It
was never supposed to be this way. Twelve years-almost to the month-since
their first single bought Top Of The Pops to a virtual standstill
and six full albums later, Orbital present their singles collection
Work, and prepare for another headline tour of Britain's wide open
spaces. And no-one is more surprised than the Hartnoll's themselves.
"In the beginning, I gave it a year," says Phil. With
characteristic self-deprecation Paul will tell you that, "our
best work comes from trying to copy other people and getting it
wrong." If only all musicians were so candid. But whatever
the lineage or the unlikelihood, Orbital continue into 2002 as default
godfathers of British electronic music with an attitude and a body
of work that never fails to inspire, astonish and entertain.
To
put things into context you need to consider that at the end the
80's the phrase "a career in dance music" was-with the
possible exception of mobile Djs- oxymoronic in the extreme. That
a scene that seemed so devoted to living in the moment should
yield something so long term was the last thing on the mind of
those that made it happen. That Orbital have endured in such spectacular
fashion can be attributed to their firm foundations both personally
and musically. As brothers, the Hartnolls (once memorably described
in The Guardian as "the anti-Gallaghers"-i.e Southern,
passive, harmonious) bought with them a personal dynamic and debuted
with a piece of music that became a cornerstone in the construction
of modern British dance music.
The
making of Chime (recorded on their old man's malfunctioning tape
deck whilst various associates suggested packing it in and repairing
to the pub, total cost under £1) has long been the stuff
of legend-and is discussed at greater length in the sleevenotes
to Work. It's impact though resonates to this day. In Channel
Four's acclaimed series Pump Up The Volume the arrival of Chime
was singled out as a defining moment-the point when the UK scene
took the Detroit basics and produced something absolutely it's
own. On that same programme Pete Tong explained how the Hartnoll's
took the then radical step of following Chime up with a series
of albums and a career whilst Paul Daley recalled the joyous shock
of seeing near-motionless men with machines appear on a Top OF
The Pops still locked in the eighties performance dynamic.
In
January of 1991 the Hartnoll's next single would yield two more
classic tracks that remain staples of the Orbital live set more
than a decade later. The more esoteric Belfast/Satan settled on
the lower reaches of the top 40 but served to enhance the notion
of an identifiable Orbital "sound." Whilst, in a wider
context they were innovating the brothers were also developing
a sonic identity that has sustained throughout their career (and
remember this was supposed to be a faceless medium.) The band's
status as outsiders and political concerns were confirmed by their
next single the Crass sampling Choice/Midnight. By the autumn
their first album (the untitled/Green one) was released and the
global reach of their sound was confirmed with triumphal new years
eve shows in Australia.
1992
saw a deluge of remix work as Phil and Paul are perceived as part
of dance music's rapidly expanding (and simultaneously crumbling)
elite. A first US tour is preceded in the UK by the release of
another instant classic (and continued live favourite) single,
the epic Halcyon arriving under the auspices of the Raddiccio
ep. A foretaste of the coming LP arrives early the following year
with the release of Lush. Further sections of the second (or Brown)
album are heard on the UK's Midi Circus tour which the band headline.
In May the album arrives to widespread acclaim (Mixmag would go
on to rate as one of the best of the decade.). A session is also
recorded for John Peel, always a fan, who astutely remarks that
"despite being theoretically mechanical it doesn't sound
mechanical!"
1994
was a benchmark year for Orbital, the point at which they went
from being a successful act to a bona-fide phenomena, and it was
a process of two parts, the indoor and the outdoor. The enclosed
section was the completion and release of the Snivilisation album.
Possessed of a title and a rolling dystopic concept this was a
significant progression from their earlier work. Prior to it's
release that Hartnoll's chose to perform it before their largest
crowd to date, last thing on Saturday night, second stage Glastonbury
festival. Since 1990 the festival had been absorbing dance music
into it's more traditional fold, and by 1994 the time was right
for a performance that would transfix all that saw it irrespective
of prior allegiances, and at the end of a famously beautiful day
that's exactly what happened. Not that rain could have stopped
it. Orbital and it seemed, British culture shared the same momentum.
Since their outset the Hartnolls had improvised their live shows,
using technology as part of a genuine live performance that was
never the same twice. Finally in possession of a stage that could
make the most of their audio and visual techniques-refined over
the previous years on the road-and with an album of unheard and
unparalleled music, rock n' roll history was made (Q magazine
declared it one of the 50 greatest gigs of all time) and a precedent
was set that echoes happily to this day (and this years festival
where Orbital will take the same slot).
So
a dance band could make albums and cut it live. Sighs of relief
all round. Snivilisation rolled into the charts at No 4. From
then on Orbital live is a force to be reckoned with. Woodstock
II follows and a 20 date UK tour. In '95 Orbital remix Madonna,
headline the first Tribal Gathering before 25,000 people and play
the main stage at Glastonbury.
The
bleak mid-winter of 1996 yields an album that sounds a lifetime
away from the bucolic triumphs of 94/95. In Sides, an altogether
darker six track masterpiece enters the carts at No5 and the band
play London's Albert Hall in May. After shows at 16 European festivals
including the UK's V96 the band perform Satan live on Jools Hollands
later with full visual backing and much to the astonishment of
other assembled rock n'rollers (including Joe Cocker). A long
way from 1990's TOTP and no mistake. The by now traditional new
year show takes place at Alexandra palace with Chime looping in
and out of the chimes of Big Ben.
Proving
that the devil has all the best tunes Satan rears it's head again
to enter the UK chart at No3 in January. In keeping with their
avowed stylistic affiliation to the world of soundtracks and movies
Orbital release their version of The Saint which proves way more
popular than the re-made movie it accompanies. After a stint on
Lolapalooza the movie theme continues with another version of
Satan (featuring guitars by Metallica's Kirk Hammet) for the movie
Spawn. After the Phoenix festival in the UK come a collaboration
with Michael Kamen on the Event Horizon soundtrack and the remainder
of the year (and much of the next) is invested in the construction
of a new studio.
In
1999 to herald ten years of Orbital the band undertake their largest
UK tour to date. This is followed by their fifth album The Middle
Of Nowhere, which becomes their third in a row to debut in the
UK top 5. After a brief rest (and a turn of the century show at
Liverpool's Cream) the Hartnolls spend 2000 working on their sixth
record. Recorded in surround sound The Altogether will become
(by Orbital standards) a more light-hearted affair-it even includes
a version of the Dr Who theme, a live favourite added by popular
demand. Phil even goes on to describe the record as "like
getting on a ride at Thorpe Park." It arrives in 2001 along
with DVD promos for each track. There is a tour of the UK before
another assault on the great outdoors culminating at the Homelands
festival in Hampshire.
And
that's pretty much how it happened. A story of instinct, integrity,
humour and enthusiasm that has seen Orbital travel from beneath
the underground to true people's champions-somewhere far outside
the po faced requirements of sanctioned cool. This say Phil and
Paul, is just the end of the first chapter. A self-devouring industry
that considers longevity a crime can be of no long term consequence
to those that truly matter. And a good thing too. If you worried
about what other people were thinking, you'd never have got started
in the first place. The beat, as they say, goes on
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