Archive for the ‘Orbital’ Category

Orbital

Saturday, April 3rd, 2010

OrbitalSatanPS, Orbital, London

Listen: Satan / Orbital OrbitalSatan.mp3

As threatening live as the title implies, this would blow your hair back as well as your mind during their NY shows from the 90′s. Probably their most popular single (#3) when re-released in ’97, it’s this original version from ’91 (#31), that still holds a strong place in my heart.

What a great time the 90′s were for singles. Everyone had moved to cd’s, but faithfully the UK companies would always issue a 7″ counterpart – even for electronic stuff like this, that on vinyl, was desirable as a 12″ way more.

Bassomatic

Monday, December 21st, 2009

BassomaticPS, Bassomatic, William Orbit, Mark Ronson

Listen: Fascinating Rhythym / Bassomatic BassomaticFascinatingRhythm.mp3

William Orbit, the guy behind, or should I say, the guy who basically was Bassomatic, became the most in demand remixer/producer after ‘Fascinating Rhythm’ hit. For good reason. Despite it’s inability to live beyond the acid house goes mainstream period of 1990, when it peaked at #9 in the UK, it’s a pretty fantastic song. The accompanying SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE BASS takes the prize as best-ever tongue in cheek album title, and quite frankly one that made me want to hear it. I did. I own the disc, but can’t remember if it was as great as the title implies. It may well be, but I didn’t give it much of a chance. Someday.

I was in London when ‘Fascinating Rhythm’ came on Radio 1. Gary Crowley was driving us along Holland Park Avenue from St. Peter’s Square during a bumper to bumper Friday rush hour in late September. We’d been to the pub and were desperate to get to Brown’s and see Jake. It was pouring but Oxford Street was hopping. And the radio was jamming with KLF, Andy Weatherall’s version of Primal Scream, Orbital, The Stone Roses and Deee-lite. Seems like all England wanted to do was dance. We got caught up. Almost didn’t want to arrive, it was like one great track after the other.

You’d return home and I learned as soon as that plane touched down at JFK, it was time to leave the great party on the radio behind. Back to the US airwaves it was.

William Orbit was then much like Mark Ronson is now. Had a few monsters so along comes all the politically correct and connected acts paying big bucks for the same magic wand to elevate them up the credibilty and financial ladder. These things always end in tears of course but some great remixes came out along that path.

Back to square one. Nothing by Bassomatic topped ‘Fascinating Ryhthm’ that I know of. And that is perfectly okay.