The Orb
Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann of The Orb at Culture Box in Copenhagen.
Background information
Origin	England
Genre(s)	Ambient house Ambient Ambient techno Chill out
Years active	1988–present
Label(s)	Big Life Island Badorb.com Kompakt
Associated acts	The KLF Space Sun Electric System 7 FFWD Youth Transit Kings
Website	http://www.theorb.com/
Members
Alex Paterson Thomas Fehlmann
Former members
Jimmy Cauty Kris Weston Andy Hughes Simon Phillips

The Orb are an English electronic music group known for popularising chill out music in the 1990s and spawning the genre of ambient house. Founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and KLF member Jimmy Cauty, The Orb began as ambient and dub DJs in London. Their early performances were inspired by ambient and electronic artists of the 1970s and 1980s, most notably Brian Eno and Kraftwerk. Because of their "trippy" sound, The Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. The Orb has maintained their drug-related and science fiction themes despite personnel changes including the departure of Cauty and other Orb members Kris Weston, Simon Phillips, and Andy Hughes. Paterson has been the only permanent member, continuing to work as The Orb with the Swiss-German producer Thomas Fehlmann.

Alex Paterson prides The Orb on manipulating obscure samples beyond recognition in their albums and concerts; however, his unauthorised use of other artist's work has led to disputes with musicians such as Rickie Lee Jones. During their live shows of the 1990s, The Orb performed using digital audio tape machines optimised for live mixing and sampling before switching to laptops and digital media. Despite changes in their performance method, The Orb have maintained their colourful light shows and psychedelic imagery in concert. These visually intensive performances prompted many critics to compare The Orb to Pink Floyd.

The Orb's critical and commercial success in the UK peaked in the early 1990s with their albums The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld and U.F.Orb, which reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart. This success led to their infamous appearance on Top of the Pops, where they showcased their quirky style by playing chess while the group's single "Blue Room" ran in the background. The Orb's mid-1990s albums were met with mixed reactions from UK critics; however, their work received praise from American publications such as Rolling Stone. They experimented with vocalists on their next two albums, which critics generally described as bland and uninspired. The Orb shifted to the minimalist techno style spearheaded by member Thomas Fehlmann, releasing their new material on the record label Kompakt.

History

1988–1990: Paterson & Cauty

Alex Paterson began his music career in the early 1980s as a roadie for the post-punk rock band Killing Joke, for whom his childhood friend Martin "Youth" Glover played bass. After leaving Killing Joke in 1986, Paterson met future KLF member Jimmy Cauty and the duo began DJ-ing and producing music together under the name The Orb. Paterson and Cauty's first release was a 1988 acid house anthem track, "Tripping on Sunshine", released on the German record compilation Eternity Project One. The following year, The Orb released the Kiss EP, a four-track EP based on samples from New York City's KISS FM. It was released on Paterson and Glover's new record label WAU! Mr. Modo Records, which Paterson and Glover created out of a desire to maintain financial independence from larger record labels. After spending a weekend of making what Paterson described as "really shit drum sounds", the duo decided to abandon beat-heavy music and instead work on music for after-hours listening by removing the percussion tracks. Paterson and Cauty began DJ-ing in London and landed a deal for The Orb to play the chill out room at London nightclub Heaven. Resident DJ Paul Oakenfold brought in the duo specifically as ambient DJs for his "The Land of Oz" event at Heaven. Though The Orb's Monday night performances had only several "hard-core" followers initially, their "Chill Out Room" act grew popular over the course of their six month stay to the point that the small room was often packed with around 100 people. The Orb's performances became most popular among weary DJs and clubbers seeking solace from the loud, rhythmic music of the dancefloor. The Orb would build up melodies using multitrack recordings linked to multiple record decks and a mixer. They incorporated many CDs, cassettes, and BBC sound effects into their act, often accompanied with pieces of popular dance tracks such as "Sueño Latino". Though they used a variety of samples, they avoided heavy rhythm and drums so as not to disrupt their intended ambient atmosphere. Most often, they played dub reggae and other chill out music which they described as "Ambient house for the E generation".