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Sevenoaks, Kent, England (1989 – 2004, 2009 – present)

Orbital are an music duo consisting of brothers Phil Hartnoll and Paul Hartnoll formed in Sevenoaks, Kent, England whose career originally lasted from 1989 until 2004.

Orbital reformed in 2009 with the original lineup of Phil Hartnoll and Paul Hartnoll.

Orbital took their name from Greater London’s orbital motorway, the M25, which was central to the early rave scene and party network in the South East during the early days of acid house. One of the biggest names in British electronica during the 1990s, Orbital were both critically and commercially successful, being particularly known for an element of live improvisation during their shows, a rarity with techno acts. They were initially influenced by early electro and punk rock.

In 1989, Orbital recorded a track called “Chime” on their father’s cassette deck. It was released on Oh Zone Records in December 1989, and re-released on FFRR a few months later. The track became a rave anthem, reaching number 17 in the UK charts, and earning them an appearance on Top of the Pops, during which they wore anti-Poll Tax t-shirts. A few singles and EPs followed, and their first self-titled album, a collection of tracks recorded at various times, was released in late 1991.

In late 1992, the “Radiccio” EP barely reached the UK top 40, but it included probably their most well-known song, “Halcyon”. The song featured a backwards sample of Kirsty Hawkshaw from Opus III’s “It’s a Fine Day”, and B-side “The Naked and the Dead” was similarly based on a line from Scott Walker’s rendition of Jacques Brel’s song “Next”.
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Top Albums

  • Wonky
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  • Blue Album
    Orbital Play
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  • Orbital 2
    Orbital Play
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  • In Sides
    Orbital Play
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Top Tracks

1
1,217
2
1,190
3
1,140
4
974
5
940
6
933
7
787
8  
737
9  
700
10  
686
11  
525
12
431
13  
395
14
340
15
317
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  • ativke

    I'm starting to feel that Orbital 2 is going to go down as a more solid album than In Sides in retrospect. I used to feel the opposite. Sorry for not mustering any enthusiasm for Wonky.

    Friday evening

  • jae__moon

    if you're after some good new electronica: http://soundcloud.com/jaemoonjunkmail

    last week

  • Punk-Fiction

    Wonky is super fun.

    12 days ago

  • djgizmoe

    better than Blue? sure... better than Altogether? yes... better than the Middle of nowhere? nope! (2) Agreed. Let's not get overzealous with our praise now. Still, it's really great to have Orbital back in town.

    12 days ago

  • liquidray

    Loving the new album! Another classic in the Orbital oeuvre.

    12 days ago

  • android1985

    Wonky is my favorite album from them lol. :X

    13 days ago

  • daulkim

    Wonky is absolutely fucking glorious. [3]

    13 days ago

  • jeff071

    Enjoying Wonky quite a bit, but I wouldn't put it above Altogether just yet. I have a soft spot for that one, it has so much energy and charm to it. After hearing their 1999 score to "Nothing" I was able to appreciate it even more.

    13 days ago
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Orbital VIdeo Blog - MTV Winter - Valencia

14 Mar 2011 | from blog.myspace.com/orbitalofficial

http://www.loopzorbital.com/blog/?p=672

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