The Orb

The Orb on vinyl: ambient house from London

In short: Alex Paterson founded The Orb in London in 1988, at first together with Jimmy Cauty of The KLF. Their music was made for the chill-out rooms of raves: slow beats, dub bass, soundscapes and samples from radio, film and nature. With it they shaped the style called ambient house. The Vinyl Room currently has 11 records by The Orb.

What makes The Orb special?

We have the early “Kiss EP” on their own label WAU! Mr. Modo, the “Aubrey Mixes” and “Little Fluffy Clouds” (1990) with the voice of Rickie Lee Jones, also as a remix. Add “Perpetual Dawn”, “Assassin” and “The Blue Room”, which in 1992 also came out as a single version of almost 40 minutes; the running time depends on the edition.

From the period after comes “Pomme Fritz” (1994), on which the music becomes even freer and more experimental. Many Orb records came out on Big Life in London.

From our stock

First pressings

All records by The Orb

→ Big Life · The KLF · Ambient · Electronic on vinyl

FAQ

What is ambient house? Electronic music for unwinding after dancing – slow beats, wide soundscapes and samples.

Whose voice is in “Little Fluffy Clouds”? An interview excerpt with singer Rickie Lee Jones.

How long is “The Blue Room”? The best-known 1992 single version runs almost 40 minutes; there are much shorter versions too.

Which records do you have? Mainly early-nineties singles and EPs – 11 records in all.