Orbital (also known as Orbital 2 or The Brown Album) is the eponymous second studio album by English electronic music duo Orbital, released on 24 May 1993 by Internal and FFRR Records. The album peaked at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart.
Oh bloody hell, here we go, more fucking electronic garbage. Seriously, this is my 330th album so far and my 27th of the electronic genre. That's too many! I realize that 27/1001 is only about 2% market share for genre, but like goddamn, even that is too much for me. I do not want this on a train, I do not want this in the rain. I will not put this music in my brain.
This album sounds how I imagine a tofu + dragonfruit salad would taste. It's literally nothing. This is a toddler playing with FL Studio presets for an hour. I think listening to white noise is a more thrilling experience than this.
When an album starts out with a track that repeats ‘where time becomes a loop’ for nearly TWO MINUTES, you know you’re in for a banger of an album 🙄. Hot garbage.
Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop Where time becomes a loop
th*t w*s fucking p**nful
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was one of my favorite shows. The original one. I've been writing reviews so I don't have much time to watch the new one, but I hear it's good. Though I never listed to Orbital in the 90's this is a huge throwback for me. My pacifier and glowsticks, oversized pants, pigtails, pumas and DANCING! Oh, how I loved Special K and dancing. Anyway, this is a huge throwback and I did enjoy listening to this. There's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music and There's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music andThere's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music andThere's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music andThere's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music andThere's a lot of repetition and beats as you'd expect from 90's rave music and I liked this but probably won't listen to it again unless I get nostalgic or eat more Special K.
I'm sure there is a through line from Brian Eno, to Orbital, to the techno I listened to college and beyond. There was a moment while listening to this that I kind of wanted to go back and listen to Brian Eno again to see how it compared to this. But I quickly thought better of it. Unlike Eno, Orbital builds and layers in a way that feels rewarding. (I think, again I'm kind of blocking Eno out and I'm not ready to undo that.) Yes, sometimes certain segments drag on too long, but overall I liked Orbital. It was vaguely familiar at times, but I couldn't figure out if I'd heard this or just similar early house/electronica. Happy to have this on as background music.
I thought this list was supposed to contain music albums, not just noise probably generated when one of the guys fell asleep on the sound machine
Absolutely love this, just pure bliss. It was a happy day back in 1997 when someone pressed this into my hands at uni. Obviously had some familiarity with Orbitals before that but it didn't extend much further than Chime, The Box and Satan. I didn't even know Belfast at that point. Anyway, got a hold of this work of genius and I didn't look back. Walk Now... is admittedly annoying, but the rest of the album is basically perfect, so despite not liking one track it's getting 5 because of all the bellends giving it 1.
As a fan of Steve Reich (thanks Miles) I liked the phased intro and outro songs. Generally a great album and a step on the way to "Chill Lo-Fi Beats to Study and Relax To" playlists so I'm a fan. Glad to hear this album.
Long, sure enough, and repetitive to boot. But Orbital produce an album that's impossible to take in as anything but a piece, and that piece is compelling. Alright, Halcyon stands on its own, but that's an all-time track, even better than the album it sits in. I'm not sure whether phased or continuous listening is best for Orbital 2, because the recording is clearly phased but self-contrasting.
Pour ne rien vous cacher, cet album m'a donné envie d'ingurgiter plusieurs cachets d'ecstasy et de danser au milieu d'une foule de personnes baignées dans leur sueur.
This was like being at a rave without drugs. The first track was excruciating. An exercise in futility.
It's great. How did they make all these sounds? Was going to mark down for a bad car journey with Mike, but it's brilliant. One of the first albums that hit me away from guitars...
Sounded astonishing at the time and holds up well.
amazing...halycon on and on is a classic. studio masters before digital studios
Killer dancey electronic album. Love the intro and Impact in particular. This list desperately needs more electronic music but I'm happy that this is included at least.
The first wholly great dance album of the rave era - 91 is pretty early to make a complete masterpiece. Halcyon is a thing of wonder.
The repetitive sample tracks on this are a little annoying, and please tell me I'm not the only one who thought I was having problems with my headphones to start with? But the central sonic voyage of "Orbital 2" is mind-blowing, and I prefer it to the overrated "Insides."
Solid beats, interesting progressions. Often embarrassingly 90s.
This album defines "90s electronica" for me and is a stone cold classic as far as I'm concerned.
One of the best electronic albums of all time
If you don't remember Halcyon + On + On from the intro of Hackers (1995), add that film to your list.
Classic
It's February 1994 and I am at a spontaneous illegal rave on a beach near La Perouse. I am dancing in the ocean the water up to my thighs. The sun is just coming up on the horizon as the cops come to tell us to move on. Apart from a few sculls of goon on the drive there mind is not altered in any way, just vibing to the beats and rhythm coming off the sound system. I'm not sure if even anything off this album was playing that night, which was mostly local doof DJs but listening to this album evokes the memories of that night. I still love listening to the Orb, this album threading the sacred ground between anthem and come down music. Best played through my headphones at a volume not right for my damaged ear drums.
This album has a hard time getting off the ground. Begins with some Steve Reich type phasing, which I thought was going to break out into a beat, but never did. Then, the second track goes into another hard panned intro section of its own and doesn't drop a beat until it's 1:44 in. Once I got past my initial frustration with the prolonged opening, I enjoyed the rest of the album well enough. I like that they walk a line between more atmospheric headphone music and meatier dance material.
Very hypnotic early dance. Loops that wiggle round in unexpected ways and keep you more involved than the 6-10 minute runtimes for each track should.
I thought this album was surprisingly cool. A lot of the early to mid 90s electronica stuff doesn't age super well, especially the techno. This album is a lot more varied, and consequently has a much more modern feel than a lot of its contemporaries. Despite the complexity baked into the album, it still works great as a dance album too. This is definitely an album that I'm going to come back to 4/5
Shocked this is 1993. I kept thinking about Prodigy’s Firestarter. That was 1996. So this is really novel stuff for that time.
The opening and closing tracks are just rubbish but the rest is very passable. Track 2 is the highlight
This was much better than I thought it was going to be after hearing the first track. It might've help that I was driving for the entirety of this album, but I thought it was a super engaging, early techno album with a lot of compelling ideas. Each song was unique and yet satisfyingly repetitive. My wife even liked it! Probably too niche to keep in rotation but might throw it on while gaming. Impact, and Halcyon on and on are standouts.
This was mostly music. I think it is definitely something you can listen to as background music.
Nr. 125/1001 Time Becomes 1/5 Planet of the Shapes 2/5 (3x) Lush 3-1 3/5 (2x) Lush 3-2 3/5 (2x) Impact 3/5 (3x) Remind 2/5 (2x) Walk Now 2/5 (2x) Monday 2/5 (2x) Halcyon and On and On 3/5 (3x) Input Out 1/5 Average: 2,57 Not really a techno fan. Some songs I liked better than expexted.
Maybe I need to give this another listen, but it didn't strike me as particularly amazing. I paid more attention to the spotify recommendations after this album.
I’m noticing a trend with 90’s Electronic albums. The album covers are terrible, the albums themselves are always too long, they’re boring. I listened to the entire thing and I don’t think I am any better for having done so. 2 stars
How the fuck are there MULTIPLE Orbital albums on this list but only ONE Daft Punk album??????
It's bad when the first song has me looking at the time left to make sure I don't have to listen to it for too long; "Time Becomes" is a terrible opening song to this album. The repetitive lyric thing gets old real quick, and I was dismayed when it happened again in the second song, which actually had some interesting beats, and the final song. As the album went on, however, I found my attention waning; the songs and the beats just didn't grab me, certainly not enough to enjoy listening for over an hour. Perhaps it's just dated, because I can see why people would have liked it at the time; I just can't get into it now. "Halcyon and On and On" was probably the best song on the album.
Well Loop de fucking Loop! Laaaange samples som hvis man lige havde fået Dee-Jay til sin PC i 90erne Utrolig kedeligt
More fucking bog UK techno that goes for an hour. I don't just hate this album, I hate anyone who actually likes it. 1/5.
Nope
I started to play this album and forgot I was listening to something since it's like staying 1 hour in an airport. After 4 or 5 albums here with this kind of electronic music and/or ambient songs, I think I got what the thing with these songs is: Somehow, they are almost transgressive, but they are highly dependent on some kind of deep knowledge of music history and musical structure that it's virtually impossible for regular people to really GET it. All in all, still, I'm not too fond of it. "Halcyon + ON + ON" is the only song that almost looks like real music here.
Why, just fucking why? What is wrong with Dimery that he gets off on electronica so much. 99.99% of electronica is just absolute shit. And the 0.01% that is worth listening to he just doesn't include on the list. Somebody with actual good music taste needs to remake this book. I think the only way I'd enjoy this is if I was on molly or a shit ton of coke at a club while also being like 10 drinks deep. Or in other words, I would need to be a literal monster to enjoy this absolute steaming pile of shit. What a waste of 65 minutes of my life.
Tarda unos minutos en despegar, pero cuando lo hace, verga. Larga vida al ravé.
Fantastic
very cool
Asides from the first track, this album is superb.
Again, I forgot how much I enjoyed Orbital. At over an hour, this album flew by perfectly.
Alt-Techno with Class
One of my all time favourite albums
Amazing. Loved every track!
Awesome.
Surprisingly good throughout.
Loved it
This shit slaps. I loved it. I think it may because I listened to it while working, but this is perfect background working music.
Um eletrônico bem legal, cheio de elementos diferentes e alguns vocais melódicos.
LOVE IT
I loved it - a fantastic sound kaleidoscope! Couldn’t be happier floating away on a river of techno.
I can't tell one song from the next but that's ok. I was engaged and entertained throughout.
Did I really need to listen to another album of electronic music, especially from a repeat artist, before I die? I think not. Did I enjoy it, nonetheless? Yes, I did.
Greatness
A classic of Electronica, Orbital 2 contains some of their best work including HALCYON+ON+ON. Besides the obligatory beats and samples (the first song samples Worf from Star Trek TNG, current at the time), Orbital 2 includes the type of driving rhythms more associated with EDM. A pioneer in 90s electronic music, Orbital helped create the template for modern Electronica in large part with this album.
Really great early techno album. Had a lot of elements that would absolutely be used in later techno music, especially in the 90s
4.75
where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop where time becomes a loop
Loop-dee-loop.
To all you haters out there: f*ck you. This is f*cking gold.
I have begun to be a big fan of Orbital for the innovation and mass appeal. This album does not disappoint.
Early goa nice!
Um, yeah, I dig it. This is pretty freaking incredible! Made back in the days we simply called it electronica or techno, this album stands beautifully tall even today. I will undoubtedly be coming back to this one!
This took me straight back to 1993 when I was listening to more electronic music than I do now, mainly the weirder end including; The Orb, William Orbit and this. Strange how they all like globes... loved all the repetition and all the squelchy noises. The Lush's are banging and 'Impact' is full of squelch and sampled horns, love it. Nice to discover the singer on 'Halcyon' was actually the one from Opus III as it sounded like her. Loved nearly every minute of it, maybe apart from Worf from ST-TNG at the start. Well worth a low 5.
Once more, today’s artist is one of haven’t heard of before. I suppose they were a little before my time if this album was widely known in 1993, but it’s certainly not someone who is still talked about today (at least in my circles). Let’s listen and see how it holds up! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Lush 3-1, Remind I had this playing while I was working yesterday, and found myself loving it. I’m truly finding a love for IDM through these daily albums that I never would have discovered otherwise. I was sad when it ended because I wanted it to carry on for ages. I love how the opening and closing tracks are minimal yet very odd, and how they bookend a conduit for musical flow state with me. Very enjoyed. Very recommend.
Makes me wanna MOVE. SO good
Surprised how much I enjoyed this album, 10/10
It’s been a long time! Really great.
I’ve probably listened to this just once before and I remember enjoying it a lot, and I’m not at all disappointed in revisiting it. It’s just an excellent electronic record from start to finish; there are no filler tracks here (it could be argued that the first and last tracks are not necessary, but I think they’re cool). Orbitals most played song Halcyon and On and On is an obvious highlight and never out warms its welcome even at almost 9.5 minutes. Even at over 30 years old this album sounds ahead of its time, and like the best electronic music albums it serves just as well as background music as it does close listening. Electronic music is an area I’ve explored quite a bit in recent years after being uninterested for a long time, and this is one of the finest examples I’ve come across.
Amazing. Especially the tracks that are linked together and the Halcyon and On and On.
Oni su mi iz underworld definitivbo najdraži album oriented elektronski izvođač devedesetih. Ovo, zeleni, sansvillion i in sides su jebena remek djela
Cool
4.5. Would make a great dystopian anime soundtrack!
I don't go clubbing to techno, but this made me want to go clubbing to techno
3,7 für den immer noch schönen Trip. Ist zwar durchaus gealtert - aber auch nicht schlechter als Leftfield, und erzählt dabei die schönere Geschichte! Außerdem sind Lush und Halcyon immer noch Top Hits.
beep boop beep boop vrrrrrrooooooo vrrooooo vroooo. 7.5.
Bloody brilliant!
Ya vi que esta va a ser una ultra-unpopular opinion, pero el disco realmente me gustó. Cierto, tiene cosas muy raras empezando por la primera y la última canción, pero me parece una propuesta muy atrevida y original para la época. Me resulta muy interesante que UK fuera la cuna de esto a la par del Britpop y el Punk, pero a la vez como que también encaja. Su música me recuerda a The Prodigy, pero también a música electrónica más “reciente”, como Paul Van Dyk y Moby. Por la época en que salió este álbum y el éxito que tuvo, creo que se podría asumir que el álbum tuvo influencia importante sobre el género de la electrónica. Identifico algo más en la música de este disco, y sé que decirlo va a ser controversial: siento que aplica una fórmula similar a lo que años antes hizo Pink Floyd (Wish you were here / Animals), sólo que con electrónica en lugar de rock: las canciones toman una melodía base y realizan una progresión sobre la misma, logrando extender la duración sin aburrir, pero hay que estar poniendo atención. En la página de Wikipedia hay una cita de una reseña que dice que “este album se beneficia tras escucharlo múltiples veces”, y coincido. Lo escuché tres veces en total, y cada vez lo disfruté más.
didnt relise it was this album. i like it alot
Lovely stuff start to finish - Halcyon and on and on being an absolute standout track
8/10 pretty cool, daft punk vibes
A very strong electronic album and a blueprint for their later work (which is even beter).
Lovely stuff start to finish - Halcyon and on and on being an absolute standout track
Classic house
Pretty revolutionary and unique
I enjoyed the weird glitch like soft electric tone of the album. Not a background album
Techno, or edm in general, has been an underrepresented genre on the list, but this is great. Good music to listen to while working. Although I'm not a fan of first and last tracks, it's just a wanky, unnecessary steve reich knockoff
Cool
90s masterpiece that probably didn't age very well but i'm completely incapable of judging it with anything approaching objectivity. Halcyon still rules.
I love electronic music of the early 90s. This wasn't an amazing album, but it's pretty good, and a fun listen.
Groovy tunes.
3.75
this feels like a time machine i love it. damn do these synths sound incredible and the use of phasing and looping throughout rips. awesome discovery for me!!
funky i like the worf song