Reviews (page 3 of 7)
3.5
Kind of weird and ambient, but in a way I kinda liked. It reminded me of video game music for some reason.
like this alot v ambient
I quite liked this one. The ambient stuff has a good groove and when they kick it up a notch it really moves. Good to see Beth Orton singing on this album. She has had special guest appearances on a number of the albums on the 1001.
4.5/5. Very 90s’ laser tag, but low key a banger
De hoes van dit album gaf me het idee dat we klassieke muziek voorgeschoteld gingen krijgen. Heel interessant, maar deze "ambient" muziek vind ik vele malen leuker. Heerlijk album! ****
I liked this, textural and cool
Chill
Inventive, original and very interesting. I was pretty familiar with this already but it's - despite its listenability and general awesomeness - not an album that finds its way onto the regular playlists round these parts. I am thinking I should probably endeavour to rectify that.
Sounds like 90's techno trip hop rave
this was a lot of fun. i missed out on señor orbit in general, and this album in particular, in its time - i was listening to helmet, and the pogues, and embrace, and dag nasty, and and and - but i really liked it, hearing it now. for better or worse, i don't recall a single track really standing out, but i was surprisingly ok with that in the end. it's a nice slice of 1993, and one that i was never gonna experience at the time.
Okay, I like this. It's chill and electronic and perfect music to use as background noise while writing.
fun! very techno. Solid 4.
Feels quite long but great for programming.
Ugh, this album isn’t on Apple Music. Damn them for not having obscure, non-charted electronic music. They have a bunch of his other albums…wtf? So I have to listen on YouTube, which is painful. First world problems. I like the bass heavy beats throughout the album. This is the first album that got my house rattling with the surround sound system I got a couple months back. The accompanying videos on YouTube are a trip. There are a lot of nature scenes. Also quite a bit of shaky camera work. I can’t tell if the videos add or detract from the music. I’m not a fan of the Nine-Inch-Nails-esque electronic drum on Into the Paradise and A Hazy Shade of Random, but that’s not going to bring this album down. There’s a lot of good shit here. An interesting find for sure. I’m starting to conclude that I’m into ambient music. Not all of it, no way (looking at you Brian Eno). But there is a subset that gets me going.
Pretty good listening, some of the tracks definitely would've been better without vocals tho. Favorite track is probably A Touch of the Night.
Enjoyed this immensely remembered some of the tunes on here from amvient mixes back in the day. Took me back and to far of chilledness.
Great electronic stuff here. Bonus points for the vocals. Favorites: Water From A Vine Leaf, Harry Flowers, The Story Of Light
Not my usual kind of music, but I really enjoyed it. Also very good for concentrating at work.
Nice vibes
Surprised to enjoy this. Quite relaxed sound nice and easy listen
awesome psychedelic record with liquid rhythms, expressive synths, and groovy bass lines. love hearing the predecessors to some of my favorite modern psychedelic artists.
I love weird trip hop
Perfectly decent, spacey 90s electronica with dance, dub, trip-hop, world and new-age influences. Its sound and mood is such that it still holds up quite well almost 30 years after it was released. This one really grew on me.
Good background music, not much more
What a pleasant surprise!
Pretty good electronic music
Ah shit
This was very chill as I drove in the wet in the city. Like
Super triply, great music to sample, intense ass vibes 4.5/5
Good ambient dancey background stuff.
I listened and it faded into the background, I wasn't fully conscious of it going on. Felt a bit middle of the road
Very nice background music. Instrumentals much better than the others.
Really enjoyed it actually. Reminded me of Spyro the Dragon soundtrack in parts.
For some reason his name puts me off. And made me put off listening to it Big Billy Orbit has done himself justice though Strange Cargo 3? Is there a 1 and 2? Whys this better? Who am i asking? Id have said beforehand seems like itd be a pretentious 90's soundtrack album. I think thats pretty much what it is. Was nice background club music, nothing more
I liked it. Weird background music
Good to hear this right after Kraftwerk for the distinction between electronic and ambient music. This was a cornucopia of sounds painting broad canvases.
Interesting
Don't mind it. Floated along on some bits.
★★★½
Interesting music. Need to spend more time with it.
Now I know where all those tinny-ass music pieces hidden in Minecraft come from. I generally like William Orbit and think he's a fantastic producer, but this was a pretty mid album.
I don't have a lot of love for ambient electronic music, so there is going to be a ceiling of appreciation for me. I liked this pretty well and it travelled some musical miles. If I weren't behind like ten albums I would probably listen a 3rd or 4th time to really form an opinion.
3/5 - I want to give this a 4, because this list should have more hidden gems than it does. That said, this started off pretty strong for me, but then didn't end up being all that much of a gem. Not entirely sure what this genre is, but I could probably favorite a track of it here and there.
It's 90s and I'm doing some questionable activities
Good 90's electronic music. Feels like it would fit in in the background of the Matrix. Doesn't move the spirit for me like I would prefer, but it's good nonetheless
Rätt coolt men inget mer än något som jag skulle ha på i bakgrunden.
alright
Really chill electronic ambiance! Nothing too crazy today to move this much from a middle rating but I had a decent listen. In the right headspace this could really be truly amazing.. 3.25/5
this is a ‘dont judge a book by its cover’ situation
513/1089 - It isn't bad. The robo-oboe on "Harry Flowers" is a bit too goofy for me.
어우 듣기 좋아
Pleasant but ultimately pretty forgettable. Might listen to again at some point.
I'll preface this by saying that this is significantly more enjoyable than the other electronic stuff on this list, but it is pretty new age-y. This album kinda lives somewhere between Brian Eno and Gary Numan, but with a heavy emphasis on department store elevator music. All in all, I think it's deserving of a 3/5
Very ambient but spooky
This is a synth-y, atmospheric music with minimal vocals. I thought it was good background music that was mildly engaging.
could not find
Only thing I knew about him before was that he produced 13 but this was pretty good actually
New to me. Started really well and I added Water From A Vine Leaf to a playlist, but that was the peak, as it just dissolved into forgettable
trying to be receptive to these extended atmosphere albums that come from a different time, even if they drag as i listen to them now. i was surprisingly compelled by this all the same
A little off the beaten path, but coming on the heels of a Bjork album it’s practically pure gold.
Chill but nothing special.
This album is quite strange for me. Typically, albums like this would just be boring and dull as it really doesn’t have much variance in it. But I think the fact is that in my mind it’s an ambient album but it’s not supposed to be mind blowing but is supposed to be quaint and easy to listen to.
No fucking clue what this album could be. If I'm to take a wild shot in the dark, I'm expecting this to be some kind of electronic album. The Aztec style of this album cover reminds me of the artwork for "Muzik" by Plastikman, which released around the same time as this album. Here's hoping I'm correct. Hey! This wasn't half bad. I was also on the money with my genre prediction, so I'm feeling pretty good right now. Like the other trip-hoppy, ambient electronic albums of this list, the appeal of this music and the hold it has over my attention cycles in and out, though for the most part I thought it was a pleasing listen. The subdued, bassy sounds of this album are the obvious highlight and go a long way in creating an engrossing atmosphere. Other embellishments like the trip-hop percussion, delicate piano chords, bass guitars and soft/distorted effects are also quite good. Other elements like the horn instruments, guitars and a few miscellaneous electronic sounds date this album, though for the most part this music is delicate, sleek and polished. Overall, this was a respectable and relaxing listen. Book time. Has a timeless appeal, which is especially commendable in the case of electronic music. Beth Orton apparently contributed vocals to this album among four other musicians. William Orbit would later produce for Madonna, Blur and Melanie C of the Spice Girls. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised the Spice Girls don't have a list album in much the same way that I'm surprised "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears was removed from later editions of the book. I guess these albums need to be critically lauded first before popular appeal is considered. Anyways, Wikipedia says this album received a single, sad, sappy middling review from the one critic outlet that reviewed this album. Other than that, there's fuck all on this album. As far as ambient, trip-hoppy music is concerned, it's particularly egregious that an album like this made it through when the 90s ambient, electronic and trip-hop picks are already a little sparse. However, in defense of this album, it was a competent listen and I don't consider myself to be an authority on any of the musical styles that are contained within this album, so I guess I'm content with letting this one through. It was a solid listen, after all. I cosign this inclusion.
Never heard of William Orbit; interesting & diverse musical arrangements. Not bad.
Cheesy 90s ambient. Did not enjoy the vocal parts.
This is better than almost all of the electronic music on this list. Not "clubby". It's more like instrumental music played predominately on electronic keyboards. It's fine as background music but it would be better if it was 15 minutes shorter. Starts to feel repetitive to me.
bom, pelo menos eh mais ambient do que triphop ainda eh trilha sonora pra filme de hacker dos anos 90, mas eh um boa música de fundo, até.
Never heard of Mr. Orbit. Quite like the less poppy, more experimental electronica here. Good find, thank you, list!
OK but not really my thing
90s electronic/ambient music. Very chill background music vibes. Some parts are a bit dated (there's an oboe?? kind of instrumentation in Harry Flowers that is straight off a 90s midi file, fot example), but in some ways the album sounds almost timeless. Not bad, not great.
Magical whimsical af
Starts off with some nice ambient dance but then the later half of this record sounds like a deep sci-fi soundtrack meant to put you to sleep. It’s okay to listen to when your day is just starting, but that’s it.
Interesting ambient.
Kinda cool, electro/ambient
Good techno album, had heard of him but I only ever knew one song but always liked that song!
I have completely forgotten that I've listened to this album Friday (but I know I did). It has left very little impression on me it seems. But that also means I didn't heavily dislike it Standouts - 3/5
Couldn’t find this one, so listened to Strange Cargo 2. I mean, it’s electronica, how different can they be. Not bad.
Not the worst electronica album I guess
Solid ambient music. I'm not the biggest fan, but it wasn't bad at all. I don't think it's one that everyone should listen to, but I don't mind it.
acceptable background music
Very ambient background music, great for studying or working. I can imagine if I was all blissed out, it might be good for relaxing too. Three stars.
Very nice
i've had a conviction that ambient is one of those genres i just can't bring myself to enjoy because i listened to one rather famous ambient project and found it really boring, so i thought i'd think the same of this one but i really liked it actually! i've had a specific song on my playlist and i've been wanting more stuff like it for a while and this is exactly that. happy! got earthbound vibes from this one (MASSIVE COMPLIMENT) i also got slight maplestory ost vibes omg am i crazy. do i sound stupid do you know that era of cgi from the early 90s when they were still trying to figure out how it worked so people put out these really weird, esoteric, liminal short films/rendered images with no plot and only trippy animated 3d visuals to show what they could do? this sounds like that the only thing is that i'm not sure when i'd listen to this because it's outside of my usual realm. but i think i should just listen to it more and it'll find its place in my playlist eventually amazing chill fave track: best friend, paranoia may 29 2025 edit i might have been under some kind of spell 3 ⬇️
A bit bland but I can hear it was influencial on later music.
Dit is eigenlijk alsof je de Spotify playlist Organica in een album propt. Heel veel geluiden die zo uit de natuur lijken te komen, gecombineerd met vreemde bijna alienachtige geluiden. Dit album is een trip, in de goede zin van het woord. Ik denk dat ik nog niet de juiste drugs heb gebruikt om dit album volledig te waarderen, maar ik weet wel dat ik het best wel vet vind eigenlijk. Snap volledig als mensen die een saai album vinden trouwens en het is ook wel duidelijk dat de 'beste' nummers aan het begin van het album staan, de tweede helft is een stuk minder experimenteel en meer normaal ambient. Eigenlijk wel jammer, want dat super experimentele spacey maar toch ook natuurlijke vond ik echt heel vet. Wat daarna kwam was chill, maar wel beduidend minder. De cover van dit album past ook best wel goed, het laat een beetje de tribal/world invloeden zien. Mis alleen wel de scifi invloed die hier op zit, zoals de acid lijntjes die je op sommige nummers hoort. Ja, het is een interessant album en of het 3 of 4 sterren is, daar ben ik nog niet helemaal uit. Wel weet ik dat dit voelt als een prototype voor de betere en interessantere muziek van Aphex Twin en JMJ, wat ironisch is. Die kwamen beiden een stuk voor dit album al met meer futuristisch klinkende albums dan dat dit is. FAVO: Into the paradise, A touch of the night, The story of light, Water babies
Turned bland
Cool, pretty vibey music. Nice for background while writing a paper, but not something I would sit down and actively listen to. The vibes were kinda ruined every 6 minutes since I had to listen to this on YouTube and ads kept popping up, but what can you do, corporate greed am I right?
good background music for minecraft. i like the dub-sounding parts. otherwise forgettable
This a great video game soundtrack.
It's not bad, but I really can't think of this genre as anything more than background music. It's driving, innovative, and fun, but it's also repetitive, flat, uninteresting, and unrelenting. My gut feeling when first hearing electronica is, "tonight I'm going to have to spend a lot of time yelling in someone's ear." It's not necessarily a fault of the genre specifically, but it is the fault of the genre generally. Anyway, this is one of the better electronica albums so far, but I also have no interest in coming back to it.
This was a quite strange, ambient album. I enjoyed some moments and it was nice to have this playing in the background at work. I wouldn’t really listen to this any other time.
"Water From A Vine Leaf" is funky, and chilled, and I vibe very heavily with it. Best I can compare it to is the Risk of Rain soundtrack Other songs come momentarily close to it (end of "Time To Get Wize") but don't quite match what I hoped for It gets a little weird as it goes, and I do respect it, but I'm not super into ambient music
This shit sounds like video game background music but weird. Definitely not my usual thing but I kinda liked it? It's good as background music while I'm working. I doubt I'll listen again but I appreciated its weirdness and whimsy. The bits of speaking & singing were funny lol. There was a lot of nothingness that we could have done without.... the parts that had any kind of beat were pretty good
Feels like ambient video game waiting area music. Wouldn't listen often but I wouldn't complain if it was on in the background while I did some meaningless tasks or played a minigame
I don't really have any super negative or positive comments for this album. It's just decent music that I might throw on in the background while I'm doing something.
Funky, but in a good way. Reminds me of a video game/movie soundtrack. Enjoyed listening to this while I studied
I'm on holiday, so it was nice to hear some chilled vibes. Enjoyed it.
Dancey ambient electronic, engaging and warm.
cool but a bit boring - nice psychedelic beats
Nothing terribly unique going on here compositionally but I enjoyed the moods and sounds. Felt long at 1hr.
Listenable.
Not sure what the hell that was. Most of the time. It was too quiet to be heard and then bursts of good techno/ soundtrack.
Very strange and atmospheric. Kinda dig it and appreciate the presentation. Sounds really pleasing. Adventurous.
This has kinda escaped me since I listened to it yesterday but it was kinda cool
honestly i am extremely endeared to stupid ass music like this. i really think i woulda liked the 90s guys... seems right up my alley
Not terrible but there is betterhouse music out there
ganz chillig zum worken
This is cool and all but absolutely no one needs to hear this before they die. Clearly someone is a big fan and this and it holds some importance emotionally for a place and time in their life, not mine. 3 stars because a neutral 2.5 isnt an option.
A solid 3 from me. Def see the lineage where this is kind of the beginning of the chill downtempo stuff that became very popular later on (which I love!)
This was an enjoyable listen. I tuned in while working on some menus for work, and I found the chill, mostly-instrumental beats interesting enough that there were parts to pick out, but not so stand-out that they were disruptive to my work. What was this made for back in the day? It's not dance music made for the club. Was it just for chill vibes? Music to do drugs to, probably? My electronic music knowledge is lacking, but this was good and will enter the rotation of lo-fi beats/the Pure Moods comp/the rest when I need some work/study background music.
A decent album. Not sure where one song finished and the next began. Good background music.
I like techno so open to this as an 'easy' listen compared to some of the albums I've had recently that have been more demanding. Not really listened to William Orbit before. It's ok. Some nice beats, some cool sounds. Bit 'synthy' for me. (Yeah I know, it's electronic music hahah!) but I find sythesized instrument sounds (like strings for example or the fake cor anglais, or whatever that woodwind-esque instrument in Harry Flowers is) a total turn off. It's such a poor approximation of a well played 'real life' instrument that gains nothing new/additional from being brought into being synthetically. A bit like... Sweetex compared to sugar. The rest of the tea might be really grate, but you can still taste that chemical taste that taints it. So what do I think? Run around the album a few times. I like the 'pew pew pew' sounds, and modulated beats, and isn't killing my work vibe. But it's a 3 today. Pick up, put down, thanks. 3 Number tracks: 12 Fave track: Don't know if there is a fave track in here, 8: 'A Hazy Shade of Random' got a tick. I was getting into the groove of 5: 'A Touch of the Night'. 31/3/26
Listened in the car and on a walk. It was fine! Maybe a bit long but thought it was a pleasant, easy listen. Nothing spectacular but enjoyed it.
How many strange cargo does this man have? Jokes aside, I find myself trying to find either what's wrong with me or I'm in a late 90s movie and we in the club looking for the link to find the bad guy or adjacent to that. Also gives 'The Longest Journey' vibes, which in itself is a crazy journey if anyone's ever played that point and click game.
Fairly forgettable but decent electronica
Vibey, but probably something I won’t ever listen to again.
Certain tracks sounded a bit like The Orb...maybe that's where he got his name from. Kind of surprised they aren't on this list, when they were much bigger at the time and I don't really remember being much aware of Orbit until his production work with Madonna a few years later. The music here is somewhat non-descript in places, has some bright moments but not particularly memorable.
I was okay with it.
Annoyingly not available on Apple Music, had to go to Youtube for the full album (playlist here:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ng3xJsg174seUYgCpCPKj6Q9gsMtZF0fo&si=ajvCu3gy7fHTm_Zq) Nothing too astonishing here - compared to some other influential electronic albums I wasn't blown away.
Nap gem
Felt like this could potentially be something before hearing it. But it lacked oomph for me, and was too slow-moving. Especially the latter part of the album was quite meandering and a bit too ambient for my taste. William Orbit is quite well respected in electronic music, so was a bit of a disappointment. Weak 3.
This felt at times like a more modern, but not as good, version of “Oxygène” by Jean-Michel Jarre, which we listened to a few weeks ago. The comparison likely comes from the prominent use of synthesizer effects. Overall, it had a distinctly ’90s feel; at times, you could almost expect certain tracks to transition into something like “Frozen” by Madonna or similar songs. It didn’t fully grab me, but it worked well as background music while reading. 3 stars.
= The Beatles Very pleasant
Whoa! I will always think of this album as "Strange Orbit", not Strange Cargo by William Orbit. Fascinating music. I'd love to get a picture of what goes through his mind, as he was writing it.
Not displeasing.
5.5/10
Liked hearing Beth Orton on track 1, but could have done with more of her; the purely instrumental tracks were less interesting than the vocal ones. Some of it sounds a little dated. But I enjoyed it nonetheless. High three.
I enjoyed it, though I'll confess that I was playing Slay the Spire 2 while listening, and had an absolutely incredible shiv run with The Silent, so it's quite possible that skewed my experience. Nothing in particular stood out to me (other than the occasional Youtube ad, since this album was unavailable on Apple Music), but I was bopping along to it the whole time. Frankly, it feels like music that was meant to be enjoyed in the background, not scrutinized, and if that was indeed the intention, I think it succeeded.
A bit long, dont ya think?
Feeling generous, given the time it came out. Kinda vibey but gets old far before the runtime ends
mislim da bi se ovakav osvrt mogao napisati na svaki drugi elektronični album koji sam dobio: bilo je ugodno slušati, ali ne bih baš slušao, nemam nikakvih objektivnih zamjerki. u neku ruku mi je drago dobivat ovakve albume jer su lagani za preslušat i često su baš čil
I mean, what do I know? Maybe hip-hop wasn’t the most important and popular music of my generation. Maybe it was electronic music from England all along. Maybe I just have my head stuck in the sand. I think the electronica is outscoring hip hop for appearances on my recommendations at a ratio of 4:1 so far.
Feels like listening to the Twin Peaks soundtrack on MDMA. I can see why Madonna heard this and got the dude to produce her.
A bit too ambient for me but I enjoyed Time to get Wize.
Hyvää elektroniikkaa, positiivinen yllätys
Nothing notable.
Chill
Ooky Spooky
This was fine as background music but not so interesting. 2.5 and bump it to 3.
Not available anywhere so I guess I can’t listen to this.
Strange Cargo III by William Orbit sounds like a computer drug orgy. It sounds like an African computer church full of songs. It sounds like dark computer chemistry. Interesting, gets you in some sort of trance, but its too weird for me personally. 2.5/5.
Decent music while I was washing dishes, I suppose.
Ambient music with a groove. It was ok. Nothing to write home about.
Fine as background music, didn't really pull me in though.
Fine for what it is, but not something I'd listen to.
Overall Rating - 2.50/5 (5.00/10). About half of the album sounds like rejects from the Earthbound soundtrack. And rejected for good reason.
A hour of background ambient. Played in the background but didn't make a massive impact on me.
This was a good album, low key music that I could find myself relaxing too
This is goofy as hell. There are some cool moments that are mixed in an overall cheesy and dated production that I can’t really take seriously. Not bad by any stretch but not my first pick for 80s synth music. (Edit: I listened to the wrong album lol. The first strange orbit. Went back and listened to III, but my score remains unchanged. I actually thought this was slightly less interesting than the first, even though the production here has a more modern feel.)
A little too long but very chill and relaxing. The drums and synths used really had me nostalgic, they made me think of playing Ratchet & Clank as a kid and how the planet themes would sound so futuristic but homey. Like 90’s/2000’s futurism in production form (2.5/5)
It was fine, all the songs kinda merged together
Definitely a vibe. There was a lot of empty space on the back half and I started to lose interest. Overall this is a pretty chill instrumental album though.
Bass work on this album is really funky. I found myself being engaged by this a lot more than I initially thought I would be, some really interesting passages throughout. Unfortunately at the back end there are just a couple of tracks where this is completely thrown out the window and it becomes a series of soundscapes and ambient sounds. This was far less my taste and was rather dull in fact. Extremely weird way to end an album that goes for over an hour.
I'm not someone who usually listens to this kind of music. It has some really nice tracks that have a really nice "vibe" to it and are nice. The other tracks weren't necessarily bad, but didn't really stick out to me. It is nice to listen to in the background though.
Alright, nothing too special.
Not my kind of album, pero no por eso creo que está mal. Tiene buenos tracks, pero un disco electrónico de más de una hora llega a cansarme. Aún así no me la pasé mal y me sorprendió en varios momentos. Pero no es mi hit.
Enjoyable enough but this kind of music has a ceiling for me, and that ceiling is a 3 rating. It reminds me of the kind of music that's in a movie like National Treasure when they're formulating a plan or making some new revelation.
This felt like just a lot of wasted potential. There were flashes of reallt cool stuff but it just didn't really come together.
Upbeat and interesting feel good music
nose esta raro
3.5⭐️/5 01.24.2026
some nice production on this one. Apparently he produced "ray of light" which i gave an initially mediocre review but have been revisiting the needle drop's classic's coverage on it. The general texture son this record are pretty cool.
I listen to a lot of these records while I’m working. Sometimes it really drags me away and sometimes it’s so low key I don’t even notice them. It’s not this records fault but I just don’t remember it at all
I think this would climb to a 4 when in the right mood. It was chilled and interesting, although faded a bit in the second half until A Shady Haze of Random.
I can’t quite work out if the album gets less engaging as it goes on. Or I become less engaged with the album. I was loving the first three tracks - but after a while it just flattens
Without being familiar with William Orbit you quickly work out that he must have been influential. In 1993 he delivered a new style which (to my ears) survived until the early 2010s in cinema and TV thrillers. There’s a nice overlay of organic sounding synths with guitars, dance beats and, surprisingly, a baggy strand which crops up throughout the record. This is all offset with ambient tracks. The opening track with Beth Orton is most effective, following tracks have similar points of interest, but it is a series of diminishing returns after that. Still, for 1993 this is undeniably forward thinking music which would make for a great soundtrack.
Solid 3 for me, back cycling music but up my street for other contexts
interesting electronic album, I think I would have liked it better with no vocals, but I can see why this would be an “important” album and very influential.
I enjoyed this but not quite enough for a 4 very chilled album though
Good album not great, a few songs were great
just some low key soundscapes and electronica to accompany you on your day. Enjoyable if only for background noise, I did find it a little too soft and it kind of overstayed its welcome, but it was nice to hear such a wide array of instruments being used. Unrelated, but this prompted me to listen to the Mortal Kombat 1995 movie soundtrack and holy fuck what a great mood I'm in.
Kinda funky tunes. Easy listening though. Good like background music while you work. Etherial beats. Got a bit futuristic toward the end.
Cool but I’m not sure when I’d listen to this…
sample boys would love this cinema
Bit weird but still vibey.
Ethereal and cool lounge music. Poor choice (for me) as a workout soundtrack
It was an enjoyable first time experience. There were some nice sounds and enjoyed the bass and beats in several songs. Either way there are other records I would put before this one like productions from Orbital or Future Sound of London or my preferred producers which are more experimenal like Aphex, BoC, The Orb or Autechre. Worth the time either way.
Det var fedt nok med noget jazz. Specielt med en kvarters lang sang til sidst også.
Põnev ambient muusika, siit saan päris palju kraami enda tööplaylistile juurde. Kindlasti oma ajast ees (1993. a tehtud), aga siin pole midagi nii... huvitavat, et oleks 4 punni väärt. 3.49/5
Ambient, trip-hop, whatever you want to call it, it is background music. It felt a bit too long and the same about half way through. Overall, it is definitely not bad, but definitely not great.
Great vibe, compelling and forgettable all at once. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it.
Like it.
No available on apple music
I fear I didn’t do enough drugs before listening to this album. Good listen though
A wonderful album of soundscapes. Manages to balance the fine line of not being too overbearing, but is also interesting enough to stop it slipping into background music. Not my favourite kind of music, but can see why this is on here.
Cool vibes and will be revisited 3.5
SEXY
Love the album bc I like William orbit but I’m not sure this belongs on this list. Enjoyable all the same
I was expecting to really dislike this because most of the electronic stuff in this vein has been really dated, but some of this held up surprisingly well. There were still moments that sounded very of its time, but overall this was tolerable.
It was nice and chill, quite interesting, faded into the background however
I'm not going to say this is an absolutely nescessary album to listen to. However, it was good, especially if you like C418's Minecraft soundtracks.
It's a vibe, feels kind of like a soundtrack to a 90's sci-fi immersion sim.
A fun mix of ambient, 90s electronic, industrial, and ethnic/tribal sounds. Generally alright—definitely a couple keepers out of this eclectic mix for the vibes.
Interesting but not remarkable. 3 *
En los créditos hablan de "flexible bleeps" y no pude encontrar a qué se refieren.
Weird but not bad.
Very 90s trance. Enjoyable but a little same same by the end.
Few lyrics, a different type of edm that I’m used to. Feels like it could be a backing track to a documentary. Very good to revise with.
It was okay. A 90s dance album so not my thing really. Some bits were enjoyable. Got atmospheric towards the end.
It was fine. But it’s literally background music so I can’t really say that it’s a must listen.
Could only find on YouTube
3.5
Pleasant. Backgroundy
Very forgettable album, I listened to it yesterday, and now can't really think of anything notable about it.
Good representation, nice and shpongley. I don't think a particulary good album for those sound of mind though. 3/5
Very good, reminded me of the Aphex Twin album. Overall better than that, so bordering on 4 stars. Jumpscared by the occasional talking!
Sure? File this under "Completely forgettable 3 stars"
This was an interesting listen. The first few tracks are the kind of thing you hear in the lobby of the Fountainebleu hotel in Miami or the restroom of a high end movie theater. The closing tracks feel like a spy movie montage. Overall a nice listen. 3/5
nice sounding album but vine leaf is a little fluffy cloud rip off and the rest of the album is the same. . I hope the orb and klf and early future sound of London got some royalties
A decent listen. Smooth, spacious, lovely tones and textures. Dreamy, futuristic, ambient trip hop. All that said I cant think of many occasions I would be popping this album on. Perhaps just not to my tastes. Incredibly well produced, and not uninteresting sonically, but I suppose there was nothing that made me sit back and say wow. One thing i can say is this album is certainly about 100 times better with headphones on. No one favourite track. 7/10
"Strange Cargo" is a good name for this. An odd collection of electronic soundscapes, with spoken word interludes, blippity blips and synth, that sometimes verges into hippy "tribal" music territory. At times I feel like I'm listening to music that you'd expect to find playing in a nightclub in The Matrix. People unashamedly wearing leather pants, dancing in show motion, probably in cages or something. Other times, it sounds like something you'd hear played in a backpacker river bar in Laos (full transparency: I stole that comparison from my girlfriend). And the rest feels like I'm listening to the score of a movie. Probably an early 90s Avant Garde movie that didn't do well commercially, but somehow launched the career of some now-big Hollywood name. With all of these comparisons, it sounds like I'm dissing this album, but the weird thing is that, despite all of this, I actually liked it. I mean, this guy produced 13 by Blur, one of my all-time favourite albums, so he's obviously got talent. I'm probably not going to hunt this out again, but I definitely enjoyed this strange cargo of electronica.
The songs can run a bit long and it can be a bit boring at times, but its pretty alright.
This album is the music they played in mall stores so you could vibe while buying clothes. It’s a very inoffensive atmosphere type music that is essential 90s.
This is something Dylan would've liked, that ambient loving motherfucker.
I’ll have to listen to more of it but could deserve four stars. Sounds like massive attack instrumentals
It was fun. Not safe for listening and driving. Will listen again.
It’s weird to have a twinge of nostalgia for an album I’ve never heard before.
Si quieres entrar en trance o tu tdah no te deja concentrarte bien ponte este album. Despues de un rato, corroboro que funciona porque me he puesto con unta tarea y estaba muy enfocada, de repente he llegado a la cuarta cancion
Interesting ambient electronic music from the 90s. Like Aphex Twin, it feels like a distinct move to get away from the hardcore intense music that electronic was known for at that point. This list seems to love ambient electronic music clearly inspired by Eno, so I can see why this was included.
Electronica will probably never be my favorite but "Strange Cargo III" actually has some atmosphere, ambience and even dynamics that make it nice background music. Given the technical options of that time, William Orbit must have spent a significant amount of time in the studio carefully producing the patterns and arrangements. Not exactly for me but a very respectable work
It feels like this list should be split up. One list could be the albums to listen to before you die. There are maybe 500 albums in that list. Then there are the 501 soundtracks to non-existent movies that were only popular in the UK that are fine, but you could live without hearing them. This album falls into the latter category.
I agree when people say it's the background for a 2000s heist film - but it does work as good background music.
Groovy downtempo EDM.
Not my thing but done really well.
Made fine background music, but nothing really stood out. This is either my 3rd or 4th UK Electronica album in the last 2 weeks. Why is this list the 1001 UK Electronica albums you need to hear before you die? Mid 3.
Cool, vibey album. A little of its time, but honestly still sounds pretty great.
Soothing no? Will always have time for William Orbit.
The perfect soundtrack to a dark, gritty video game.
It all sounds like a soundtrack to a movie everyone else but me saw. It's pretty good ambient music.
Trippy. Fun. Repetitive
I'm not sure I really "get" this album, but it sounds pretty good.
This was interesting. Very smooth and nice at least as a background music for working. I'm not sure will I ever return to this album, but for now, it was entertaining.
Early 90's electronica post club come down music. There's many, many, many albums similar to this it all just depends if you're coming down to this one or the others like it. Best Tracks: Water From a Vine Leaf; Time To Get Wize; The Story of Light
Stabil chill out som är trevlig att lyssna på men som ändå har lite begränsad verkshöjd.
53/1089 going from the very atmospheric start immediately into the arpeggiated synth was so jarring. i see the vision but it could’ve been done better A Hazy Shade of Random has some specific euphoric elements that stood out to me The Monkey King was a definite highlight for me, it felt like it had found a perfect balance of styles, and stood out from the rest for it This was a really fun time capsule for the 90s-00s electronic vibey style, it would fit in perfectly as part of the Tomb Raider soundtrack or any number of things from that era 3 stars or 64/100 faves: The Monkey King, Deus Ex Machina, A Hazy Shade of Random
MID
We've got several albums like this near each other and it's putting me into a weird headspace. I got lost listening to it and hit the general vibe you'd expect, but it doesn't especially move or grab me.
This listen made me realize that the SNES Donkey Kong Country soundtrack should be on this list.
De belles ambiances, de la belle musique tranquille. Mais, je la trouve un peu sans réelle personnalité.
Mid 3
A pleasant listen - some nice moments - nothing particularly standout but equally nothing ugly. It's kinda my jam but not sure what its doing on this list.
Early 90s ambient was my jam. William Orbit never did it for me then nor now. Decent enough, but if you're dipping into the genre, there are better examples to choose.
Interesting but not enough to add the album to my library
solid intro but got boring afterwards
spacey bro - chill vibez - 2 or 3 stars. could jam
I surprisingly really liked this. It goes on for way to long, but other than that it it vibes really well.
Twas a fair vibe. Didnt keep all that strong a flow towards the latter half and kind of started to drag. Good music to sleep to but maybe I was just tired. Like a solid 5/10 since I had no strong objections but nothing really stood out to me. 25/08/25
This is ok in a background-y ambient soundscape. I’m never going to actively listen to it again, but I’d happily have it on whilst pottering around the house.
Така електроніка мені загалом подобається. Ставлю 3.5
Mace dinner to it. Relaxing, inspiring.
kolejne podejscie do tego dziwnego instrumentalnego albumiku, kolejne bo slucham go chyba trzeci raz i za kazdym razem jakos inaczej wchodzi, a to nic innego jak ambientowa elektronika, w niektorych momentach brzmi nawet jak muzyka ktora by mogla byc grana w windach, wiec nie wiem czy juz to juz oswojenie z dzwiekiem, ale sluchalo sie tego przyjemnie, na niektorych trakach wystepuja wokale, ale sa one raczej dodatkiem do elektronicznego dzwieku niz centralna czescia kompozycji, najdziwniejsze ze gdybym mial strzelac rocznik tego albumu z pewnoscia stawialbym na wczesne lata 2000, a tutaj zaskoczenie o 10 lat do tylu, bo krazek z 93, III w tytule wskazuje na jakas trylogie albumikowa, ale poprzednich nie sprawdzalem, ale mysle ze kiedys sie to jeszcze uda, jesli wprowadzaja w podobny nastroj, czuc w tym koncept ktory widac juz na okladce czy tytule, bo emanuje on jakas dziwnoscia, ktora w polaczeniu z downbeatowym brzmienie moze miec jakies wartosci relaksacyjne, o ile sie trafi na dobry mood na takie rzeczy, dzisiaj trafilem, wiec az tak odmnienne uczucia niz po poprzednich odsluchach, wiec ocenke dam w polowei skali, bo z skrajnosci w skrajnosc pomiedzy obiema sesjami wpadam, albo zmiany w guscie muzycznym az tak sie u mnie nasilily, ze taki dysonsans pomiedzy obecnym, a przeszlym odczuciem bedzie az tak mocny, na plejke z ele pikami dodam monkey kinga oraz the story of light
Cool eletronic music! Good vibes. I like it.
A few moments I wasn't a fan of ( a moment in Into The Paradise, rap on Time To Get Wize, talking on Gringatcho Demento) but most of it was perfectly fine. Best as background music I'd say, though.
Enjoyable and interesting album
Strange Cargo III? No, strange cargo vroom vroom you idiot.
I found it almost eye opening, was a strange album to listen to but I enjoyed it.
AI generated or not? That seems the relevant question. Maybe will be remembered for being ahead of it's time it's not. Overall, just okay, though too floaty to fully engage.
3.5/5
Loved the first track. Actually like the whole album as background music, or just for generating a specific vibe. Kind of old school techno feel, even bordering video game music, but in a good way.
очень даже неплохой альбом, приятный чилловый, время с ним прошло незаметно
3 sterne
Auf jeden Fall zurecht auf der Liste! Gut zum Arbeiten zu hören
Ok
Not bad, but not my bag of tea.
Perfectly cromulent 90s chill.
Decent background music, but not the best music to full-fledged listen to, about as down the middle you can get.
Water From A Vine Leaf is a brilliant song. Rest doesn’t live up to this, but good all the same 3/5
Strange Cargo III – William Orbit (1993) | Ambient / Downtempo / Electronic | Avg: 6.1 | Favorite Song: “Water from a Vine Leaf”* Alright, so Strange Cargo III is a bit of a tale of two halves for me. The opening stretch is honestly stunning—“Water from a Vine Leaf” in particular feels like Orbit at his most cinematic and emotionally dialed-in. There’s a real elegance in how he blends ambient textures with subtle rhythmic motion, and for the first five tracks or so, I was completely locked in. It’s immersive, melodic, and easy to get lost in without feeling shapeless. If the album had kept that trajectory, we’d be talking about something much closer to essential. But the drop-off in the second half is pretty stark. Once you hit the midsection, it starts leaning hard into pure ambience, and not in a way that feels compelling. The last third especially feels like it’s coasting—barely-there ideas stretched into full tracks that don’t hold up to the standard set earlier. I’m all for mood-building, but those final pieces feel more like placeholders than finished thoughts. So while Strange Cargo III opens strong and shows Orbit’s skill as a soundscaper, it definitely ends on a whimper rather than a high note.
Música ambient de calidad, en la tercera entrega de un Orbit que ya había saboreado las mieles del éxito con Ray of light (o 13).
This was so calm. I needed it so much.
Kind of cool futuristic background music
Soundtrack to a 00's Heist Movie that finds itself on the Nostromo. Decent Background Music.
I enjoyed this one, better than many other electronica albums I've heard. It's a mood setter.
Good mood setter, this may be a new go-to when I'm doing heads down work where I'd get distracted by music with words.
The sort of music a neo noir stealth game would have. Not bad, but nothing great either.
Good sound just not great
It's pleasant, great for background music during work, and honestly, I'll probably listen to this again. But it doesn't really stand out, and the second half of the album just fades into obscurity.
decent electronic album with some interesting sounds
I've always quite enjoyed this era of 90s dance when it went full "Whale-Kissing Moon-Maiden"
Fun, but boring at times.
way better than some of the electronica albums this list has had
Ambient twidley stuff. Nothing wrong with it, but probably woulnt buy it. Reasonably pleasant got to be worth a 3
Listened to this album while working. I often struggle with that - but this album snuck into that space in my brain where I could listen along without losing my focus on my task. Already adding this to a playlist. Going with 3.5 on this ine
A little more up tempo in places than I expected, though this definitely leans more towards a specific brand of 90s chill electronica. Definitely a pleasant listen, even if I think this style of electronic music has aged pretty poorly compared to others. Side note: The Story of Light's piano melody had me double checking it wasn't sampling Step On by The Happy Mondays.
Weird
diferente, mas bom
Электронная музыка, не очень зацепила
Electronica that could be the music bed for Moby or Ray of Light era Madonna. Some good art studio ambiance.
Slightly higher grade muzak
Listened at work. Honestly pretty enjoyable. It's electronic so it all kinda blended together for me. But nice music to work to. Not as good as Air.
This was a nice surprise. Very chill with some interesting flourishes
Nice focus music. Love this style for working or studying. Quite enjoyed the composition.
Not my thing. It wasn't terrible and it was certainly eclectic, but I couldn't get into it. Sorry, I tried.
Decent enough, though didn't really pull our focus at all and we probably won't listen again.
Sort of "not quite out there" EDM. Not bad, but not good either.
This was difficult to finish as a casual listener. But, there were a few things I respect here and kind of have this nostalgia for, even though I was too young to register much in 1993: 1) playing around with trance music and sounds, though they don't seem super polished - but I think it was on its way there. 2) how this album is so 90s and so of its time. there's like this leather-jacket club (with no phones) sexiness and simplicity to it. just like kraftwerk's synths were just so cool back in the 70s, the industrial sounds in this album kind of harken to a nihilism about society and work in the 90s.
3.5
I really enjoyed this album. I am tempted to give it a 4, but I need more time with it.
It was... different.