Orbital 2

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

th*t w*s fucking p**nful

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.

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.

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 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."

Sounded astonishing at the time and holds up well.

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

One of the best electronic albums of all time

amazing...halycon on and on is a classic. studio masters before digital studios

This album defines "90s electronica" for me and is a stone cold classic as far as I'm concerned.

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.

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.

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...

This was like being at a rave without drugs. The first track was excruciating. An exercise in futility.

Solid beats, interesting progressions. Often embarrassingly 90s.

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.

I was born of the Untz and will die under the Untz. Peace Love Unity Respect and Triple Stacks. One love.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Classic

If you don't remember Halcyon + On + On from the intro of Hackers (1995), add that film to your list.

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.

How the fuck are there MULTIPLE Orbital albums on this list but only ONE Daft Punk album??????

So I usually have a bit to say about just about every album – and enjoy electronica (i.e. Deadmau5, Thievery Corporation, etc.) but “Orbital 2” was just incredibly dull… Actually, felt like one long track – with the exception of the first and last – both of which had the incessant phrases on a loop… Not much originality, not much substance, and no chance I will EVER listen to this again…

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.

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.

Nope

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.

Well Loop de fucking Loop! Laaaange samples som hvis man lige havde fået Dee-Jay til sin PC i 90erne Utrolig kedeligt

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.

Loved it

Surprisingly good throughout.

Awesome.

Amazing. Loved every track!

One of my all time favourite albums

Alt-Techno with Class

Again, I forgot how much I enjoyed Orbital. At over an hour, this album flew by perfectly.

Asides from the first track, this album is superb.

very cool

Orbital 2 I really liked this. I only really have a patchy knowledge of the history of dance music and its various sub genres, but this kind of minimalistic, hypnotic, ambient (hypnombient?) techno is superb. You can hear the influence of Eno in the feel of much of it, and Kraftwerk in the percussive, rhythmic synths, but the added percussive energy of the dance beats gives it a mesmerising, kinetic groove. I found myself listening on repeat, where time becomes a loop, incredibly easily, noticing little moments and details each time. Although there is some degree of variation between the songs; the atmospheric soundtrack mysticalness of Planet of the Shapes, the more thumping Lush 3-1 and Impact and the Balearic influenced Halcyon + On + On, it works best in one go as a brilliantly flowing 65 minute piece of music and atmosphere. It’s a great album, easily a high 4, and will definitely come back to it ⭕⭕⭕⭕ Playlist submission: Monday

Easily one of the better 90’s electronic records on the list and so much better than their other record on the list, Snivilisation. There’s a nice amount of variation between the songs and even when the songs are long, they don’t feel too repetitive or overstay their welcome. Most importantly, there’s no spy movie electronica to be found here.

This was mostly music. I think it is definitely something you can listen to as background music.

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.

The opening and closing tracks are just rubbish but the rest is very passable. Track 2 is the highlight

Shocked this is 1993. I kept thinking about Prodigy’s Firestarter. That was 1996. So this is really novel stuff for that time.

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.

Biggest piece of shit ive ever heard

Et perfekt tekno/trance/deep house eller-hvad-det-nu-hedder album. Blev totalt opslugt i musikken og syntes det var et sjovt tidsrejse/sci-fitema.

This is a classic of the UK late 80s early 90s dance / rave / electronic / techno scene. The album flows through each tune from the lush Lush(s) to the halcyon Halcyon. Maybe the first, Green, Orbital album should have been included instead, and not sure third album Snivilisation should have made the list, but you can’t deny Orbital’s contribution to the genre.

I reviewed Orbital's Snivilisation about ten months ago, and I thought it was very good. I'd never heard of them before, but I tend to like electronic music, and Snivilisation happened to be right up my alley. I imagine that I'll probably enjoy this one too. I thought Orbital 2 was excellent from start to finish. Every song was layered in a way that I really enjoyed, and the way that higher and lower pitched sounds were combined was one of my favorite details that I noticed about this album. I was really pulled into every song, and I felt like the whole album had an atmosphere that really pulled me in, filling the space with beautiful sounds. I thought "Planet of the Shapes" was pretty good as the album kicked off, but it wound up being my least favorite song on the album, minus "Time Becomes" and "Input Out," which really don't count in my opinion. Once "Lush 3.1" started, I was really hooked and fully immersed in this album. The songs transitioned from one song to the next really well, but each song was still very unique in its sound and structure. I'm probably not alone in saying this, but I thought "Halcyon + On + On" was the best song on the album, narrowly beating out "Lush 3.1." This is easily the best techno/dance album that I've reviewed so far, and it's definitely one that I'll be listening to again soon.

I said it before and I'll say it again: Orbital has a talent for playing variations on a theme. It only rewards the patient (or bored) and I can easily see someone dropping out of the album early on, but there's something here that just builds on itself in a way that I find compelling. But, it's still early nineties beep boop and that can overwhelm me on close listening. I was gonna dock this, but I realized I was being a hater. It helps that HALYCON + ON + ON is one of the greatest songs ever so you know what? Let's give it a 5.

One of the cornerstones of British techno. The Lush-Impact-Remind suite is a heavenly 30 mins of electronic music. Halcyon tops it off. Essential

Really really good electronic record. A little trancy. Very spacey. I'm giving it a 5 because I can't give 4.5's but it is masterfully produced and just good productive work music or just nice dance music.

truly mesmerizing electronic music; i've listened to a few of orbitals material and i'm very familiar with their abstract and almost alien way of producing dance tracks... this album is certainly no exception. you electronic musicheads out there will fixate hard on this "brown album". hip, post-modern and minimalist infectious beatsies persist throughout the album's runtime. it's the sort of oddly fascinating electronic music that at first makes you a little confused, but it soon worms right into your brain, entrancing you with its music. if aphex twin is the weirdo outsider in the family, orbital is the older introverted brother that exhibits grace and class in his musical poetry.

Ik ken dit uiteraard weer eens niet en ik ben benieuwd wat ik ga aantreffen. De global reviews zijn hier redelijk duidelijk over, maar ik heb al gemerkt dat dat bij genres als bijv. electronica of hiphop weinig zegt. Ik zet dit album met gepaste voorzichtigheid aan en vreemd genoeg vind ik het begin best veelbelovend. Ik wil niet de tegendraadse snob uithangen, maar door dat eindeloze 'When times becomes a loop', waarbij het ritme steeds een beetje opschuift, zit ik er eigenlijk meteen lekker in. Dit is zo'n hypnotiserende technoplaat. Ik vind dat vaak heerlijk om de werkdag mee te beginnen, mits het allemaal niet té druk en schurend wordt. En dat lijkt op dit album reuze mee te vallen. De nadruk ligt meer op ritmes en herhaling dan op agressieve geluiden. Ondanks de niet geringe lengte en bak aan herhaling vind ik dit voorbij vliegen. Het verrassingselement doet weer eens z'n werk. Ik ga voor de 5 sterren.

Simply one of the best electronic albums of all time. Don't usually do this, but it deserves 5* for Halycon + On + On alone. Rest of the album is brilliant too though. Walk Now's British traffic light pedestrian crossing sample was damn cool. Lush 3.1 was amazing too. + On + On + On. Input Out.

amazing album!

I think my brain chemistry has permanently changed after listening to this

Pretty cool og

one of my favroutie albums of the nineties, whoever made this selection is awesome

I can't decide if this is a 2 or a 5. It's a 5 because this is really excellent, top notch. It makes me think I'm in a dirty basement in a college town, fog machine running, cheap lights. In the corner, a couple on something- who knows what- is getting a little too handsy and a little too undressed. Between sets I dropped my earplugs case while passing around a joint and a cig, and when I go back up to get it they ask me what are the pills inside. Estrogen and Adderall, I have class in the morning. It's only a 2 because deep in my heart I don't believe people listen to ~albums~ of this music. The subgenres are hyperlocal and niche because the artists know everyone that plays around here, and the variation in the gene pool is from those two guys from Worcester who come around every once in a while. I'm hitting 5 because I know the low scores here probably just don't get it, but I think you had to be there

For anyone who was into electronic music in the ’90s, this album is a classic. I remember hearing a lot of these tracks played at raves, but they’re also great for just chilling out. It finds that nice balance between techno, house, and ambient, making it both energetic and immersive. I definitely miss these days.

Sick ambient I have a lot of space for ambient 90s electronic music. Very few points where I didn’t think the production held up. Halcyon is obviously a banger but also loved the tr303 usage in the first half of the album.

Simple noises combined to make complex beats. Tasty complex beats. This is the kind of music I could get lost to in the middle of the night in a 12 hour gaming sesh as a kid. 90s techno was on another level and I feel we have moved away from this style and it’s such a shame. Crunchy beats. 9/10

A fantastic album. An artefact of its time, but still thoroughly enjoyable. An easy five stars.

👍

Looking for the perfect album that can make you experience what it felt like to attend a rave party in the early nineties? Look no further. Orbital's 2nd LP, constructed like a giant mix where each infectious track segues into the next, is THE quintessential album in that genre. Plus it's got pretty melodies and harmonies. Plus it's subliminally conceptual, with its spoken-word interludes using the phasing tecnique once pioneered by Steve Reich. Plus it's got "Halcyon + on + on", taking Opus III's hit "It's A Fine Day" to a whole other cosmic level. And the whole thing aged surprisingly well, too -- probably thanks to its intricate ambient layerings, as essential as the dance / house beats found in this record. Dadancable (dada and dancable). Perfect 5 for me. Number of albums left to review: around a hundred, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 446 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 267 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 324

Classic

I've never heard of Orbital before. Not my usual listening, but another nice find from the generator.

Brings back a lot if mems, a classic when all this electronica was young and experimental. A great set of songs quite low key but pushing all the right butons.

THIS IS THE SHIT

Trippy electronic trance. 5/5

Big fan of Orbital, was really looking forward to this especially after the last couple. Faves, Impact (The Earth Is Burning), Walk Now..., and Halcyon and On and On

A strong 5 from me - I fricking love Orbital. I see a lot of reviewers moaning about "Time Becomes" - first of all, have some respect, that's Worf talking! Secondly, I wanna play these people some actual experimental music and watch their heads disintegrate like time-lapsed rotting pumpkins. 😈 Fave tracks - "Halcyon + On + On" is an all time fave track of mine from any band in any genre, so there's that. "Lush 3-2" also stood out on this play through....

Electronic music from the 90s anytime man

Great flow music.

Banger, perfect music to program/work to

nice glad i discover something new

5/5 - classic

I don't go clubbing to techno, but this made me want to go clubbing to techno

4.5. Would make a great dystopian anime soundtrack!

Cool

Oni su mi iz underworld definitivbo najdraži album oriented elektronski izvođač devedesetih. Ovo, zeleni, sansvillion i in sides su jebena remek djela

Amazing. Especially the tracks that are linked together and the Halcyon and On and On.

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.

It’s been a long time! Really great.

Surprised how much I enjoyed this album, 10/10

Makes me wanna MOVE. SO good

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.

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.

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!