Strange Cargo III

A great piece of electronic music. File under Albums To relax to.

I’d no idea until reading the accompanying Wiki page that William Orbit had recently died. That’s really sad. RIP As someone who likes ambient music this album really resonates with me. Think it’s a bit more clubland coming down ambience rather than the more sleepy Brian Eno type which I more prefer. Given his background in dance music this is to be expected. But it was his involvement with Madonna and the album Ray Of Light that I first became aware of him. Ray Of Light is one of my guilty pleasures well away from my normal listening habits causing me to become aware of his ambient work. There is a lot to like here particularly the dreamy soundscapes with some well chosen vocal appearances. For that I can forgive the album’s occasional nods towards hip hop. 4/5 6/10/26

This is background music… if I hadn’t had to actively listen to it I wouldn’t notice that it was there… and yet somehow it still managed to drag…

Bit of an odd one but I digg it! Soft 4 tho.

Starts out better than it finishes.

Really good background music, a bit boring at times, but quite enjoyable overall. No wonder William Orbit had such an influence in so many super successful albums. Sad to hear about his passing

Decent

Drags but ok

3 stars

This was nice!

One of the better instrumental albums on this list. R.I.P. William Orbit. Yes, this is a very 90s album, but it isn’t hard to imagine how forward thinking and cutting edge it must have been at the time. There’s a reason why Madonna asked him to collaborate on Ray of Light. Anyways, this album is very ambient, trippy, very liminal. The sort of album to listen at night with the lights down when you’re feeling moody.

There’s much more to this guy’s music than I hear in most electronic music. When I see that I’m going to be listening to electronic music, I imagine I’m going to be hearing mind numbing ambient sounds. But, not here. Interesting writing and engaging music. Surprise, surprise. Harry Flowers is one of my favorite tunes from the Performance soundtrack. A treat to find it here. Sometimes the list presents unexpected gems.

8/10

The first 3 to ever

it's another electronic music pick. i know there are good electronic albums out there, but so far the aggregator has not given me many. this is not one of them. fine background music.

It's very calming to the point it feels quite meditative. There are nice soundscapes that are on here, though I feel the songs are always lacking just something to spice it up more. I'm not sure what exactly causes this feeling, but it's not the most compelling even though it has a nice sound to it all. I find that it doesn't justify the runtime enough. I don't think it's a must-hear. Highlight Song/s: "Harry Flower" and "Water Babies"

Really boring 90s music

17. oktobar 2026. 20.53h okej moja ocekivanja su bila p niska ali bilo je neocekivano fanki i eksperimentalno i zanimljvo best: water from a vine leaf, gringatcho demento, water babies

Scenic background music. In lots of ways it seems kind of similar, perhaps a predecessor to the Buddha Bar CDs. At the same time, not as baroque and enjoyable as those. High 3.

2.5/5 boring

I couldn't find Strange Cargo III on streaming, so I listened to Strange Cargo II instead. It was such a vibe that now I have to track down Strange Cargo III. Side note: This legitimately sounds like a Spyro the Dragon video game soundtrack.

This was great. One of the better electronic and instrumental albums on the list, particularly for the 90s, which in my mind spent its first few years stylistically stuck in the 80s. An easy listen with lots of interesting textures and upbeat moments on this one, and refreshingly little of that dated PlayStation menu-esque sound.

This is not a must listen. Sure is a vibe though, huh?

I think this was very good. This surely would fall in the same tier (of 90s Electronica? Breakbeat? Artists) as fat boy slim, if not better (I just mean in terms of quality, or creativity of sampling, etc., because they differ in vibe and energy). It runs a bit long, but I found myself enjoying it most of the time with all of the interesting details and intriguing vibes

This one is new to me. It's not bad; I think I can at least give it a low 3. Not sure what else to say about it. Some of the usual comments: happy for a chance to check this out. Sounds a little dated, maybe, but not *too* bad (?) - although some tracks seem more dated than others, I think. Also, at times, this music did seem to slip into the background a little (i.e., not hold my attention), but, at this level (i.e., as quasi background/wallpaper music), it's pleasant, and fairly interesting.

At times a very pleasant, relaxing ambience. At times cheesy and lacking self-awareness in a way that I find so much of the 90's was. I mean why were cultural things in the 90's so lame? The answer is complicated, I'm sure Again, I like some of the sound selection and arrangement, but at times it also reminds me of a novice using Garageband to throw loops and presets together. It's rare to find an electronic musician that displays musicality and an understanding of music theory. Their bandwidth is crowded by technical skills with the electronics. General musings aside, it's a decent album if you enjoy dub, downtempo, and ambient

Yeah nah. Maybe in a K hole.At the time this technology became available to people who didn't know how to use it. This is one step off putting an electronic beat under existing music (as Orbit insufferably did to Barber's Adagio For Strings). Sadly this sort of thing had wide appeal, birthing the Grease Megamix and the entire catalogue of Jive Bunny And The Mastermixers. This is better than that, in the same way getting stabbed is better than getting shot.

Pretty shite.

Variety is quite clearly not the spice of life for Mr. Orbit

Found this pleasant enough from an artist who I have never heard of before.

What a really great album. Can’t believe I never listened to it at the time, as it totally stacks up against some strong contemporaries. Just a bit of an all rounder isn’t it, bit of chill ambient, dub, proto trip hop, even a touch of baggy on a track, and the world music dabbling (defo an influence on Banco de Gaia). No one earth shattering song, but every one is really great. This is a grower, and it’s already grown on me.

Pretty good set of tracks here but really averaged out in the end. Would love to hear more electronic music on this list.

Quite long in the tooth, but otherwise this album presents a wonderful throwback-y 90s chillout sound. Was rather surprised to see the rather esoteric sound of ambient dub represented on this list, and they chose a good album to represent it with.

I was vaguely aware of this artist existing since Water from a Vine Leaf was suggested to me on Discover Weekly back almost a year ago. Cool song, and cool album. I listened to the whole thing through 3 times today and I can’t even describe why I like it, but it was actually so cool and as soon as I ended the album I just wanted to listen again. Some weird chanting stuff in there but overall, still cool.

I really love how this album alternates between making you levitate and making you dance. I almost want to give it the 5 stars just out of appreciation for Robert Dimery's surprising inclusion of IDM on this list, but I'll leave it at 4 and add it to my rotation for now. Solid and out-of-left-field pick for this genre! Standouts: Water From A Vine Leaf • Time To Get Wize • Harry Flowers • A Hazy Shade Of Random

The vibes I was getting off this really made me want to like it more. Very enchanted at the beginning but I felt like the album didn't have anything substantial to offer beyond a recycling of the same low fi beats.

unable to locate streaming on Apple Music so placeholder 2 rating.

Nee to me and thoroughly enjoyable. Will listen again

The final song was great

3.5

2.0

Generic, dated and rather dull. Like leaving a PS1 game menu playing for an hour.

Water from a vine leaf.... what a great track! A few others hit the spot too.

Wasn't expecting to like this, but it's a good mix of psych, ambient, and dance music. It does drag on a bit towards the end.

interesting mix of world music with ambient and electronica. if it were shorter i wouldve really liked this

Not bad, nice to make babies to. Not sure it was a must listen before I die (or more specifically what factors made someone decide that it was) but hey, we're all doing our level best.

Day 49 What is it with this list and by the numbers 90s electronica? Fav track: Water from a Vine Leaf

★★★☆☆ I was furious when this came up. Unfortunately, I liked it. 😂 After getting another 90s electronic album from this challenge recently, the last thing I wanted was **66 more minutes of electronic music I'd never heard before**. I went into this fully expecting to hate it. Instead, this was surprisingly enjoyable. There's more variety than I expected—some funky grooves, ambient sections, spoken word and enough different textures that it never became the repetitive slog I was worried about. I actually made it through the whole thing without wanting to shut it off, which hasn't been the case with most electronic albums I've gotten from this list. I don't know how often I'd sit down and actively listen to it, but I could absolutely put this on in my office while I'm working. **Better than expected. 3 stars.**

I didn’t mind listening to this, but there’s nothing here that’s memorable. Fine background music but in one ear and out the other

Sounded like a cheesy 90s heist and/or sex scene.

Mr. Orbit was a successful musician and record producer. He released several albums, including a series of “Strange Cargo” records. The music on this album is essentially electronic, with limited vocals (talking). The talking, which was on some of the tracks, detracted from the music in my opinion. The final few tracks became repetitive.

Me: what the crap is this garbage? (Also, a 3rd Beth Orton appearance as vocalist?!) Me 10 minutes later: wait, I know this guy, I have listened to several of his albums (although as is typically the case on here, not this one)! & he's on Balance mixes! Me 20 minutes later: He died 2 months ago? I am devastated ;__; This guy's birth name is Wainwright, but no famous relation, I think. He chose "Orbit" because he loves space [thus, this is space electro?? Hm, is all electro "space electro"? I think I posit: no]. As for the album, turns out I liked it. Ha. Serves me right for judging by the (unappealing, looks like 80s metal) cover! Some tracks a little boring, some really lovely, none offensive or bad. Highlight: 'Harry Flowers'

This doesn't happen often but finding something you hadn't listened to before that gave you such a strong impression is awesome. 5/5.

Great music to chill out to, I love this era of electronic music

Eletro ambiental é novidade pra mim. Eu não odiei mas acho que é preciso estar no clima pra debochar legal. Talvez ouvir chapado seja uma boa. As 3 últimas faixas são idênticas, ouvi que nem diferenciei uma da outra. No geral é um bom disco, mas não pretendo revisitar

The good parts of this sound like the Orb, which makes me suspicious of Mr. Orbit's name. The rest sounds like a backing layer for a less-invested Gorillaz.

It’s like easy-listening background electronica. A few mildly interesting flourishes, but overall it fails to leave an impression.

Dull but inoffensive.

nice & calm ambient electronica

I don't think you can really go wrong with an album like this when it's done well. It's not going to lodge in the memory, and individual tracks probably won't jump out at you; but it's just a really nicely chilled, relaxing vibe. There's lots of elements all coming together, with different layers adding depth. It makes for an incredibly easy listen with minimal commitment. I'd only come across him before in a night club at uni. I was recently big into the film Platoon, and his version of Adagio for Strings came on. I specifically remember being affronted that he could disrespect the memory of Sergeant Grodin Elias like that, walking around the dancefloor in disgust and disbelief. Of course, that's quite the tune now I realise. He died only recently at time of writing, so RIP sir. I'll be saving this one and adding it to my 'chill' roster.

There were a few tracks I thought were pretty cool, and after that it went back into the same old ambient electronic I don't really care for

I'm not 100% convinced that this sort of album belongs on a "1001 Essential Listens" list, but dang, for 1993 it's pretty impressive. Though the tracks definitely could use some shaving down. Kickass bass part in the opening song, Water From A Vine Leaf. In fact, everything about the instrumentation, atmosphere, and production is fantastic. A nice use of Dorian mode to grant it a hopeful yet slightly bluesy mood. I appreciate that the music actually progresses somewhere instead of hovering irritatingly in a single place. (Certain... *other* electronic musicians do that and only that. I won't name names.) Into The Paradise features some cool high synths effects and hand percussion (or a very convincing electronic simulation of it) with some sleepy, quasi-angelic vocals alongside delivering lyrics that are hard to make out. A weird balance between soft psychedelia and club dance music. I kind of dig it. Not at all a fan of the vocals in Time To Get Wize – the completely monotone delivery really detracts from any musical interest – but the rest of the sound is complex and engaging enough to offset that. Harry Flowers uses an electronic oboe thing for its main melody. It works, but is also a bit goofy. Cool "break" with the high piano and cinematic string/synth stuff. A Touch Of The Night doesn't really live up to its name until the very end when the percussion and retro-arcade synths drop out, leaving a soft, cool taper-out. Now, The Story Of Light... I can get behind that. Ridiculously catchy piano melody, repeated plenty but then broken up by some solid vocals and another stellar bass part. Very exotic-sounding to my fragile Western ears. That outro on guitar is pretty special too. Easily a top 3 track on the album. Speaking of strong basswork, Gringatcho Demento stands out entirely for that, and not much else. Still a strong effort. A Hazy Shade Of Random doesn't attract much attention until about a minute in, when the key suddenly switches to minor (possibly Phrygian mode) and the bass loop kicks in. That "beep. beep" on the flat 3rd of the scale is a bit wacky but you get used to it. In theory, anyway. Best Friend, Paranoia makes the fatal mistake of failing to be interesting, particularly in the second half which hardly differs from the first. At least The Monkey King commits to being entirely ambient (and still manages to be fairly varied in melody and SFX). Deus Ex Machina, though? A complete mess. Experimental, reminiscent of the sort of avant-garde Revolution 9 was going for, maybe slightly more accessible in virtue of implementing a few decent melodies here and there. But still a waste of 5 minutes and 40 seconds of precious vinyl space. Water Babies is a solid semi-ambient closer; forgettable yet fun. 3/5 Key tracks: Water From A Vine Leaf, The Story Of Light

4/5

Ambient electronica listen with interesting mixes and fusions. Not quite a 3 star record as it did not produce enough memorable moments for me. However it is perfect to focus on a task or serve as background noise.

Yeah, cool. Some nice sounds, certain beautiful parts, but nothing really stuck with me. 5/10

Very interesting sound, but I'm not going to make it through this one, y'all.

次は暗めなエレクトロニカ。かと思ったら基本的なビートの部分は重くなってるけど、メインの音は軽めのもあったり、よくわからないものもあったり、曲によってそこはだいぶ変わってた。大体の曲にまずビートをわからせてくるパートがあって、そこが個人的に超刺さった。リピート確定

Booooooooring

Bleep bloops Turns out this guy wrote and produced a lot of stuff that I like a whole lot more than this album. Sorry!

One of the best instrumental albuns ive heard (initially). The album cover looks like it was discovered from an ancient aztec temple and its lowkey revolting to look at. The first 4 songs are great, but it quickly falls off from there, everything "A touch of the night" and after is... just alright. Some of the final songs sound like that one broken minecraft disk. Best song: Into the paradise. Worst song: The Monkey King.

If you’re looking Halloween background music, go with The Monkey King.

Strange Cargo III could have just been titled Strange. Its extraterrestrial production is an attractive force in many of these songs, particularly the first few. However, this album falls flat with the lyrics and vocals, which seem to be added solely to be present without any thought. Additionally, as the album progresses, its quality drops and it begins to drag on, losing my initial interest. I can appreciate the captivating experimentation here, but I will not be revisiting this project.

Background 90s music, I won't remember this album a week from today.

Sonidos interesantes y agradable de escuchar. Muy estomulante al oido pero de una manera tranquila

The 2 star albums continue. Didn't get the appeal of this, it was largely bland obvious electronica. Low tempo, standard drum beat throughout, a few massive gaps of barely any sound that I assume Bill considered very experimental. Never interested me but would be okay in the background as I'd probably not notice it.

Decently undistracting background music.

Another one of those fine as background music but I'm never choosing to listen to this again albums. Also is it really list worthy? Nice enough though 2

Preliminary 3 stars. Didn’t get to listen to the whole album.

Enjoyed it whilst driving, background music at best

As always, I love a good instrumental album.

Instrumental electronica that leans towards the ambient end of the spectrum, so it's a calm/pleasant listen but without being too boring.

Despite the last few tracks sagging a bit, I’m rounding up to a 4. Ultimately, it hip cocktail lounge music or maybe something that plays in the Matrix right before a fight scene… but in that “genre” you could do a lot worse.

Electronic background music. It has its moments. 4/10

More ambient soundscapes than anything else, it has it's moments. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to but is not really something I'd circle back to at all, even if it were available on streaming platforms, which it appears to not currently be.

I think I'm getting used to the downtempo ambient stuff, because I actually didn't mind this one. Probably couldn't sit down and listen to it by itself, as it's definitely more background music than anything else, but it's still rather good, especially for the time.

aggressively unremarkable.

Ah, so this album is in the genre of one of those 90s electronic music that that alright for when people would take drugs, or just for having it in the background while you're chilling, or even putting it in the back of the Matrix. Overall, it's not too bad, as there is some kind of movement in the songs, but I am not a huge fan of it nowadays, so modern-day feedback would be that it is a bit meh.

No

#437 I probably didn’t give this the most focused listen and whilst there was something to be enjoyed, writing this a day later, I’m struggling to remember specific tracks. I will give this the benefit of the doubt though and give it another try at some point because it should be in my wheelhouse. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ✅ Listen before you die?❓ Fave track(s): Time to Get Wize Rating: 6/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hit or miss, but I liked a lot of this eclectic mix.

90s electronica. Sexy 90s spy movie, erotic thriller electronica.

People who listen to this must have very boring lives.

There's much more of this kind of thing than I expected on this list

at first didn’t seem like my thing…but it definitely grew on me. whole album kind of sounded like I was in the heist planning sequence of a guy ritchie movie…time to rewatch Snatch.

Это очень клевый и атмосферный альбом, я бы назвал его "более позитивной и просветленной версией Massive Attack". Это такой, немного эмбиентный трип-хоп с восточными мотивами и очень успокаивающей и медитативной сущностью.

Unexpectedly enjoyable… would listen again

background ass music. last song sounded like what would play when customising your sim. not for me

This was a pretty good 90s electronica experience. I think the highlights were early on in the running order for the most part. I found a lot of it to be too quiet to properly hear what was going on, making me constantly mess with the volume level. I was pretty sure this would be a 4 for the first half, but it trailed off too much for me to find it memorable as a whole.

William Orbit is one of those producers in electronic music that I've always had a lot of respect for because he's done some amazing production work, although I have to admit I don't get into his own music as much as some people do. This album came out during a period when electronic music was really starting to branch out into a lot of different directions. To me, it has a lot of characteristics that would eventually become more strongly associated with trip-hop and downtempo, even though those genres were still in their early stages and hadn't completely established themselves yet. At the same time, there's this experimental mixture of ambient, trance, and electronic music that gives the whole album a very spacious and atmospheric feeling.

Very chilled and moody. But perhaps a little TOO chilled. Just faded a bit into the background.