[Article extracted from VOLUME ONE CD book] 10 Things You Might Not Know About The Orb ------------------------------------------ 1) 'The Kiss EP', The Orb's debut single, was a collection of cut-ups from tapes of New York's legendary Kiss Radio, which Alex had been collecting since the early 80's! 2) Alex and Jimmy Cauty started the first 'Chill Out' room at Paul Oakenfold's Land of Oz club, upstairs in London's Heaven. Using two decks and a CD player they mixed tracks by the likes of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno over bird-songs, BBC sound effects and weird tribal chants! 3) Alex used to be an A&R man at new age label EG Records. He signed Marathon (now Time Unlimited), but spent most of his time listening to ambient nutters like Roger Eno, Michael Brook and Phillip Glass! 4) He was once a roadie for Killing Joke and used to play heavy New York techno grooves over the P.A. before the band came on! 5) He also part owns a label called WAU (What About Us!) with ex-Killing Joke axeman/producer Youth. Aside from giving a berth to many fab ambient, reggae and house tracks, WAU was the original home of Blue Pearl! 6) There are subliminal jokes all over Orb records. The run-out groove of 'A Huge Ever-Growing Pulsating Brain' poses the question "Why is 6 afraid of 7?" 'Fluffy Clouds' answers: "Because 6 & 7 8 9. Geddit?" (No, neither do we!) 7) Alex has remixed tracks for Paradise 10, Art of Noise, Erasure, Front 242, and loads of others and is currently one of the top five remixers in the country! 8) He's also in a few other groups/collaborations, including System 7, with hippy guitar guru Steve Hillage, and Jam on the Mutha, a collaboration with Youth! 9) The Orb's co-pilot and knob-twiddling specialist Thrash is also in Fortran 5, featured elsewhere in this Volume. 10) Back in Autumn 1989 Alex DJ'd for more than six hours at an eleven-hour 'ambiathon' held at the KLF's tran-central HQ. And much of the KLF's 'Chill Out' LP is, in fact, made up of cuts from the session! Kopyright Liberation Front: you bet your bottom, matey! 10 Very Ambient Things To Do ---------------------------- 1) Think 2) Put the kettle on 3) Put your name down for a charter flight to Mars 4) Take a hovercraft across the Sahara 5) Go for a swim with a dolphin 6) Sit on top of a mountain in Thailand 7) Raise fluffy bunny rabbits 8) Plug in to virtual reality 9) Fly to New Zealand for a dip in a hot geyser 10) Banana 10 Essential Orb-Related Releases --------------------------------- 1) West India Company 'O Je Suis Seul' (Editions EG) EDSX 4 Dr. Alex's first attempt at production makes for a disturbed, cut-up bhangra boogie. The A-side sports an entirely groovy remix by Andy Weatherall. 2) Fischerman's Friend 'Money' (Editions EG) EGOP 51 A well driven floor-filling rhythm laced with Teutonic beats and well spaced one liners: "It's no game it's no joke -- we made our money the hard way". 3) The Orb 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld' (WAU/Mr. Modo) MWS 017T A revolution, albeit a laid back one. 15 minutes of total ambience, it wobbles, tickles, and samples Mimi Rippington's lush vocals from 'Loving You' -- great for clearing the floor. 4) Marathon 'Movin'' (Editions EG) EGOP 53 Transcendental total reworking of the Brass Construction classic: mixes by Youth and Alex, and samples from both the Beatles and the Stones. It was a huge club track last year but sadly a miss when it came to popdom. They're now working under the name Time Unlimited on ZTT. 5) Apollo XI 'Peace in the Middle East' (WAU/Mr. Modo) Apollo 11 Released in protest the day war broke out in the Gulf, recorded by Youth and Alex a week or two before: another driving house track with an aptly eastern feel. 6) Primal Scream 'Shine Like Stars' The Screamers get ambient with a mix from Dr. Alex on their immense, stupendous and totally fab new LP. 7) Front 242 'Rhythm of Time' (Play It Again Sam) Even Euro-busters get the treatment, making for an inviting crossover. 8) The Orb 'Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld' (Big Life) BLRDCD 5 Nearly two hours' worth of total interplanetary exploration. Suitable for any occasion: small gatherings, bathtimes, astral travel and any occasion when experimenting with hallucinogenics; it leaves only one question unanswered: does a plant go to sleep? 9) The Orb in Dub: 'Perpetual Dawn' remix (Big Life) BLR R46 Includes the very ambient 'Towers of Dub'. Essential! 10) System 7 'System 7' (Circa) The Orb teams up with mad axeman Steve Hillage, along with Oakenfold, Youth and a host of other stars. Perpetual!