The Orb

The ambient house pioneers' seventh LP may mess with your orb, but won't shatter it. The dark, mind-melding moments ("Kompania") are balanced by the kind of humorous sampling that made "Little Fluffy Clouds" such a hit ("Land of Green Ginger"). Even when they aim for the dancefloor, they tie up their 4/4 beats, industrial grooves and loping dub with ethereal threads.

As pioneering dance producers, the Orb symbolize a sound that preceded, as well as
overrode, most electronic music. On Bicycles and Tricycles, central figure Alex Patterson
pulls together the biggest number of Orb collaborators ever, some from the past (Jimmy
Cauty, Thomas Fehlmann), some new (the Corpral, Soom-T). The latter are MCs who bring a
fresh dimension to the dubbed-out soundscape on "Aftermath" and "Prime Evil."... More >