Snivilisation

It was fine, nothing to get excited about but nothing bad either. Mid 90s electronic music.

I feel quite disappointed about this album. Having "Orbital [Brown Album]" in such high regards, I was expecting its following project to hold on the things I like about it so much, yet, all the build ups and very hypnotic melodies are either gone or done incredibly tame in comparison in this record. Contrary to what I just said, the starter "Forever" is actually a nice intro that is very relaxing, spacious, melancholic and beautiful. But from here is when the songs start to lose me. "I Wish I Had Duck Feet" is just a very repetitive loop with some voice samples and some mediocre ambience thrown on top. Then comes "Sad but True", which has some actual interesting surrealist melodies, voice chops and a feminine singing voice that happens to be Alison Goldfrapp. The problem is that it feels very long and repetitive. Afterwards is "Crash and Carry", actually one of my favourites, having very frenetic energy and fun techno, and the end has actually a nice sense of acceleration. Next, "Science Friction" has some beautiful melodies and a very calming atmosphere, but it also suffers from being a bit monotone and lengthy. "Philosophy by Numbers" could be easily the best one here. The ambience is incredibly haunting and mysterious, which makes the track very promising until the very goofy sounding main melody comes in and ruins the atmosphere. I still think it is decent, although I find it a bit infuriating how they wasted such a nice background. The seventh track, "Kein Trink Wasser", is probably one of the most charming ones in here, as the main pianos are very playful and nice with some strings added on the background to make for a beautiful listening. Then it suddenly changes to decent pure electronic, and after awhile, the pianos comes back. However, just as mentioned with other pieces, this didn't need to be so long and repetitive. The following one is "Quality Seconds", a rather peculiar piece as it is the shortest by difference (being almost one minute and a half) and I'll describe as "Techno Punk". The melodies and rhythms are very reminiscent of a punk or even a fast metal track, but it is purely done with electronics. For what I can see, it is considered to be the worst part, yet I think it is very fun and a nice break from the previous material. Nonetheless, the enjoyment I was feeling is nowhere to be found in "Are We Here?". A fifteen and a half minutes cut with the least immersive ambience and the one lacking the most of anything interesting. It is undoubtedly the hardest one to get through, being incredibly tedious. Thankfully, the album finishes in a decent hypnotic and ambient tone with "Attached", that neither gets saved from the criticisms I have been constantly making about the length and repetition in this project. Now, I may be giving the impression of not liking the album, but I think it manages to be a fine experience. I certainly think it is heavily flawed, but being techno, it is a a sound that I can tolerate and appreciate (usually), so this never ended up being a truly bad listening.

Not bad. “Are We Here” was a fun adventure. Almost like a drug trip.

Philosophy by Numbers was the first time since start of the album where I thought it could go somewhere lmao quality seconds were really the best stack of seconds on this project... had few moments in each +10min song, but overall weak for my listenening experience (1.5/5.0)

🤖👓🎧💿🔊

Spécial.

Jamais entendu parler de ces types. C'est énorme. Ya genre 3 sons énormes. Vraie découverte. 4/5. 2ème écoute un peu moins bien.

All right definitely a unique one. I don’t think it’s possible to judge production heavy art with the same parameters as normal records just mainly due to the missing factor of vocals/lyrics. However, I do think that this album showed really interesting production techniques especially in the beat switchup during kein trink wasser and the synth designs in songs like attached. I think that it does at least deserve a 3 for an album based solely on electronic production. Fav song: Forever

Shit ass noise machine

this was alright, not the best i’ve heard from them but alright to say the least, some songs were a little grating

This is an okay album with some good tracks. Listening to it felt decent overall, but it never fully grabbed me. There are moments that work well and show the duo’s skill with electronic textures and rhythms, yet large parts of the record stay in a comfortable but not especially exciting zone. The better tracks have a solid sense of atmosphere and movement. The electronic layers and beats are well put together, and there is enough variation to keep it from becoming completely flat. Still, the album as a whole does not build much momentum or leave a strong lasting impression. The production is clean and typical of mid 90s techno and electronic music. Everything is carefully arranged and well recorded, with clear attention to detail in the sound design. It sounds professional and polished without taking many big risks. Snivilisation is a perfectly fine electronic album. It has its strengths and a few standout moments, but it stays at the level of “okay” rather than becoming something more memorable.

I liked it a little bit more than Orbital 2, which I rated a 2. I don’t need to hear either again, tbh. Not essential.

maybe if there wasn't another orbital album on the list to compare to this one i'd think of this album more favorably. this is just... so much worse then the other orbital album, still an enjoyable listen but doesnt have the charm of the other one

This album is so random; I never would have thought there would be a song about studying philosophy on this list, but what the hell, these techno artists can really sample anything, I guess. It's alright; I mean, I got sick of it by the end, especially with those two long closing tracks.

I'm not a '90s electronica fan. I had just come back from a work trip where my project got paused, and this was my first album to listen to upon return. Between the name and the genre, I had so little interest I took about a month break from this project. This album is exactly what I feared it would be. A boring, dated collection of tv transition noises, weak drums, and songs that go on without going anywhere.

Physically hurt me at first to see such pioneers in Orbital get hit with an average score of 2.70, although I haven’t ever given this particular album a run through. I get techno isn’t for everyone but you can’t put these guys simply in that box. In between a 3 and a 4 for me

fine. background electronic music

I get the most disappointed when this genre pops up. But I’ll always give it a fair shot!

Thoughts before listening: It's techno. Probably not for me. Review: As I usually say on these sorts of albums, I'm sure this hits a lot better on a headful in a field at 2am surrounded by 1000s of people. In my car riding home from dropping my daughter off at school and then at my desk, its just not the same. Everything just became background music to me and nothing really grabbed my attention. So many long, repetitive songs that all sound like the music you hear while trying on clothes at J Crew. This brand of 90s techno just sort of sits in a groove and never goes anywhere. Its definitely missing the peaks that I feel are the highlight of more modern dance music. I'll give this 2-stars cause I'm sure its great for the genre, but it doesn't really do anything for me.

It's dull. And this is a genre I usually like! Excellent album cover, though.

Mass Effect lounge music. One of the classy ones y’know? Not Chora’s Den. One of the places on Illium maybe.

Álbum praticamente de músicas instrumentais. Em geral, não gosto de música instrumental, mas esse achei bem bacana.

Can definitely hear the influence this would have on EDM.

Aural wallpaper. Rave music needs rave atmosphere.

Some of this is really good, Eno-esque; and some sounds like experimentation that didn’t quite work. Tended to prefer the songs without vocal samples

Sounds from the day spa.

good but SO extremely higly incredibly painfully long

Definitely not bad! Pretty cool! Like many here will probably say though, it does drag a bit and some songs could definitely shave off a few minutes. How it’s Made-core forever

Rather sleepy dance music. Not sure why I'd choose this over other dance music that is better.

Weird as hell but loved it. Kind of shocked I had never heard of them before.

Could have used a trim.

Kind of okay background music. Need another less distracted listen.

I imagine this would be fun to listen to live, but it's not standing out.

A little grating at times but not bad as background

A mixed bag, at times ambient, at times boppy, but also at times intrusive and irritating.

Well, this is probably my least preferred genere. So, in my opinion, this is clearly in the low range. I'd say around 1,5 stars. In any case, I'm giving this two stars for two main reasons: 1) As mentioned, this is not my favourite genre, but I guess it's not that bad if listened to in the right "atmosphere", and 2) Some tracks are quite ok: "Science Friction", "Kein Trink Wasser", or "Are We Here?".

Orbital - Snivilisation (1994) I bought the CD at the time and loved it. Haven’t listened in years but played it loud on a decent pair of speakers and it was a huge rush of nostalgia. I shared a house with friends in the 90s and this was the soundtrack to numerous summer barbecues. Not a bad track on it, not even Quality Seconds. Standout tracks Forever I wish I had duck feet Sad but true Crash and carry Science Friction Kevin Trink Wasser Are We Here? Attached An easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This wasn’t bad, but also not as good as orbital 2. 6/10 - solid listen.

not my kind of electronic music. unfortunately couldn’t bring myself to finish this.

Yay, another 90s British techno album! This one might be as boring as the last few. Surprisingly, there are some legitimately good songs on this album. A few of the songs are legitimately fun, groovy electronic music, but a few more are bad electronic music that does absolutely nothing for the listener. I don't really think that this band or album are one of the most essential electronic acts of this period, but it's better than many of the British electronic acts of the period. I'll give it points for that. This album is ranked #28 of 29 albums for 1994. Other 1994 albums rated by me: Dookie(2/29)-4 Grace(3/29)-3 Dummy(4/29)-5 Illmatic(7/29)-5 Smash(10/29)-4 Ready to Die(11/29)-2 Live Through This(13/29)-4 Protection(15/29)-4 Talking Timbuktu(17/29)-3 Music for the Jilted Generation(19/29)-4 Dog Man Star(20/29)-3

Meandering and rudderless

Soundtrack music. Could fit all scenes in a movie. The slow build. Walking away from an explosion. The revelation. The good guys. The bad guys lair. The climax. Truly a multifaceted album for music you will undoubtedly forget about once you exit the Theater.

This is perfectly good background music, and I really can't find any faults with any of it. I'm not sure it really rises above it's peers though.

Another product of the emergence of the CD. Someone- "Hey, this thing can hold like 80 minutes of music". Orbital probably-"Nice, better blow up these tracks to use every possible second". Bloated.. 2.5 stars.

Pretty standard, straight-line electronic stuff going on here

This album flows really well and acts almost as a cohesive piece. I think I would have enjoyed it even more if Attached was slightly shorter. And boy they were not lying when they said those seconds would be quality. Favorites were Kein Trink Wasser and Quality Seconds.

m'a pas transcendé mais qques morceaux sympa

This should be right up my street, being that I'm English and a fan of electronica. I'd not come across this album as it was before my time so it was interesting to experience it for the first time. There is lots to like, there is some great techno, it sounds pretty timeless, the anti establisment vibe is my thing and they always do beats pretty well. However, to me it sounds like an artist trying things out before committing to something. There is variety, but no decisions made. Is it techno, ambient, pop, big beat? They dont know yet and it shows. Later Orbital had a clear identity and whilst this is a step toward that, i found it a bit lacking from their excellent later work.

This 10-step psychological process has happened to me a few times now during this project: 1) Album of the day fills me with dread. 2) I don't want to listen to it. 3) I imagine the only upside to listening will be the satisfaction of giving it one star and a scathing review. 4) I put off listening for several days. 5) I finally press play, but my finger hovers over the play button for a few seconds first while I consider my options. 6) I spend most of the first song a bit unhappy, but I distract myself by musing over the wisdom of including a first track that makes the listener need to go to the bathroom. 7) By track 2 I'm kind of into it. 8) Half-way though the album I'm enjoying it greatly, and that enjoyment persists to the end. 9) I rethink the quality of my own personality. 10) I happily reward the album with 4-stars, because let's be honest, it wasn't THAT good.

I drove over 100 kms while listening to this album and it still wasn’t done when the trip ended. Didn’t hate it, but was expecting more chew your face off dance music. You know, music for those nights that are so much fun your soul is hurting for weeks afterwards.

This is music for swanky hotel lobbies and mid 2000s wellness spas - it’s ok !! Some songs in the middle I liked - some songs FAR too long - some songs made me feel like tiny elves were drilling holes in my brain (not a good thing to be clear) so yeah ! Three stars.

Beep boop

2,5

*1994. House music/ambient techno. *I don't understand why I liked this, but I kinda did. *Normally this kind of music gets old and repetitive quickly. While this was undoubtedly repetitive, I never felt the urge to turn it off (with the notable exception of "I Wish I Had Duck Feet", which is an objectively awful track.) *It's 75 minutes, so I listened to the whole thing on my drive to/from home and it was a really pleasant drive. NOTE - I just realized that I listened to the other Orbital album (no memory of that) and rated it a 1, which is exactly what I would've expected here. RATING - 6.5/10

Like it

Ça fait un peu électro des années 90 feat. musique de jeu d'action un peu vieux aussi, c'est marrant et ça change

C'est très bizarre mais j'ai pas détesté

​Snivilisation is widely regarded as a high-water mark not just for Orbital, but for 1990s British electronic music as a whole. It bridges the gap between underground rave culture and sophisticated home listening, sitting comfortably alongside masterworks by acts like The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, and Aphex Twin.

When I tell people I don’t like electronic music this is the type of music I mean. I know there are many who love this, but I outside of a club at a very specific hours of the late night/ early morning, it’s not something I can tolerate. Oddly, based on my personal tastes of no overly long songs, “Are We Here” is the one I tolerated most and even sort of liked. I think it is the ratatat beat. Maybe one day I’ll enjoy this sound but I’m not there yet.

This album was produced too early to be good. I like what they were going for, though.

6/10… electronica / rave / *1994

Never judge an album by its title. This fucking rocks.

3.5

Nice ambiance to get some work done to.

As far as instrumental electronic music, this is probably the best one we have had so far. The music generally has a melodic scheme and feels like it's going somewhere. I swear I've heard the opening song while I was on hold calling an insurance company, but there were some high points moving forward like in Kein Trink Wasser... I particularly like the piano on that one.

A moderately interesting techno release, one of if not the first I’ve heard. Cool, interesting soundscapes with some good moments but some boring, repetitive ones here and there as well. 1 listen Favorite Track: Sad but True

At times this is pleasant, at times it is quite enjoyable, and at other times it is annoying. 2 (though some songs are a 4)

no soy fan de lo instrumental

Ambient techno. It's a genre I'm really starting to like more and more. Standouts: Are We Here, Philosophy By Numbers, Attached, Crash and Carry

This is mostly pretty boring, I mildly liked two songs off this…one them because it was under 2 minutes and had a more industrial sound the other I’ve already almost forgotten about.

“Crash and Carry” sounds like some Leftfield or Chemical Brothers I used to listen to while getting ready for a big night out in the 90s. “Quality Seconds” reminds me a little of the Prodigy; it might have been fun to dance to at a club. And unlike the rest of the songs, it is blissfully quite short. Other songs are background music with no hook and so forgettable. 2.5/10

I think this is good to listen to as a background while doing some ting like gaming, but not the way I listen to music on here. It’s good electronic music, but too repetitive to listen to on this way.

shoutout electronic music that's fun and stupid and silly and grand and slick and weird and quirky look at that stupid elephant guy hes so stupid

Just background music Way too long songs too

I don't get it. This is just empty, monotonous, repetetive background music. And if it isn't empty, it feels empty. It feels designed specifically for people to not engage with it. Just some repetetive bleep bloops over ambient backing, and annoying drum loops with random samples of american guys talking bollocks. It sounds like a PS1 demo disk. It's like hold music for phones.

Not terrible, but not for me.

Unfortunately, this is not at all my jam. Repetitive electronica is more noise than music to me. It becomes an unpleasant chore to listen to an hour of it. I suppose if you're in a club and you're not critically listening, this album could be evaluated along lines like innovation and interest in the layering. And maybe some of this was new and exciting over thirty years ago. Today, it's just straight out boring. Sorry. My experience of this was unpleasant. One star, and I would give it less if I could.

Weird. Not bad. Just odd.

Het eerste nummer heet 'Forever' en dat is een vrij accurate beschrijving van hoe lang deze plaat lijkt te duren. De vorige keer klaagde ik al over de eindeloze herhaling bij deze artiest. Dus waarom zou ik zelf niet in herhaling vallen: hier val ik dus echt bij in slaap. Tracks van tien minuten zonder enige vorm van variatie, waarom? Als het dan toch zo achterlijk lang moet duren, heb ik liever George Harrison en Eric Clapton die staan te improviseren of zo. Niet dit soort beresaai gehakketak.

Van ons luisterkliekje ben ik degene die digitale muziek het meeste waardeert. En dit album is er toch één in de categorie 'Bliepjes vanuit de zolderkamer'. Maar zelfs deze liefhebber vraagt zich af wat de toegevoegde waarde van dit album in de lijst is. Het album Orbital 2 staat ook al in de lijst. Dat album heeft een paar nummers die er echt uitspringen en valt wat betreft de creativiteit meer op. Het had wat mij betreft bij dat album mogen blijven. Ook omdat Orbital zichzelf wat overschat met de laatste 2 nummers die samen bijna een half uur duren. Vooruit, vanuit de voorkeur voor digitale muziek, nog een 3,5. Maar omdat dat niet ieders voorkeur is, kan ik me best iets voorstellen bij het gemiddelde van 2,7 ster dat het album hier scoort.

Ik ken Orbital vooral van naam, maar eigenlijk nauwelijks van de muziek. Ook al hebben we ze al een keer eerder gehad, ik weet er weinig meer van. Het begint vooral met relaxte, bijna ambient-achtige elektronische muziek, met wat samples en soms veel computergeluidjes uit de commodore 64. Aan de samples en de geluidjes hoor je wel dat het begin jaren 90 is. Ik lees mijn review van het andere album even terug en het lijkt in dezelfde lijn te liggen. Het is allemaal best relaxt, al duurt het wel wat lang, wat ook wel typisch is voor de stijl. Prima om als achtergrond op te hebben staan en het was ook een tijdje geleden dat we elektronische muziek voorgeschoteld kregen. Het is verder niet mijn straatje, dus het zal wel weer een 3 worden.

Annoying and boring. I guess I hate electronic music. 1 star

I was almost at the end of this uninspired mess of electronica when I got to the last two tracks and they were 28 minutes combined. No reason for that at all other than to torture people. I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Decent album

I just really consistently dislike most electronic type music and this is no exception. It actually made me feel quite anxious, I think there’s something about certain like frequencies or beat patterns that come up often in this genre that kind of make my heart race uncomfortably or something, it genuinely makes me feel quite stressed at times and I had to fast forward through some songs. There were a few moments I found pretty cool but overall it’s not for me at all.

meh

Good music to listen to when you are high

7/10

Philosophy By Numbers

Enjoyed this on a walk, not sure I’d feel the same during anything else. Liked Forever, Sad, KTW, and Quality best. The last two were the only ones I didn’t care for.

Beaucoup mieux que les derniers trucs electro qu'on a eu. Bon, ça reste pas totalement ma tasse de thé, mais ça m'a plus rappelé les expérimentations de Kraftwerk et de Eno que les autres horreurs qu'on a eu (on appelle ça du acid house aussi, mais c'est pas pareil pentoute que le dernier truc qu'on a eu?). Beaucoup mieux que KLF, Basement Jaxx, Goldie, que j'ai mis collectivement dans le basket de caca total.

Moins pire que d’autres propositions electro! Bien aimé Kein Trink Wasser

It's over 30 years old now and Snivilisation's holding up okay (although there are tracks here that beg to be skipped). While I'm not a massive fan of EDM and its sub- or adjacent- genres, I do lean a little more leftfield, experimental and ambient techno/electronica and so I'm inclined to like this and yet I can only say listening today my assessment was that you can feel the strain of attention at times and yet it's fine. It's a little peculiar in places, just enough to pique the listener's interest. And yet, perhaps it's the listening conditions or my mood, but detachment from feeling is the feeling I'm feeling.

Ei jäänyt levystä mitään mieleen. En oikein osaa arvostaa ja todellakin my bad.

tricky to put tracks in playlists but glad i have listened to it. actually enjoyed it

Back in the day, this was good. Back in the day, we were also all on drugs. This is another good example of why albums disappeared. Individual tracks are fine, but an album of one band making this stuff continuously is monotonous, especially if the listener has no drugs on the go

This album didn’t do much for me. Didn’t move me much besides my hips. Not a bad record, just am usually more of fan of music that’s not edm. I’ll give it 3 bc i had fun listening

This rocked. I appreciated how many different textures there were here. Beyond that, it was restrained unlike some of the more modern dance music. I really enjoyed this.

Boop. Bouncy 90’s electro pop dance music from Orbital makes for a perfect elliptical session listen. Yeah, the lyrics get a little heady on some songs, but the beats are catchy. And yeah, some of the songs run long and get similar, but all good. Crash and Carry sounded like it might have been DeepForrest inspired. Some clever song titles, ie: Science Friction. (3.36*s) I guess everyone is zoned out at the time, but I’m not sure how anyone can dance through the 15-1/2 minute Are We Here?

Orbital been in the electronica game for a bit. Another great duo paving the way for the genre. I came in a couple years after this album's release. It's long, like a lot of these are, but not intolerably long. "Sad but True" and the duetchy "No Drinking Water" are best songs. Wasted some quality seconds here and there but finished nicely. Orbital is featured on a lot of soundtracks (drug movies in particular) and they fit quite well with the rise-ups and come-downs. "Belfast" from Human Traffic is tops (both track and movie). I'm glad to see a record on the list from these brit bros. 2.7 stars orbiting a galactic, supermassive blackhole.

I've passively heard of Orbital as an influential electronica/techno band. While I tend to like the electronic albums that show up on this list I didn't expect to like Snivilisation as much as I did. Orbital did a fantastic job of assembling a fun electronic dance album that was accessible and entertaining. The last couple songs are admittedly a little long winded clocking in nearly 30 minutes between the final 2 tracks. However, I was still on board for the ride through the albums conclusion. I hadn't heard of Snivilisation prior to this list but after hearing it I can understand why it would have a reputation as one of the best dance albums of all time. Nice surprise entry on this one for me. 3.56 stars

Even though I do like ambient and electronic music, I find this album incredibly boring, even for ambient. And for techno, it just lacks energy. There are a few okay-ish moments on this album, like on „Sad but True“ or „Crash and Carry“ But overall, this album does not seem convincing at all to me. It doesn't make me feel anything at all, really. Yet I would not consider it outright bad, as it is at least sufficient background music and the production is decent. Rating this album is kinda hard, as I'd give it 1.5 stars – not good enough for two stars, but also not bad enough to deserve only one star. I really felt torn between 1 and 2 stars whilst listening to the album. I think the 15 minutes of „Are we Here?“ were the final nail in the coffin. Don't get me wrong, I like long tracks, but something has to happen at least, not the same 2 to 4 bars repeating all the time. I couldn't even be bothered to listen to „Attached“.

Well produced album but I found a lot of the songs really dragged out way longer than they needed to, resulting in me getting pretty bored in the 75 minute length.

blip blop its muzak

This is techno, not dance music. I understand repetition but each song and the ideas within a song are too long. The down tempo more ambient songs are better (Science Fiction, Attached) but the songs with fast snare make me tense.

An hour and 15 minutes of 90s electronica might be too much for a Monday morning. Their Spotify bio calls them 'musical visionaries' and that puts me off right away. Especially given the fact that they wrote the bio. So this is a very long album for the genre. It's a lot to ask. I got bored quickly and it was easy to tune it out unintentionally. I'm not a fan of electronic music to begin with and this didn't do anything to change my mind. It was an album I will listen to exactly one time. 2/5

Really good. Nice mix of electronic and vocals that reminded me of Kraftwerk mixed with Eno.

I've liked other ambient stuff more, but it did a decent job of flowing in the background. Felt shorter than 75 minutes. However if I wanted ambient I'd put on Brian Eno or Aphex Twin Favorite Track - Forever Least Favorite Track - I Wish I Had Duck Feet ⭐️⭐️⭐️

7/10 Best songs: Crash and Carry Interestingly, I just got Orbital's debut album about 1.5 weeks ago. This album is just as good as that one, with some enjoyable long early-90s experimental techno/electronica. That being said, did both albums belong on this list? No, probably not. This is probably the album that could've been cut. I still like it though.

Wow another thing in a row that isn't for me. It's far too repetitive, I can imagine enjoying this more in a live setting but as an album it doesn't work for me. Kein Trink Wasser in particular is insanely repetitive, and Attached started fairly well but it just kept doing the same thing ov r and over and over, it felt like it would never end. The whole thing just ends up blending into the background and I forgot I'm listening to it The only thing I would really say I liked was Sad But True, I liked that drum loop Highlights: Sad But True

I respect eletronic music but this one is very monotonous so its not for me.

Pretty decent British electronic. Nothing to write home about, but good background music for working. Pretty impressive for 1994!

I'll keep this record in mind the next time I want to put on headphones and hear beeping noises for the next hour.

As someone involved in my former career in the break up of illegal raves not sure I can like this, but I do to a certain degree. Probably due to my love of ambient or what the cool kids call, I believe, Come Down. Love the song title Wish I Had Duck Feet. So do I and also everyone else. Then we could all paddle around with headphones on listening to this stuff. The world be a better place especially with Alison Goldfrapp crooning in our ears. 3/5 8/7/26

That was a lot of randomness

Dope background music.

Fine in the setting of listening while going to work and doing your morning routine. Other than that not a fan

I found this to be largely uninteresting and sometimes borderline irritating. It sounded like people who were really into 'My Life In The Bush of Ghosts', 'Selected Ambient Works' and taking 90s club drugs. There was a 15 minute track somewhere in the end there that I found myself to be able to successfully have it on as a background song. It is somewhere between a 2 and a 3.

I'll give it an extra star for being very good at what it's supposed to be. Other than "Kein Trink Wasser", I don't remember a single thing about this album.

Yep. It’s an album on this list. Not memorable nor catchy. It just is.

I'm shrugging my shoulders. It's something outside my comprehension. Geez these extra records are pretty shit. I'm sure Dimery is about to line up another 20 Bjork/Sonic Youth and Coldplay records just to rub it in.

I played in a local (and staggeringly unsuccessful) industrial band during the 90s. Don't bother trying to look it up, it has been consigned to the memory hole. We played on the edge of a number of local scenes, but never really fit anywhere. The metal guys didn't like that we didn't have a real drummer. The goths thought we dressed in too many bright colours. The indie/alt scenesters thought it was just a horrible noise. In many ways the electronic/dance people were the most welcoming, although they did look askance at the long hair, guitars and Marshalls. But we played quite a few shows at warehouse dance parties and electronic nights and they were amongst the best shows we played. I hung out with a few people from the Clan Analogue collective (look them up, they are still active https://www.clananalogue.org/), and so was familiar with what was influential in the scene in the early 90s. Orbital were certainly big amongst that crowd, but frankly, it wasn't _that_ different from many of those Clan Analogue acts. This type of electronic dance music sounds awesomely great played through a big PA accompanied by flashing lights in a dark warehouse at 2am in a crowd of dancers while chemically enhanced. But out of that context, I find it all a bit dull. I just don't travel in those circles anymore. Orbital is rightfully one of the great 90s dance acts -- their stuff is clearly head and shoulders above the average, and the appearance of Alison Goldfrapp is always welcome -- but it doesn't feel relevant to me these days. I quite like 'Sad But True', 'Crash and Carry' and 'Are We Here?' (PS - What is with that terrible cover art?)

more orbital coming your way. this is their third studio album. compared to their last album (the brown album, which i listened to last year), this album is less dancey and clubby and more the kind of music you want to sit down and listen to at home. besides the different sound, the music is also more politically inclined, with tracks influenced by stuff that was going on in the uk at the time. weird, enthralling and complex, this album is full of digital techno beats, some vocal hooks and a LOT of speech samples. unfortunately i didn't pay a lot of attention to the political material, i'm not british so whatever they did bring up in the music, i didn't really think too much about it... but from what i can tell you, these beats are REAL fresh. it's brilliant techno music that kinda sounds like you're drowning in acid. a lot of 90s electronic musicians always gets crazy creative with all the samples and synths they pull out and i enjoyed myself a whole lot listening to this, especially the longer tracks.

Heard Before? Nope. And I still sometimes mix up Orbital and the Orb. Notes: - i tend to gravitate more towards the pop moments of big beat or the unhinged experimentalism of idm or the ferocity and angst of industrial or the brain-erasing euphoria of various strains of rave techno. this sort of everything-in-moderation, tasteful electronica doesn't really grab my attention. - truly uninspiring samples and vocals. - microgenre variations from song to song keep things interesting. - drum programming is pretty basic, but great choice of sounds for 1994. - melodies are just odd enough to catch my ear, and I'm not opposed to these synth sounds. Verdict: Supremely competent if unexciting slice of electronica. Listen Again? Nope. I can easily list a dozen more innovative and interesting electronic albums from that year. No reason to remember or seek this out.

Just worthless

I think this is a bit and they’re committed to it… The original pet sounds but this is literal pets making sounds. I transcended when Crash and Carry came on. These songs needed to be either half as long or twice as long but I can’t decide.

It wasn’t bad and I kinda liked the vibe but it wasn’t anything special

Type shit they play in a student film

Groovy electronic music. Long repetitive tracks that are probably a bit too "in your face" to be ambient but there's some motifs from that genre here.

Overall a fun listen

Electronic album that gets repetitive and goes a little too long. It wasn’t the worst electronic album on this list, so that’s something. 2/5 Won’t listen again

Kevin trink wasser was intresting

wasn't absolutely horrible but i couldn't make it all the way to the end either

Fantastic

I liked it - floyd-y and fsol-y

I'll give you credit for being influential but that's about it

sure i guess man

Check out also "In Sides" 1996 album (not in generator)

I like this type of music quite a bit, but not this for some reason.

I was previously familiar with Orbital but not this album. This is pretty much what I expected - an ambient album with electronic elements. It mostly sits in the background, which is fine, but it's the sort of music I have to be in the mood to listen to. I would listen again, but probably just as background music while doing something else.

Gera background muzika.

1,5

Eh? I mean, sure?

daphne crowdsurfing

Orbital has 2 more albums than they should have on here (2)

A little samey through the album's runtime but still a great time.

Glad to have some electronic music- a nice change up from a lot of the music on this list. Felt like I was back in a Berlin club listening to British techno.

I’m torn here between how derivative this record seems to me (seriously, how many ‘90s electronica records sound just like this?) and how much I enjoy large sections of it. It’s a little too long, and not all of the little “experiments” work, but at its best the craft is unimpeachable. To quote Lincoln: those who like this kind of thing will find this the kind of thing they like. And I like it. Best track: “Are We Here?”

Wow, don’t think I’d ever listen to this again but it’s not offensively terrible so let’s say 2

A collection of some nicely varied '90s electronic tracks that are actually at least partially awesome through-and-through, though a little inaccessibly long for the amount of variation within each track itself. They *do* vary, but not enough to necessarily do away with the immobile feeling of tracks like these. It's pretty cool, though, could listen to some tracks

1/5

No.

Techno music. I don’t know the history of the genre but maybe influential? This helped me go to sleep.

90s rave culture - pass my baggy jeans and glow sticks - or don't! It's not for me thanks, I was busy not being a knobhead. I am giving it a listen, but it's not helping.

Techno rave music through and through. Only really knew Orbital from Halcyon On & On which has been a part of my rotation since I watched the original Mortal Kombat as a kid on VHS. There's not a lot here for people who don't want the driving repetition but for me there is more than enough variety from track to track and even within the tracks that I never got bored. It activates my brain and melds seamlessly to drive me on, either in the background or foreground. So glad I've finally sat down to truly see more of their work.

Not in the mood

6/10

Interessante, fora da zona de conforto, voltava a ouvir

Ouvir isto depois do A Night at the Opera é um crime

Gostei, fica bem como música ambiente, especialmente de phones

I had always wondered what would happen if you put a backbeat to a mid1980s IBM server room. Now I know. I didn’t get this album. It felt like a transition album between the 1970s techno origination (eg, Kraftwork) and late 1990s dance/trance (Crash & Carry felt like an Underworld Demo). Overall, I don’t feel like the album contributed anything to the genre I hadn’t already heard twenty years prior.

Random thoughts: * Another group where I'm familiar with them but it never occurred to me to play a whole album by them. * The 90s had such a weird and expansive explosion of electronic music. I really feel like I missed out on this music in the moment. * OVerall, this one was interesting and had some great sounding music but also had some more challenging songs that weren't exactly ear pleasers and made you work a little harder. * Overall interesting. However, again, no need for 2 Orbital albums.

This the type of electronica where I feel like nothing is happening. When I listen to it it feels like it’s never ending, and when I have listened through it I hardly remember what I’ve been listening to. There were some parts that were okay, but never really good.

If ravers made elevator music. 4/5

Dit is echt zo het omgekeerde van satisfying. Het geluid van popcorn gemengd met een sizzelend frisdrankje plus het gebiep van een ufo, maar dan 7 minuten op loop. Insane

Nothing special just some noise.

02/10

Not very good, very boring not Kuch happened. Sounds like the default school keyboard beat.

Kor slemt e det på en skala fra en til en hel masse å si at det her e perfekt bakgrunnsmusikk til arbeidet? Sikkert ganske mye, men det e sant.

No

Monotonous and boring. 90's trap never did much for me and now it is simply ambient background music.

Good electronic album, if a bit long

Including Orbital's Snivilisation in the list feels like a major misstep, as its historical relevance to the 90s UK rave scene doesn't justify a grueling, 75-minute listen that largely misses the mark. While "Sad but true" injects a unique, genuine underground rave energy and "Forever" starts and ends on strong notes, the rest of the tracklist quickly derails into a frustrating mix of mediocrity and outright irritation. From the baffling confusion of "Philosophy by numbers" to the amateurish feel of "Kein trink wasser" and the abrasive noise of "Quality seconds," the album suffers from a massive deficit in consistency and modern appeal. Ultimately, a couple of decent moments cannot rescue a project weighed down by so many skipped tracks, proving that just because an album is deemed "culturally significant" by a checklist doesn't mean it deserves a spot on your personal rotation.

Absolute crap

Snivilisation sounds like a Harry Potter DJ.

Suena bien y en su época me gustaba, pero esto se me ha hecho tan repetitivo que creo que lo he escuchado dos veces seguidas por error. No lo veo imprescindible excepto para un fiestero de los 90.

Beep boop synthesizer

I can't stand a single track; I won't be listening to them anymore.

extraño

4/10

Dear Orbital: I was well on my way to giving you the two stars you deserved for being somewhat dull, meandering, and repetitive. Then you “gifted“ me the last two tracks on your album, clocking in at 15+ and 12+ minutes, respectively. I now must dock you a full star for crimes against humanity, and if it were possible, I would award you exactly ZERO stars for the 75 minutes I just spent in the ninth circle of aural Hell.

An absolute belter that's as good today as it was when it was released Timeless electronic brilliance

Why are there so many albums of this genre on this list? Like way overrepresented. This was an engaging listen in the BMW - brilliant in a number of spots and overly repetitive in others. I liked one song: Kein Trink Wasser. I don't think I'll come back this way again but wouldn't be offended if it came on. 3/5

The album drew me in with its opening track, and I expected it to maintain that momentum, but I was disappointed to find that it didn't. The middle section is mostly mediocre, and even the beautiful loops weren't enough to elevate it. I liked the progression of some songs, while others felt tedious. Overall, the album is a bit too formulaic for my taste. I would describe it as good background music, but not particularly rewarding when listened to attentively. I liked "Forever" and "Sad but True".

Отличный альбом оказался. Не слышал ранее. Люблю такой IDM

Chill electro album from a chill electro band.

My expectations weren't high given previous experience with similar albums on the list. But while this is too long it's actually pretty good. There's enough variation that it didn't fell samey and the songs work on their own terms. Pleasantly surprised

cant beat Orbital 2 but still a good listen

This is actually pretty funny. I could see working to this.

Just so so.

I was a senior in college in ‘94 when this album came out. Thankfully, I was too busy doing college things to have noticed it then. I remember going to a banging Halloween Party dressed as a sexy Asian cat. I was hot! I met some fool dressed like the Joker from Batman - and not the cool scary Joker, but some lame old-man version. Whatever. We got drunk and hooked up. But he was so self-conscious and weird he’d only go down on me IN full costume and makeup. And then he bailed before sex. What a loser. Like this album. I never heard from him again. Also, just like this album.

smooth

I always enjoy the layers and journey in Orbital's tracks, but they go on a bit too long for me.

I found this album less interesting than the previous Orbital album I listened to. Nothing stood out and I thought it was kind of a slog to be honest.

Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 🤧📼👾 Production: 🖨️🙂‍↕️👌 Music: 🎛️☕🫩 Rating: 🖲️(🖲️)/5

This was a great trance, danse track. I am obviously biased towards these sort of electronic heavy synth songs and albums, but this was the right combination of meditative and energetic. I like the interjections, it was playful and chill. Not you know ground breaking, but still quite good.

No. We did not need two orbital albums on this list.

Zuhause, Gerstetten, Deutschland. Zeitverschwendung.

I don't even remember listening to it

i like the name

a lot better than I thought, gen good electronic and defo has some bangers

The second song sounds like literal diarrhea. It’s also not a coincidence that this album is shit too.

Quite pleasqant for background music but not for me unfortunately

I saw Orbital open for Yngwie Malmsteen at The Crematorium in Shanghai in 2032. It was amazing. 3.75

Mostly enjoyed it!

Awful

I actually liked this more than the previous album, Orbital 2 or the Brown Album. Once again, my main drawback here is the length of the album. My favourite track on here was “Kein Trink Wasser”, which was sort of krautrock-infused and reminded me a bit of Kraftwerk.

Fav- rhabpsody by numbers

Totally fine electronica. Good for me as background music, but that's about it.

One song fucked me up hard. I thought someone was talking in my house. Pretty fun album. Lots of interesting beats and sounds. Not sure I would revisit this one.

Pretty interesting and psychedelic in an BOC kinda way.

Yeah, no - I had to tap out of this one. Utter crap.

I dreaded seeing an electronic album this morning, especially at 75 minutes. Solid though. Enjoyed the voice clips and mellow tracks.

This came out a couple of years too early to have registered with me, but I did like their later 90s tracks like The Box and Satan, so had an idea what to expect. It was a good listen but nothing really stood out greatly either.

Despite being from the birthplace of techno, that being Detroit, I admit that I find a lot of it lacking something for me. The standard rave music I've heard holds little emotional appeal; its just garden variety music to dance to. But for some reason, with a couple of albums, Orbital have been the exception to that rule. Its both very worthy of being at your typical rave, while having an emotional feel where its just good to listen to. This particular album may be a little less the straightforward rave sound like the Brown album and a little more song oriented, but in a way similar to Underworld. It both starts and ends with fantastic tracks, with some other gems spread throughout (the latter half of "Are We Here?" is lovely). Pretty great.

When the other Orbital album on this list came up for me, I was slightly shocked and saddened by the poor reception it received. While Snivilisation is one of my favourite records of all time, in an almost parodixical way I understand it's poor reception more. I ultimately it down to Sniv being a rare case of a pschadelics album. The appended S in fully intentional. This is music for when your tripping balls. Once you start to appreciate it as such parts of the Hartnoll's approach to songwriting that may seem puzzling or even boring become brilliant. The approach to texture and feel in their soundscapes and the often cyclical nature of their music. It's not for everyone, that's a given - but for the right person in the right mindset, there's a lot of enjoyment to be had here.

Un peu longuet mais de bonnes track 2.5+/5

Nada mal, mas não é meu estilo

This is pretty good. I liked it enough to go look at their other albums and put their most recent one on as well. Pretty good. Probably helped to listen in the car during the commute.

Sure it’s boring, but on the bright side it’s also really long!

sniv world

Very good ambient/techno album which would have been great in a festival tent but good to listen to in the car. Kein Trink Wasser war eine Überraschung!

It’s electronic

The album art looks like avant-garde testicles. 6/10

Nice eletronic/ambience but nothing special

Just some random aah shit fr. Definitely unique but not in a good way.

This wasn’t too bad of a listen. The sound quality of the beats seem weak and outdated but most of all the other sounds, especially the background ambience, sounded pretty good. There’s a crisp freshness to those sounds that still sounded fresh to me. The hard panning of sounds was interesting as well, especially on the minimalist influenced arpeggiated sequences. I was a little worried about having to listen to an electronic album from the 90s thinking I was in for a 4-on-the-floor dull-fest but this was a thoroughly enjoyable listen with enough variations in sound and beats to keep things interesting. I’m not a huge fan of this kind of stuff but listening to this makes me curious to hear their other albums.

Okay album, 3* is enough. Faded into the background but I guess that’s the point 3/5

It sure is an album with music on it, one of the albums of all time, even. Wholly immemorable, not really all that bad though. The songs were a bit varied but they were also too lengthy for how enjoyable they were to listen to. Can't really groove to it like I could with the other Orbital album.

I found this to be pretty great background music. I was totally into this. I don;t really know why, but it just hit right this morning. Probably because of the lower frequency beats and slow consistence, just worked for me.

How do I feel about this brand of techno? Undecided. I suppose it was fine to listen to on a long drive but I’ll never listen to it again. The longer it went on, the more I wished I was listening to something else.

I think if id head this back in the day and it had seeped into my musical history I would have loved this. But I didnt and I don't.

Listened to on my Apple EarPods. This is my first time listening to anything by the group Orbital, which I've never heard of beforehand, and I think this album 'Snivilisation' stands as a solid piece of electronic music, if not a bit lacking from time to time. This album can feel really atmospheric, especially in the opening and closing moments of the album, where the tracks are long and have a more relaxed vibe to them. 'Forever', the opener track wouldn't sound out of place in a 2000s futuristic game like 'Deus Ex' or 'Ratchet and Clank', while the penultimate track 'Are We Here' tracks a slowed down DnB drum sample to ethereal vocals, and is one of the few moments on the album I found the vocal samples to add meaningfully to the track, as the voices ponder the question of being the only intelligent life in the universe, which fits well with the vibe of the track. 'Attached', the finale track, runs fully into the space vibe, sounding like you finally made it into orbit around earth, mission accomplished. There is a general futuristic vibe to the whole sound of the album, though a future circa mid-90s. The more atmospheric tracks I list above are moreso bookends to an album filled with focus, energetic dance tunes like 'Crash and Carry', which I found myself less intrigued with and more typical sounding within what I might expect from EDM. Doesn't mean that they are bad, but they mostly don't stand out to me in the same way, aside from something like 'Sad but True' which has the same type of ethereal vocals found in 'Are We Here'. There were a couple tracks that stood out to me in a pretty negative way, that being 'I Wish I Had Duck Feet' and 'Quality Seconds', which are perhaps the most experimental moments of the album. The former has a rhythm that sits in the background while stacked vocal samples repetitively weave over each other in the foreground which was a little annoying to my ears, and the latter--luckily very short--is perhaps the biggest blast of energy on the album but uses these tinny and ridiculous sounding MIDI instruments for the entirety of the track, and it honestly sounds a bit like a joke to me. Beyond these specific tracks, a recurring theme throughout the album is the usage of vocal samples like I mentioned above, which sound mostly like old advertisements and news clips, and for the most part I found that these didn't really add much to the album at all, and stood in the way of sinking away into the dance vibe when played repeatedly. These snags aside, the album is an enjoyable electronic album on the whole, and presents a variety of interesting sounds and ideas into a rhythmic and swirling dance format.

Too long. Too monotonous. Too boring. Two stars.

This tickles my brain in just the right way. Turns out I love repetitive electronic music.

Pretty solid effort by this pioneer electronic band. But nothing that stands out as superlative. Does set a fun mood.

I mean I like it. Curious to see the global rating

I think electronic music is growing on me

Not for me

Elevator music

Very strange. Inoffensive but I did forget it was playing through my headphones for about half an hour. Very nothing-y

This was awful. If the show Severance had a dentist's office, this would be what plays in the waiting room. If Suno was available in the 90s, this is what it would come up with. Beep-beep-bop ... ugh.

EDM isn't for me so I'm not surprised I didn't enjoy this, but it was far more boring than I anticipated. Not sure if I need to hear this before I die.

Ok. Not as good as I remember it

Bleepy, slightly weird techno noises. Most not unpleasant, but not overly gripping either

cool but bit boring

This band is horrible so boring

Thanks, I hate it

2 out of 5. Makes me weirdly nostalgic for the 90's.

Too many bleeps. Not enough bloops.

It reminds me a little bit of the Cowboy Bebop OST.

Snivilisation es un álbum que funciona como un mapa de la electrónica de los 90, recordándome por momentos la genialidad de Aphex Twin o la energía de The Prodigy, pero con una estructura más fácil de seguir. A diferencia de otros trabajos más abstractos, aquí la progresión es clara, aunque no creo que haya envejecido bien; comparado con producciones más modernas, el sonido se percibe un tanto anclado en su pasado tecnológico. A pesar de ser una mezcla maestra de sintetizadores y ritmos, no identifico alguna pista sobresaliente que logre romper la monotonía del conjunto. Lo que sí rescato es el uso de voces invitadas, que le aportan una calidez necesaria a un ambiente que de otro modo se sentiría demasiado frío y mecánico. Es un disco que cumple con una reflexión social desde las máquinas, pero que carece de esa fuerza y autoridad que hace que otros álbumes de la lista se sientan atemporales.

why are there so many albums just like this on this list. I did not enjoy it. I never enjoy them.

I'm so BORED!

Just kinda boring and pretentious vs too clever or something. See tomorrow's Kenya by Machito for the powerful message that dance music can be fun to listen without being on ecstasy at glastonbury or whatever these british do to make orbital go down

A bouncy, kinda chill electronic album. Didn't mind it. 2.75/5.

is it over yet?

For the love of god I really dont want to listen to this.... Well I guess ill do it. This was such an annoying listen... dont know why this is on the book. I wish to ever hear music like this again.

Probably important but I mostly just found it dated and a chore

A huge collection of noises and beebs and bops

Instrumental dance really isn’t my thing, but this had a few tracks I quite enjoyed.

More effort made on the front cover of the album than making any coherent tunes. There are some good orbital songs in the ether. None are on this album.

Send it into shallow orbit.

Je comprends bien le principe, mais peut être pas trop mon truc

Drivel. Geometry dash ahh. There's a reason you need to have temporarily have lost half your brains cells to listen to this beep boop crap

I'm not sure how much different this Orbital album was from the last one I got. Ambient techno/electronic music from this era tends to be like that, sort of ever-flowing without an end in sight. I do like certain subgroups of electronic music, but albums like these specifically don't really stimulate me. One of the many "filler" albums in this list in my eyes

A very good garage album, I love England!!! This album was very enjoyable and funky. Rating:4/5 GEMV (20.04.2026)

didnt finish listening but it was good just too long

Not bad, not great.

One of the best albums I’ve ever heard

This album put a grand total of zero new songs on my playlist, which is actually quite an accomplishment if you ask me. I mean I should’ve expected that with an album cover where I can count the number pixels on one hand.

Dull

2.3 Please see review for Aphex Twins but I wont listen to this again.

An incredibly trippy, psychedelic, immersive electronic album that focuses more on atmosphere then a specific, concrete message. A really great Aphex-Twin-esque album that shows how minimalism in techno often creates a more interesting end product.

Better than the brown one of theirs I listened to before. Some good beats on this. Does outstay its welcome.

👍.

one of my favorites so far! i had never gotten around to listening to orbital other than halycon and on and on and boy was i missing out

Could not get the album

Not really my thing. I enjoyed it somewhat in the beginning but as the album progressed, it just felt like it went on and on

keep waiting for an electronic album that hits, this does not. Reminds me of this really shitty drive I had from the Halifax airport to Antigonish where this dude played some playlist called "lo-fi beats" and never asked what I wanted to listen to and I tried so hard to stay awake... both were bad experiences

Above average electronic music. Don't mind it much at all. Enjoyed it a lot, some great beat, very pleasurable, good production. Some electronic music is just idle MRI noises, but this stuff has melody, feel, and rhythm. Kinda long but that's expected from an electronic album of the day. Pleasantly surprised, considering all the reviews panning it.

The Good: NOTHING The Bad: Everything The Ugly: … There are times that I really don’t understand the criteria for having bands represented on this list, and then there are times that I am really trying to understand why these bands have more then 1 entry… I will not repeat all those bands who are NOT represented on this list, or which bands should have more than 1 album… Orbital, together with several of the other useless electronic shit that is cast upon us via this list, is NOT something one needs to hear before one dies… well, that is not true, we should all be exposed to 1 album of electronic shit, so that we can all agree that it mostly is shit. Caveat, 1 album full of electronica is shit, 1 song might not be that bad… but this plink plonk garbage made me break my own rule of listening to an album all the way through—to consider that when I started this journey almost 2 years ago I was making myself listen to all albums twice, just to be certain my opinion wouldn’t change… 1*

Suffers from the same issues as every techno/electronica album: songs are way too long and way too droning. A few moments of musical interest through ambience elevate this album above others in the genre, but again not by a whole lot. Top tracks: Science Friction, Attached

Even more shit UK Electronica.

Beep boop. Starts slow and builds. Sonically interesting, musically less so. Uptempo ambient for programmers on a high dose of caffeine.

Like other electronic music, the songs are too repetitive, too long. But these songs are less about making you forget, but helping one meditate. Difficult to get lost in a mindles dance. Interesting. 3.5/5

made me feel like i was in a critically acclaimed sci fi from 2003.

not for me

Favorite track(s): Forever, Science Friction, Attached

I'm sure there is a context in which I would have found it OK. 4/10

On sent que c’est des débuts de musiques électroniques, de techno ce genre de trucs… mais dans les faits j’ai trouvé ça difficilement appréciable

🎧Not my cup of tea

The sounds and the composition doesn't hit me in the same way as the first two Orbital records which are absolute classics. That's not to say that there aren't highlights on Snivilisation. It's a fine record and the album closer is an absolute masterpiece that recalls Kraftwerk a bit but it sounds contemporary to the 90s and still futuristic thirty years after it was released.

I really liked some of the tracks. Slower, alsmot instrumental electronic music. But some I don’t love so 4

4/10 It's hard to fathom how long this album felt. Time warped on itself and caught in spinning eddies where minutes turned to eons and an age grew out of a second. It felt like the desert - it's expanse stretched in all directions, with no end in sight. It drove me to despair when I looked and I was a meagre 4 tracks in. How was this possible? Dance music is like a desert in some ways l- nothing going for mile after mile. Occasionally it looks like there is an oasis, a spectre of creativity that conjures some excitement, but then it all disappears and you realise with a sinking feeling that it was nothing. The best you can hope for is the Bedouin to come along and rescue you

Absolument nul à chier

I was first drawn into Orbital from the cover design of the following album, In Sides. As was the way in the mid 90s, this meant I eventually bought the album more or less blind, and was not disappointed. So eventually I explored the back catalogue and own a copy of Snivilisation (along with three of their later efforts) as well. It's not one that really stuck with me through the years though, and lives in the portion of my CD collection in the loft, rather than the few hundred albums I keep handy. That said, listening to it a couple of times this week has reminded me what a good, ambient acid house album it was and more broadly what a great act they were in the 90s. I'd have preferred In Sides for the list although the later, somewhat more accessible although critically maligned 'The Altogether' was my personal favourite. Still, I've appreciated the nudge to give this one a bit more time of day for the first time in many years, while also doing some re-acquaintance with the others in the process. I suspect the global average won't do them justice (British, electronica, wrong side of an hour in length, 'waah, waah, it's too repetitive'... etc) but I'm inclined to land on the higher side of the 3/4 fence on this occasion.

Upbeat

I have no idea anything about these guys before listening Overall this is fine, I guess? Just kinda boring mostly

Super