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INTERVIEW: Orbital
Just in case you weren't aware that time flies like a greyhound just out of the traps, it's 20 years since Orbital wormed their way into our ears with their debut single Chime.
A nigglingly catchy instrumental ditty with danceable beats, the tune played around with sampled chords in a way that was defiantly fresh and curiously appealing.
The work of two young brothers, Paul and Phil Hartnoll, from suburban Sevenoaks (they took their name from the nearby M25 orbital motorway), the single arrived in an era of bedroom boffins becoming one-hit wonders by sampling a ravey synth stab, a diva's vocal and a drumloop and gracelessly sticking them all together.
Chime sounded different, though - more composed, more carefully crafted - but even that didn't hint at the fact that its creators would go on to enjoy a successful 15 year career producing some of the most timeless, innovative, captivating and downright banging electronic music that this country has heard.
A string of distinctive hit singles and albums – including top ten placings for the singles Satan and The Saint and the albums Snivilisation, In Sides and The Middle Of Nowhere – saw them gaining an adoring fanbase.
The secret of their enduring appeal and why much of their material still sounds fresh today was a distinctive sonic palette all their own, that and a reputation for playing hugely enjoyable live sets.
Complete with their trademark plumber's head torches cutting through the dry ice as they tended to the various bits of beat-spewing hi-tech kit, the duo were one of the first techno acts to toy with improvisation, revealing a fun-loving side to their unassuming off-stage personas as they dropped worked samples from the likes of Bon Jovi, Belinda Carlisle and The Darkness into the live versions of their tunes.
They also kept a special version of the Dr Who theme just for their live shows, paying their respects to the BBC Radiophonic Workshop long before Russell T Davies got any ideas for redoing the timelord.
By 1994 they were playing a headlining slot at Glastonbury to a rapturous reception, with a show that went on to earn a place in Q magazine's '50 best gigs of all time'.
When the brothers disbanded Orbital in 2004 they didn't give the impression they were bowing out because of diminishing popularity.
Similarly, now that they have decided to get back together for a string of live dates and festival appearances, including a gig at the O2 Academy Leeds next Thursday, their return doesn't look like a dash to grab some of the cash that The Prodigy has recently been levering out of the pockets of old and new ravers.
Instead, it looks like they're doing it for the hell of it and because, although they'd no doubt be too modest to say it themselves, no else has picked up the baton that they left proferred.
"We've never said never" says Paul, as the duo busy themselves making preparations for hitting the road.
"It's something I suspected would happen, which is why we kept hold of certain key bits of odd equipment. There have been slight rumblings about getting back together before, but it didn't feel good. This time it just felt right."
The chaps haven't lost their appetite for playing live and engaging with the fans.
"Audience reaction is part of the process," explains Paul. "It really becomes like a friendly football match between you and the crowd.
"That was always one of our strong points – and for people to say that about an electronic band is a real honour, because it's the one genre of music that's normally crap live."
With the duo on a mission to play wall-to-wall anthems you can expect the show at the O2 Academy next Thursday to be an absolute blinder, although they're promising enough new bells and whistles to justify their return.
"It's not an exercise in nostalgia at all," Paul reassures.
"We've got 15 years of active service. If you boil that down to a 90-minute set you should get something thoroughly good from beginning to end. Let's put some fun back into it."
Orbital play at the O2 Academy Leeds next Thursday. Tickets are available from Crash and Jumbo records. Orbital 20, a 20-track collection of their best-known tracks and new mixes, is out on Monday.
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