiting definitions of 'Techno', 'Dance' et al, whilst at the same time taking live electronic music even further into previously uncharted territory. By the end of the year "In Sides" featured highly in most of the 1996 Best Albums polls. On New Years Eve Orbital played to 12,000 people at Alexandra Palace and released a live version of "Satan". The track had originally been recorded in 1991, though it had only reached as far as 31 in the charts when it was released that year as a single. This time around it entered at a much more convincing number three.

In April 1997 Orbital went on to release their own version of the theme tune to the 60's cult TV classic "The Saint" from the soundtrack of the Hollywood remake. The film itself (understandably) received mixed reviews though the single became the Hartnolls' second UK top three success since Christmas, whilst on the live front that year Orbital's main appearances were at Tribal Gathering, two sets at the Pheonix Festival and the closing slot on East coast leg of Lollapalooza in the States.

To mark the first ten years of Orbital activity, they undertook their most successful and comprehensive UK tour to date and soon after released their fifith album, "The Middle of Nowhere" which became their third consecutive Top 5 album chart placing, once again entering at number three, and again at the receiving end of great critical acclaim.

After taking a short and well-earned break the Hartnolls began recording a brand new album ‘The Altogether’ which was released in April 2001, meanwhile in June 2000, they supplied ‘Meltdown’ an exclusive new piece of music for a modern dance project as part of the South Bank Centre's Meltdown Festival which is this year curated by one of the Hartnolls' all time heroes, Scott Walker. After the release of ‘The Altogether’ they headlined the Homelands festival and went onto tour the UK and America including 2 nights at Brixton Academy. In 2002 the best of album ‘Work’ was released and Orbital yet again played a triumphant set closing the second stage at Glastonbury on the Saturday night.

During 2003 Orbital scored the UK indie film ‘Octane’ directed by Marcus Adams and starring Madeleine Stowe. The soundtrack album was released in October on EMI. They also scored the US FOX TV series ‘Keen Eddie’ as well as writing music for the Australian film ‘One Perfect Day’.

2004 will see the last ever Orbital record and gigs. After 15 years together Phil & Paul will pursue different projects but will be finishing with a Brixton Academy show and closing Glastonbury on the second stage. The 7th studio LP the ‘Blue Album’ will be released on June 21st.

Orbital became one of the biggest names in techno during the mid-'90s by solving the irreconcilable differences previously inherent in the genre: to stay true to the dance underground and, at the same time, force entry into the rock arena, where an album functions as an artistic statement -- not a collection of singles -- and a band's prowess is demonstrated by the actual performance of live music. Though Phil and Paul Hartnoll first charted with a single, the 1990 British Top 20 hit "Chime," the duo later became known for critically praised albums. The LPs sold well with rock fans as well as electronic listeners, thanks to Orbital's busy tour schedule, which included headlining positions at such varied spots as the Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, and Tribal Gathering.

The brothers Hartnoll -- Phil (born January 9, 1964) and Paul (born May 19, 1968) -- grew up in Dartford, Kent, listening to early-'80s punk and electro. During the mid-'80s, Phil worked as a bricklayer while Paul played with a local band called Noddy & the Satellites. They began recording together in 1987 with a four-track, keyboards, and a drum machine, and sent their first composition, "Chime" (recorded and mastered onto a cassette tape for a total production cost of £2.50), into Jazzy M's pioneering house mix show Jackin' Zone. By 1989, "Chime" was released as a single, the first on Jazzy M's label, Oh-Zone Records. The following year, ffrr Records re-released the single and signed a contract with the duo -- christened Orbital in honor of the M25, the circular London expressway which speeded thousands of club kids to the hinterlands for raves during the blissed-out Summer of Love. "Chime" hit number 17 on the British charts in March 1990 and led to an appearance on the TV chart show Top of the Pops, where the Hartnolls stared at the audience from behind their synth banks. "Omen" barely missed the Top 40 in September, but "Satan" made number 31 early in 1991, with a sample lifted from the Butthole Surfers.

Orbital's untitled first LP, released in September 1991, consisted of all-new material -- that is, if live versions of "Chime" and the fourth single "Midnight" are considered new works. Unlike the Hartnolls' later albums, though, the debut was more of a collection of songs than a true full-length work, its cut-and-paste attitude typical of many techno LPs of the time. During 1992, Orbital continued their chart success with two EPs. The Mutations remix work -- with contributions from Meat Beat Manifesto, Moby, and Joey Beltram -- hit number 24 in February. Orbital returned Meat Beat's favor later that year by remixing "Edge of No Control," and later reworked songs by Queen Latifah, the Shamen, and EMF as well. The second EP, Radiccio, reached the Top 40 in September. It marked the Hartnolls' debut for Internal Records in England, though ffrr retained control of the duo's American contract, beginning with a U.S. release of the debut album in 1992.

The duo entered 1993 ready to free techno from its club restraints, beginning in June with a second LP. Also untitled, but nicknamed the "brown" album as an alternative to the "green" debut, it unified the disjointed feel of its predecessor and hit number 28 on the British charts. The Hartnolls continued the electronic revolution that fall during their first American tour. Phil and Paul had first played live at a pub in Kent in 1989 -- before the release of "Chime" -- and had continued to make concert performance a cornerstone of their appeal during 1991-1993, though the U.S. had remained unaware of the fact. On a tour with Moby and Aphex Twin, Orbital proved to Americans that techno shows could actually be diverting for the undrugged multitudes. With no reliance on DATs (the savior of most live techno acts), Phil and Paul allowed an element of improvisation into the previously sterile field, making their live shows actually sound live. The concerts were just as entertaining to watch as well, with the Hartnolls' constant presence behind the banks -- a pair of flashlights attached to each head, bobbing in time to the music -- underscoring the impressive light shows and visuals. The early 1994 release of the Peel Sessions EP, recorded live at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios, cemented onto wax what concertgoers already knew. That summer proved to be the pinnacle of Orbital's performance ascent; an appearance at Woodstock 2 and a headlining spot at the Glastonbury Festival (both to rave reviews) confirmed the duo's status as one of the premier live acts in the field of popular music, period.

The U.S.-only Diversions EP -- released in March 1994 as a supplement to the second LP -- selected tracks from both the Peel Sessions and the album's single, "Lush." Following in August 1994, Snivilisation became Orbital's first named LP. The duo had not left political/social comment completely behind on the previous album -- "Halcyon + On + On" was in fact a response to the drug used for seven years by the Hartnolls' own mother -- but Snivilisation pushed Orbital into the much more active world of political protest. It focused on the Criminal Justice Bill of 1994, which gave police greater legal action both to break up raves and prosecute the promoters and participants. The wide variety of styles signalled that this was Orbital's most accomplished work. Snivilisation also became the duo's biggest hit, reaching number four in Great Britain's album charts.

During 1995, the brothers concerned themselves with touring, headlining the Glastonbury Festival in addition to the dance extravaganza Tribal Gathering. In May 1996, Orbital set out on quite a different tour altogether; the duo played untraditional, seated venues -- including the prestigious Royal Albert Hall -- and appeared on-stage earlier in the night, much like typical rock bands. Two months later, Phil and Paul released "The Box," a 28-minute single of orchestral proportions. It screamed of prog rock excess -- especially the inclusion of synth harpsichords -- and appeared to be the first misstep in a very studied career. The resulting In Sides, however, became their most acclaimed album, with many excellent reviews in publications that had never covered electronic music. It was over three years before the release of Orbital's next album, 1999's Middle of Nowhere. An aggressive, experimental album titled The Altogether emerged in 2001, and one year later Orbital celebrated over a decade together with the release of the retrospective Work 1989-2002. With the release of 2004's Blue Album, however, the Hartnolls announced that they were disbanding Orbital. After the split, Paul began recording music under his own name, including material for the Wipeout Pure !PSP game and a solo album (The Ideal Condition), while Phil formed another duo, Long Range, with Nick Smith. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide