Orbital (band)
| Company type | Music duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronic music |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Phil Hartnoll, Paul Hartnoll |
| Headquarters | Dunton Green, Kent , England, United Kingdom |
| Products | Electronic music albums and live performances |
Orbital is an electronic music duo from Dunton Green, Kent, England, formed by brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their name is inspired by the M25 motorway encircling Greater London, a key location in the early acid house rave movement. Three of their album covers showcase stylised representations of atomic orbitals. Orbital has garnered both critical acclaim and commercial success, particularly recognized for their live improvisational performances.
Origins and Inspirations
Paul Hartnoll once described the initial sound of Orbital as a "budget bedroom New Order/Severed Heads." Their musical influences span a diverse range including The Beat, Cabaret Voltaire, OMD, Kate Bush, Motown, ZTT Records, Trojan Records, as well as classic rock legends such as Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. The Hartnoll brothers have openly expressed deep respect for Kraftwerk.
In 1989, they recorded "Chime" using their father's 4-track tape recorder. The track was first released on DJ Jazzy M's Oh Zone Records and later picked up by FFRR Records. It quickly became an anthem within the rave scene, peaking at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and earning them a Top of the Pops spot where they sported anti-Poll Tax T-shirts. Paul Hartnoll recounted that the song was created "under the stairs" at their parents' home. Their debut live performance took place at a club night hosted by Que Pasa in Sevenoaks, followed by a show in Islington under the name Orbital. After several singles and EPs, their first self-titled album was released towards the end of 1991.
Despite limited chart success, the Radiccio EP from late 1992 entered the UK top 40 and included "Halcyon," one of their most beloved tracks featuring a sample from Kirsty Hawkshaw's "It's a Fine Day." The B-side "The Naked and the Dead" sampled Scott Walker’s interpretation of Jacques Brel’s "Next." The track "Halcyon" was dedicated to their mother’s struggle with Halcion dependency.
Their prominence increased with their second self-titled album in 1993, which showcased intricate compositions such as the opening piece "Time Becomes," incorporating phased samples from Star Trek: The Next Generation. This playful audio trick led some listeners to believe their album was mispressed. The album peaked at number 28 on the UK charts and remained there for 15 weeks. The track "Halcyon" was reimagined as "Halcyon + On + On," frequently featuring samples from artists like Bon Jovi, Belinda Carlisle, and later The Darkness during live performances.
The duo’s first two albums are often referred to as "The Green Album" and "The Brown Album," named after their distinctive cover colours (the debut featured a yellow-green misprint).
Breakthrough in 1994
Orbital received an NME award for Vibes Best Dance Act in early 1994. However, it was their headline set at the Glastonbury Festival on 25 June 1994 that significantly elevated their profile. Q magazine included this performance among the top 50 gigs ever and listed Orbital in their "50 Bands to See Before You Die."
The expanded television coverage of Glastonbury by Channel 4 introduced Orbital to a substantially larger audience, marking a defining point in their career. Paul Hartnoll later remarked that this performance represented long-overdue recognition for acid house music at Glastonbury.
Orbital pioneered live electronic music improvisation by mixing and sequencing tracks spontaneously while wearing distinctive head-mounted torches. They were also among a select group of electronic musicians invited to perform at Woodstock '94.
Their third album, Snivilisation, released in August 1994, featured vocals by Alison Goldfrapp, including on the single "Are We Here?", which sampled "Man at C&A" by The Specials. A notable remix titled "Criminal Justice Bill?" consisted of four minutes of silence as a protest against 1994 legislation aimed at restricting rave culture. Another Goldfrapp collaboration, "Sad But True," was remixed for the Times Fly EP—their only release in 1995.
In April 1996, the single "The Box" climbed to number 11 on UK charts. Its parent album In Sides, released the following month, became their second Top Five album and is widely regarded as one of their most critically praised works. The album continued exploring themes related to environmental issues and social commentary.
In 1997, Orbital contributed music to soundtracks for films including The Saint, Event Horizon, and Spawn. That year saw their highest-charting singles with a live rendition of "Satan" and a reworked version of The Saint theme—both reaching number three in the UK. Additionally, "Out There Somewhere (Part 2)" from In Sides featured in the relaunch of the video game series Test Drive 4.
Orbital also contributed a remix of "Halcyon" to the Platinum-certified soundtrack of the Mortal Kombat movie; this version plays during the film’s closing scene.
Later releases
Orbital returned to the studio in 1998 to work on their fifth studio album, The Middle of Nowhere, which was released the following year. This album became their third to reach the top five charts and signaled a shift back towards a more energetic sound. It included Alison Goldfrapp on vocals and featured the single "Style," notable for its use of the stylophone. In 2000, they contributed "Beached" to the soundtrack of The Beach, combining their electronic style with a melody by Angelo Badalamenti and incorporating lyrics from Leonardo DiCaprio's character in the movie.
Their 2001 album, The Altogether, showcased guest vocals by their brother-in-law David Gray, a sample from Ian Dury, and a rendition of the Doctor Who theme arranged for 5.1 surround sound. This was their last release under FFRR Records and received a mixed critical reception. In 2002, Orbital issued Work 1989-2002, a compilation gathering singles from "Chime" onward. That same year, they contributed the track "Technologique Park" to the film XXX, appearing in a club scene performing it live.
In 2003, Orbital composed the score for the horror movie Octane.
The duo disbanded in 2004, wrapping up with farewell performances at major festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, T in the Park, and Oxegen, in addition to concerts in Istanbul and Japan. Their final original studio album before the split, Blue Album, was released concurrently with these shows and featured collaborations with Sparks on "Acid Pants" and Lisa Gerrard on "One Perfect Sunrise".
Post-split activities
Following Orbital's separation, Paul Hartnoll embarked on a solo path, contributing tracks to the 2005 video game Wipeout Pure for the PSP platform and releasing his first solo album, The Ideal Condition, through ACP Records in June 2007. Additionally, he co-produced Strength in Numbers by The Music, collaborating with producer Flood.
Phil Hartnoll formed an electronica duo named Long Range with Nick Smith. They launched their debut album, Madness and Me, via their own label Long Range Recordings in August 2007. Meanwhile, Orbital issued a two-CD/DVD set titled Orbital: Live at Glastonbury 1994-2004 in June 2007, compiling more than two hours of live festival performances.
Reunion and Wonky
On 21 November 2008, Orbital announced their reunion to perform a special show celebrating "20 years after Chime" at The Big Chill Festival in 2009, preceded by a headline appearance at RockNess that same year. Their anniversary tour also included headline concerts in Manchester and London, receiving favorable reviews from critics. Their first performance post-reunion took place at Selector Festival in Poland in June 2009, followed by an appearance at The Electric Picnic festival in September.
On 16 June 2009, they released Orbital 20 ("20rbital"), a two-disc compilation covering their career highlights with 20 tracks. A single featuring "Don't Stop Me" / "The Gun is Good" was released in 2010. At the 2010 Glastonbury Festival, actor Matt Smith joined Orbital onstage to perform their version of the Doctor Who theme.
In February 2011, Orbital shared video diaries documenting their progress on new material and remix projects. By October, they announced a six-date UK tour including a performance at the Royal Albert Hall and planned to release an album in April 2012. The resulting record, Wonky, included collaborations with vocalist Zola Jesus and MC Lady Leshurr. Its release marked Orbital's debut on US radio via PrototypeRadio.
Orbital performed "Where Is It Going?" live during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games alongside physicist Stephen Hawking, who delivered an address about the Large Hadron Collider. On 8 October 2012, they released the soundtrack for the remake of Pusher, featuring vocal contributions from Toni Halliday.
Second separation
On 21 October 2014, Orbital declared they were "retiring their signature torch-glasses and ending their partnership for good," though they planned to pursue individual creative paths. Phil Hartnoll embarked on a DJ career, including an appearance at the Fuji Rock Festival, while Paul Hartnoll engaged in diverse musical projects such as releasing a solo album under the alias 8:58 in 2015, collaborating with Vince Clarke as 2Square, and composing scores for Peaky Blinders and American Ultra.
2017 reunion and Monsters Exist
Orbital reunited in February 2017, announcing tours scheduled for June and July at festivals like Forbidden Fruit in Dublin, Bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank, and Standon Calling in Hertfordshire. Concurrently, they disclosed work on a new album and issued "Kinetic 2017," a refreshed remix of an early track. During the Bluedot Festival, Orbital performed "Doctor?" live alongside the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. In August 2017, they released "Copenhagen," a standalone single developed during summer performances.
In December 2017, Orbital sold out two concerts at Manchester O2 Apollo and London Eventim Apollo, introducing new compositions "Phuk" (styled as "P.H.U.K.") and "Tiny Foldable Cities." These shows were later made available on CD through Pledge Music. A third new piece, "The End is Nigh," premiered in May 2018 during BBC Radio 1's Biggest Weekend festival.
Their album Monsters Exist, launched on 14 September 2018, featured cover art by John Greenwood—their first collaboration since In Sides—and included physicist Brian Cox contributing to the final track.
In 2019, Orbital revealed plans for a 30th anniversary release compiling refreshed versions of their songs by themselves and fellow artists. Early in 2020, they debuted new tracks "One Day" and "Treadmill" during live shows, including a streamed "Stay-At-Home-Rave" event supporting those impacted by COVID-19 in Greater Manchester.
In 2022, Orbital composed the soundtrack for Mike Myers' Netflix comedy series The Pentaverate. On 20 October, they announced their tenth studio album Optical Delusion, which was released on 17 February 2023 and featured lead single "Dirty Rat" with Sleaford Mods.
Their performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2024 included special appearances by Tilda Swinton (vocals on "Deeper") and Mel C (vocals on "Spicy"). In October 2024, they announced the forthcoming career-spanning compilation A Beginner's Guide, scheduled for release on 8 November 2024.
Political commentary
Orbital have consistently woven political and environmental messages into their music. Their early single "Choice" incorporates a sample from an anti-militarization speech found in Crucifix's "Annihilation." The track "Forever" from Snivilisation uses a speech excerpt from the 1982 film Britannia Hospital that critiques humanity; meanwhile, "You Lot" on the Blue Album contains a vocoded sample of Christopher Eccleston portraying Jesus Christ from the TV series The Second Coming.
In 1995, Orbital introduced "Sad But New," which extensively sampled and manipulated portions of former Prime Minister John Major's 1992 Conservative Party conference address as a reaction to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. The final released version on the Times Fly EP retained only the phrase "new age travellers."
"The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" from In Sides was recorded using power exclusively supplied by Greenpeace's mobile solar generator, CYRUS. Another track from the same album, "Dŵr Budr" ("dirty water" in Welsh), drew inspiration from the 1996 Sea Empress oil spill near Wales.
The 2018 single "P.H.U.K" (from Monsters Exist) features visuals alluding to Brexit, London's fatberg crisis, the Grenfell Tower fire, moped-related crime, and the migrant crisis of the 2010s; its title stands for "Please Help United Kingdom." Also from Monsters Exist, the song "There Will Come a Time" includes physicist Brian Cox urging humanity to protect our planet and pursue peace.
From 2019 onward, live renditions of "Impact (The Earth Is Burning)" have incorporated a speech by Greta Thunberg declaring: "Our house is on fire. I don't want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic."
Paul Hartnoll characterized Orbital's sociopolitical approach as deliberately ambiguous, aiming to create soundtracks reflecting current issues rather than overt social critique. He remarked, "the earth is still burning... governments are still fucking idiots... With our music, we're saying 'go on then, sort it out!'"
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award Ceremony | Entry | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | NME Awards | Themselves | Outstanding Dance Act | |
| 1995 | Live Show at Glastonbury | Outstanding Live Performance | ||
| 1997 | Brit Awards | "The Box" | Best British Video | |
| 1998 | MVPA Awards | "The Saint" | Best Directional Debut | |
| D&AD Awards | Pop Music Video with budget exceeding £40,000 | Wood Pencil | ||
| 2019 | Berlin Music Video Awards | "Tiny Foldable Cities" | Best Low-Budget Video | |
| 2022 | UK Music Video Awards | "Smiley" | Best Dance/Electronic Video - UK |
Discography
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