Alex Paterson's The Orb returns after a three year hiatus, during which he concentrated on Le Petite Orb and putting together his fin de cycle album 'Cydonia', to be released in February next year.
Alex has been credited with creating ambient house, a term invented by Bill Drummond for an Orb press release some twelve years ago.
On the main side Mark Pritchard's 'Slide Mix' is a laid back ambient breaks affair, using the bass riff to allow the track to breath and build through a series of mood changes.
Paterson's own 'FT Explores Satan' mix (taking it's title from an anagram of Alex Paterson), moves things to a more break beat infested, but still sensuous, planet. Lifting the pace Nick Muir's and John Digweed's 'Bedrock dub' mix keeps things clean while adding acidic qualities to the original.
Paterson's sound grew up in the days when Heaven was rushing to the sound of acid house and the early rave scene. Paterson of course famously killed the beat and offered the alternative sounds of the rave explosion the chilled back room.
So it's fitting that John Digweed, whose current Bedrock night is ramming Heaven, gets a chance to throw in the last mix here.
A suitably subtle return that should see The Orb once again seeping into our consciousness and transporting us unwittingly to Planet Paterson.
by Ben Osborne