Liquid Sound Design Vinyl & CDs

Review: Second time around for The Orb's 2007 album The Dream, which saw core member Alex Paterson joined in the studio by old pal Youth and experienced producer Tim Brann. After a run of more abstract, German techno-influenced releases for Kompakt, it saw Paterson return to some of the familiar themes that had made the Orb such trailblazers in the early 90s - think quirky vocal samples aplenty, ambient synths, dub-wise basslines, head-nodding hip-hop beats, psychedelic guitars and trippy electronics. Of course, there are still surprises - the P-funk-influenced dub disco heaviness of 'DDD (Dirty Disco Dub)' and the baggy vocal dream pop of 'A Beautiful Day' - but for the most part it remains one of the Orb's more "classic-sounding" sets of the 21st century.

Review: The Orb virtually invented the electronic genre known as ambient house, resurrecting slower, more soulful rhythms and providing a soundtrack for early-morning ravers once the clubs closed their doors. Now they invite you to join them to sit back, relax, and drift into 'The Dream', out on Liquid Sound. Their history speaks volumes, and the future is certainly bright. The Orb return in February 2008 with a new album marking a long-awaited reunion between eternal mainstay Dr Alex Paterson and lifelong friend and original inter-galactic conspirator Youth. 'The Dream' sees a return to the original spirit which spawned the first two classic albums, 'The Orb's Adventures In The Ultraworld' and 'UFOrb'. 1989 saw The Orb's 'Kiss EP': proto-acid with hints of the aural mayhem to come before 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld' and the monstrously-successful 'Little Fluffy Clouds'. Alex and Youth collaborated again on the ensuing 'UFOrb', which surprised many by steaming straight into the album charts at number one. Tim Bran, who was with Dreadzone and has a solo album under the name of Subsonar on Youth's Liquid Sound label, was his studio partner on these projects and slipped into working on what would become the new Orb album. Alex describes it as the follow-up to 'UFOrb'. The basic Orb nucleus is joined by guest singers and players, including System 7's Steve Hillage, Battersea toaster-singer Eric Walker aka The Corpral and vocalists Aki Omori, singer Andy Caine from the W.A.U.! days, and renowned soulstress Juliet Roberts who, according to Alex, is 'the cherry on the cream on the gateau on the bed of Smarties'.