Reviews (page 3 of 8)
This just doesn't hold my interest, it's all a bit boring really. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ Revisit ❌️ ★★★☆☆ (5/10) Total reviewed : 277 Already owned : 62 Purchased : 15 To buy : 2 Nope : 198
Never heard of them before, but I like it.
great album to work to, but nothing super special. i wouldn’t mind if any of the songs came on while shuffling through my liked songs, i think that makes this album a three for me. the tracks were hypnotic at times, spacey and a little ominous. maybe the best way to describe the album feel is that the tracks sound like what you would hear in an alien waiting room or elevator (Science Friction is the perfect example). Fav tracks: Forever Science Friction Kein Tink Wasser Are We Here?
1001 Albums Generator 260 (4/1/2026) You know, it's decent enough atmospheric techno music, but the vocal sample on Philosophy By Numbers, the obnoxious piano tone on Kein Trink Wasser, and the entirety of I Wish I Had Duck Feet definitely bring the quality down. I was a bit scared by the two massive songs at the end, but they are actually both quite beautiful, with Are We Here? featuring tribal-sounding drums. Quality Seconds is such a strange choice, not fitting at all with the rest of the album, but I can't say I disliked the hardcore electro-punk, especially since it only lasts a minute and a half. The opening track is also a fantastic vibe. Mixed bag here, so a 3/5. Favs: Forever Are We Here? Attached Least Fav: I Wish I Had Duck Feet
3.5
I was a little annoyed at first of getting another techno album. But I looked back and the other Orbital album on the list is the one techno album I’ve liked so far. And this one is similar. I don’t why this is the one techno group I seem to like, but they manage to make their beeps and boops somehow interesting
That was just an hour and fifteen minutes of nothing. Just dull techno beats with the odd vocal line repeated. It was chill to listen to but got old pretty quick
Decent EDM
Electronica for goobers.
For an electronic album… not too bad. Really, I was going to give it like a 2.7 or something but “Quality Seconds” made me drop the score to a 2.4. I appreciate the minimalism and that’s about it. Better than silence I guess. The cat did not enjoy the noises. Season: Early Spring Favorite Song: Forever
I vaguely knew of these guys, partly because (I think?) they remixed something by Björk, and also just because they were one of the main EDM names of the time. At my age and stage in the 90s it wasn’t something I engaged with much. To my slight surprise I mostly found this album a little dull. The more reflective, gentler tracks didn’t interest me much. Then the song Crash & Carry came on and I had the thought that this must sound amazing if you’re young at 2am in a field on a hot summer night and you’re full of substances. But less so when you’re ‘of a certain age’, walking around a suburban park at 9am on a Sunday morning carrying a flat white coffee. That epiphany they didn’t really enhance my enjoyment at the songs, which still didn’t grab me much, but it perhaps gave me some insight into why this might be a revered album in certain circles.
Got off to a good start with Forever, but settled into a pattern of a reasonably decent track followed by tracks, e.g. Philosophy by Numbers, that were too jarring to be enjoyable. Overall only about a third were OK to my ear so I probably won't listen again.
Interesting. Will probably listen again.
Not my usual fare but listening on my run this morning I enjoyed
Noises parading as music for WAY too long.
I enjoyed most of this
8.5
Definitvely not a 1,001 album. Electronic music has nothing to do here. Maybe one or 2 but this was in the 90 a lot of electronica had already been done but nothing really special or ground breaking to my knowledge.
Some songs were ok but others were just too noisy and grating.
Some songs gave me Imogen heap vibes but maybe its because that's the only person I listen to that is experimental and tech with it.Gave me neo frutiger vibes
Bit to instrumental for me pourquoi
its not bad but i wouldnt add
Cool sound! worth a second listen.
Ate at The Tavern in Mission Farms Monday with the March Madness crew on their way out of town. Great food, and they were playing a playlist of Thievery Corproration who I quite like. Thought this might be similar, but it’s more electronica vs. TC’s trip-hop. In other words, a 2.
Virtuosity without warmth
Some pretty strong highs, but it gets irritating during its troughs. Favourite track is probably Science Friction. I did like the very industrial intermission of Quality Seconds, and Attached is a capable and variable closer. Still, not sure if I would return to the album too often.
Well... this is not much interesting. At least it's not horrible, but too slow and boring. Atmospheric? Of course. But the worst of atmospheric albums is that some take it as an exacerbation of boring music that does not go anywhere. It was cool as background music? At times, as at others this album also becomes a bit annoying. So, I don't have much to say, it's not an album I would ever listen to. And I won't ever repeat that musical experience. I haven't enjoyed it the least.
Massive improvement on recent offerings
Mostly instrumental electronic music? Hard pass. Best song: I Wish I Had Duck Feet
Typically something I would enjoy but this one was not great.
Okay but not great album with a really stupid name. Not a bad listen-while-you-work album though.
maybe it's because i'm not from the uk, but i can't fathom anyone choosing to listen to this much electronic music. it's like elevator music, but not even good elevator music. this is lazy elevator music.
Not for me
Last couple songs got kind of long. But overall good vibes.
I just don’t get all the electronics on this list. It is okay background but so much better music out there.
A bit of a bummer and lame pointless album
This sucked. Over an hour long and yet nothing ever happens. Track 8 is literally the only track worth listening to. Everything else just meanders around from start to finish. It's only on here cuz they British.
super repetitive sounds repeated over, and over, and over....occasionally layered with some other random sounds. also over, and over, and over. started off as forgettable background sound, then was too annoyed to even give it that.
Interesting, but drags on too long. Ended up reading Project Hail Mary to pass the time which did lend a more definitively sci-fi aura to the album.
Some nice moments, but mostly boring. I liked one moment that reminds of music from Pole Chudes TV show
Some background annoyance 😅
This is not the kind of music that moves me, but it’s alright for having on while I work or generally have to split my attention. In that case, all I ask is that it doesn’t bother me. This irritated me in moments, like a piano being too loud or a synth riff tipping over from catchy into irritating. I also have to ask: is this actually good for dancing? I did not feel like moving or grooving or even boogying throughout my listen. Is it for vibing? Am I just lame? “Quality Seconds” startled me, then I thought it sounded like the OST for a Game Boy Advance racing game.
So, it turns out that Orbital and The Orb were actually different bands. Who knew?
Phenomenal album. Never a dull moment. Interesting and catchy tracks throughout. The album flows as one full piece.
It's fine if you like this kind of music.
i can dig it!
The one that was all keys was ok.
It made for some fine and at times interesting chill background music, but do we really need two albums from these guys?
For me, this is less music and just noise. 🤷♂️
A 1-2* 'tweener, but dragged so much I gotta downgrade. 1.75/5
Pleasant enough ambient
Another bloomin' 80 minute techno album, to hell with all of its kind! That melting/squeezing sound at the end of the first track and start of the second track, it was just one of those sounds that seems so common in techno albums on this list, that always never fails to make me act irrationally and see complete red. Which is completely out of character, not at all a hothead. Just can't really dig electronic music intended for dancing, and that sort of music tends to be insanely repetitive. At times it's literally the same 2 bars going for 4 minutes, which is beyond ludicrous. Though the only 'good' thing about the album is probably the ambient elements. Highlight Song/s: "Forever" and "Philosophy by Numbers"
I enjoyed listening to this group while commuting o the train. Some songs have that Autobahn feel to them. It was also a pleasure listening to it at home relaxing.
More eh
Not really for me this kind of thing. I've seen Orbital live, and it was great, but it doesn't work the same on record so far as I am concerned. If it seems like a low score, don't get me wrong - I find this kind of music fascinating, I love thinking about the process etc, it just doesn't really move me or fill a gap in my life where listening to it would be appropriate. I don't really dance around my living room often. Or ever at all, in fact.
This album is very good. Very out there. I like it.
I Wish I Had Duck Feet is a fucking banger. Several really cool songs. Feels like it'd be music featured in the hit video game Cyberpunk 2077.
Verrry interesting sounds. Inventive electronica.
Sikkert topp om du vil ha et angstanfall mens du e stein. Ikke for mæ.
Reminded me of being in a 90s club some good grooves enjoyed the heavier drumming ones
Bon. Un album de techno quoi... Et ouiiii blabla c'est pour se révolter du gouvernement britanique et de l'interdiction des raves party, tout comme "Song for jilted Generation", et au moins le point commun, c'est que c'est nul, exactement la même musique répétitive et peu retenable, franchement, je considère l'album comme une perte de temps. By the Way la cover est magnifique, mais c'est tout
#879. It's not great, if we're being honest. 2/5: meh
Interestingly, the album started off slow and not very interesting, even annoying here but the more I listened to it, the more I loved it. It's one of those albums that are much better as it goes on. It's hypnotising and quite fascinating techno/downtempo. Not sure how to rate it, I feel like 4 stars would be a bit generous, but I don't want to give it 3 stars, the same rating I gave out for less entertaining albums. I'd rather round it up to 4.
Boring and Some of the songs are actually painful to get through
Pretty meh tbh, repetitive, maybe it was ahead of its time but now it just sounds uninspiring. 1 - doesn't deserve to be on this list
No private session used for Spotify. Not a fan of electronic music, it's very repetitive and doesn't seem like music you actually listen to but have it playing in the background where it can ignored. I will continue to ignore.
I’ve only heard the stuff David Gilmour but I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be for me. Just not my taste in EDM I’m afraid.
Uuuh so good
Enjoyed this, I’ll call it good music to drive to. At 61 I’m unlikely to be gurning to it at 5 in the morning
horrid
Ambient, house, whatever music. Good for background. It felt a little too long and it was a bit of a slog to get all the way through. Overall, nothing bad, nothing great.
Pretty cool. Kein Trink Wasser is the stand out track, that and Are We Here were the most impressive. A lot of the rest was pretty standard fare for the time if not a little more complex.
Interesting music. Good for background noise while working. I found some of the track a little too long and dragging. Overall, a fair album.
Amazing. I was unfamiliar with this album/artist. Pleasantly surprised. Added to my rotation.
Cool Album..enjoyed it. Will be giving this one some more play time.
I like Orbital. But there were many times that I forgot this album was on.
In high school, I started getting into techno/electronica. But I was always more into downtempo or breakbeat or jungle, not trance. But I remember getting a compilation, Trance something Express 3 or 4 and Are We Here? was on there. Then I heard the shorter remix on the MTV Amp compilation and really dug it. Trance still isn't at the top for me but this can really soundtrack a morning. 4/5
Faktisk meget chill ud over enkelte numre, der er hårde at komme gennem
Virkelig god arbejde-på-kontoret plade, nok ikke hvad Orbital havde i tankerne da de lavede det.
Chill music to clean to
This was new to me. Thoroughly enjoyed it, Crash & Carry, Kein Trink Wasser and Are We Here? all superb
Well this is right up there ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hadn't encountered this before but a good, varied electronic album, maybe one or two memorable songs short of a higher mark.
One of the all time greats, thank you RPG!!!!!
What a treat, loved revisiting this,
0.6/5 Am I missing something? Do I need to be on drugs to appreciate this? I can't understand how this is revered so much. It's so vanilla, boring and uninteresting without any good hooks throughout an hour of music. Look it's not bad music, i'm just confused as to why it's on this list. Perplexed.
Cracking electronic shifts !
This is the type of music you play to keep your robots enriched when you leave the house. That's to say, a sort of mix between Spore the video game background music and Ross' music in Friends.
A weird one but I liked it!
I think I have this CD in my garage somewhere. I still like it OK but I don't think it's held up as well as some of their contemporaries (like Underworld for example). Still think "In Sides" is the Orbital album that should be here instead.
At denne plata er her, men ikke mesterverket In Sides, er absurd.
Ikke noe for meg.
Fin. Skjønner ikke helt når man skal høre på denne typen musikk. 3,5.
Spill det gjerne en fuktig kveld på VT, men syns det e vanskelig lytte på aleina. Ikke e æ interessert i sjangeren heller.
Hørt på tur rundt Prestvannet med Guri. Føles ut som en lang vernissasje for bachelorstudentene på Kunstakademiet.
Ufattelig repetitivt. Veldig datert.
It’s fine. But i kinda wanted it to end by the halfway point, so I’m gonna give it a strong 2
Bleh
I was vaguely familiar with Orbital and never heard this album at all before. Loved it and will be going back to it soon. It's actually awakening a taste to listen to oldschool british electronic music.
The beeps are beeping, the boops boop, and the loops are definitely looping. Good album to clean your house to.
7/10
Word of advice - don’t put this on at 3am hoping it will send you to sleep. It does not, it’s more like a bluebottle in the room, just annoying you for as long as it lasts. And boy, does it go on forever.
This music makes me anxious. I am always waiting for something….more.
jesus with the electronica already, my god. how is this any different from any other one of these? i just don't get its inclusion.
i like this, good time
I found this quite musical, which is unusual for electronic music. I also very much liked the spoken word samples, they were interesting and well chosen.
This probably deserves a higher rating than a 1, but I’m kind of over noise albums.
That wasn't bad at all. It's amazing that the album wasn't released until the mid-90s. The sound is actually reminiscent of older German electronic pioneers. But then there are also a few passages that sound very much like trance, which I also like. I'm sure I won't listen to the album again anytime soon, but who knows? 4/5
very not memorable and long as FUCCCCKKKKK jesus christ
Orbital – Snivilisation (1994) On Day 59, Snivilisation was a massive struggle to get through. I was expecting something with an electronic funk energy, but it ended up sounding like a collection of boring, weak ringtones. I honestly cannot see why this was included in the "1001" list. It lacked any real momentum or interest, making the 75-minute runtime feel like a total chore. It’s easily a 1/5—completely failed to hit the mark.
Are We Here?
electronic bleeps and beats - not up to Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream levels
It was fine. Inoffensive.
I thought it was okay at the beginning, but I was waiting for it to stop at the end. Wanting an album to be over is not good. Science Friction kinda cooked though
I honestly wanted to like this but absolutely couldn't, just the most grating uninspired industrial house you can imagine.
Liked this more than some of the other 50 British electronic duo dudes we've drawn, but some songs still sounded so comically dated (e.g. "Philosophy by Numbers"). I really cannot take the cliches they layer on to dance tracks about wisdom, self, philosophy, etc really just makes me want to tell them to stfu already. But not the worst thing I ever listened to
Þriðji tvisturinn í röð. Ég hlusta til þess að þið sem fílið ekki 90s electróník þurfið þess ekki.
Ok but won’t listen again
Seems almost unfair to rate an album like this outside of where it should be heard (the dance floor) but rate it I must so rate I will. It's fairly boring but before too long it becomes inoffensive background white noise and by the time it ends you very well might forget what band you are even listening to. I certainly did. This likely sounds amazing while dancing but on it's own it just doesn't hold up.
Started out as something I could appreciate as "focus" music for working but several of the songs got annoying. I don't typically listen to this genre of music, so I'm curious what it is about this album that makes it worthy of this list. (2)
Didn't hate it just long electro
If you don't like electronica, especially mid 90's electronica, you are voting this a 1 or 2. If you do like electronica, you are probably voting this 4 or 5. I feel so lucky to have artists like Orbital, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy all coming on the scene when I was a teenager in the early 90's. Music, raving, after hours chill out......halcyon days.
so bad
Ok music to have in the background while tapping the keyboard at work. There’s better music for this purpose available that’s been made more recently, but the fact this album is old enough to have school aged children, you have to credit the output purely based on technology available then vs now
Day 182 Kinda just made me depressed how time passes, spent a few nights at festivals watching Orbital whilst chewing my own face off, man those days were awesome, just isn’t the same listening to this kinda music whilst drinking a cup of tea. Highlights Keibler trink wasser Attached
A techno album with some decent sounds
Música para oir cuándo??. No le encuentro la gracia.
2.5 Stars Mostly a yawn for me. Just not really my thing. I enjoy electronic music, but usually from a different lane. "Science Friction" and "Quality Seconds" were the only tracks I was into - it gets a star for each (and a half for bits of the last couple tracks), but I doubt I'm coming back to it.
75 minutes long, it is mostly listenable but unremarkable. The definition of inessential.
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
90s electronica is NOT my jam, and seems to be represented a lot on this list. Yet another long slog for me. Uninteresting
The only good thing was I could hike to the bars of the songs (not the beat though!). And to answer the question “What did god say?” The answer is “You are overly repetitive!”
Meh. It’s good. Just not my style.
Ummm to repetitive.
90s trance . Nice but nothing mind blowing
did not care for this at all.
A fun peek behind the curtain into the rave/acid house music scene in the early 90s UK. Super groovy, super danceable (probably even more so on hard drugs). I was immediately taken in by the trance-y, hypnotic house vibes. If you listen closely, you'll really appreciate the several intricate layers the two brothers add to really breathe life into their beats. Also, as a big Röyksopp fan, I was delighted to hear Alison Goldfrapp's voice on "Sad But True" and "Are We Here?" - her vocals are angelic and almost always elevate any song in the EDM genre to another level.
This very much gave me Chemical Brothers/Fatboy Slim vibes in terms of sounds from that time. I'm not really a fan of that overall sound. This was just okay for me. There was some parts that did sound pretty good, but it just wasn't my cup of tea listening to a bunch of the other parts.
I really loved this. Hypnotic with just the right amount of variation to keep things interesting. I'm sad I missed this when it was released but so happy to get to discover it now!
More mindless, repetitive, and empty techno. I feel dumber after hearing this
Well, I thought I was going to hate this. But it was just upbeat enough to be good music for zoning out during a workout. Definitely not my thing, but not awful.
Some really good moments but there's definitely better orbital albums.
I like this type of music but this one didn’t resonate
01) Forever - 6,0 02) I Wish I Had Duck Feet - 5,5 03) Sad But True - 6,0 04) Crash and Carry - 6,0 05) Science Friction - 6,0 06) Philosophy by Numbers - 5,5 07) Kein Trink Wasser - 5,5 08) Quality Seconds - 5,0 09) Are We Here? - 6,0 10) Attached - 5,5 TOTAL: 5,70 (57/100) Current ranking: 677/804
mmmm no mucho
Chill electronic music with varied and interesting sounds that aren’t too dated over 30 years later.
track 2, 3
Didn't really click with me as much as some other electronic albums.
at first i saw the double digit runtime of some of these tracks and threw up a little bit in my mouth but the album ended up really impressing me. it's like an interactive science exhibit of an album; it's at this sort of intersection between jazz and electronica that is the artistry of throwing together disparate sounds and coming out with a delicious sound-goulash. i do think it ends on a low note with the two longest and most soundscapey tracks, which don't really pull enough tricks to justify their runtime. I Wish I Had Duck Feet pulls some cool tricks while being the most digestible but I think Sad But True is my favorite
Rating: 8/10 Orbital goes hard. Some of the best 90’s techno if you’re into that sort of thing, just an hour+ of beautifully constructed rhythmic club beats. If there are weak points for me, it’s Philosophy by Numbers for the annoying vocal sampling and the quick interlude Quality Seconds (ironic). The last two tracks make up nearly half an hour and are very rewarding for the time investment because they’re the best ones. This album is sick
I've been traveling through dimensions, phasing in and out of reality. Some might call me a time traveler, others would describe me as a temporal vigilante. I sit up, in a cold sweat - I'm in the 90s. My vision is blurry, my head is throbbing, but I can hear quiet industrial beats coming from my CD player. Farts, bubbles popping, a rainstick, all in rhythm to a tasty percussive beat; the original humans must have believed this album to be influential. How long have I been here? Hours? Days? Neither - I'm only at the beginning of fourth song on the album. I lay back down, and let Science Friction take me. I don't know where or when I'll end up, but I know the journey won't be a gentle one. 7.0/10
4.1 It is very good. I had Orbital recently on here and I think my comment was that it sounds like a radio-friendly version of Autechre, and this comment is so much more true of this outing. Yes, at 75 minutes it is probably a lot longer than it needs to be, with certain tracks like Kein Trink Wasser running way too long, which do detract slightly. But there are some great moments. The opening track, Science Friction and the latter half of Are We Here the highlights (again though, does the latter track really need to be 15 minutes?). I think 90s UK electronica needs more representation in this list, so many great albums from so many great artists missing from this list, so maybe my high score reflects that partially. But still, it's a very good album that I've never heard before, and that's what this list is all about.
British Electronic - this music is what aliens would listen to if they wanted a soundtrack for everyday life. It started out boring but picked up later in the album. The beginning of ""Forever"" was interesting because I could feel the bubbling sensation in my face while wearing my noise cancelling headphones. This a little boring but mostly inoffensive.
becoming disillusioned with the title of the series. i just don't think this has added to my musical acumen in any way. a lot of genres at work here though
I think I like this. I am not entirely sure.
More electronic Brit music? Why are these albums always so long? Really, half an album is plenty to get a hold of the genre. Only someone really, really into it can tell - or cares to - one track from the next.
great music for when there's a technical issue at the gig
Better than Orbital 2.
Pretty good background music at work
Not my style, and even by electronic music standards, it feels incredibly generic. Background music for some cyberpunk movie.
I like Orbital, but wasn't super impressed with this album. It's ok but the music is just kinda meandering, the grooves are there but don't hit that much or hypnotize you in the way some of their other albums do and in general it doesn't evoke that much in me. The vocal samples are kinda random and don't always fit the vibe. I like the opener and the last 2 songs, the rest is mostly just fine.
Je vais demander à tout les détracteurs de Daft Punk d’écouter cet album au complet avant d’écouter Discovery, je suis sûr qu’il y en aura un des deux qui va mieux passer que l’autre.
funky vibes. not an every day listen but didn't hate any of it
Not an EDM music man. This was still a good and interesting listen. Was surprised by the samples and pacing of some of the songs.
Some neat techno bops, a rather curious album indeed. I honestly think most of the tracks are too long, but there are some nice sounds that are pretty fun and interesting. It’s not for casual listening, and I’ll probably never listen to it again, unless I’m on drugs maybe. There is something pretty hypnotic about a lot of these beats, though. If you just let it wash over you, then it’s pretty nice.
Just not for me
Feels like one of those 90's "internet is the information superhighway" videos where you're flying through a CGI black hole. Bleepy and bloopy. Got better over time, but still not really something that I'd be listening to except for in the background while working or after doing ketamine. 3.2 starts
þetta var bara fínt sem vinnuplata...
Fín og þægileg raftónlist. Gott að vinna við þetta.
Random noises. Dire.
There used to be an account on twitter called Art Decider where people would submit weird creative works that they were having trouble discerning between genius or garbage, and these would be duly designated as Art or Not Art. Since Twitter is now a hellscape and the account is defunct, let me help with this one. Not Art.
Maybe different album. 2.1
Way more interesting than most electronic music I've come across - really picks up where Hawkwind left off, by layering deep space sounds over pumping rhythms.
Called it at the second track. What is with the proliferation of bad British electronica on this list?!
For some reason it didn't really do anything for me. Some of the sounds actually quite annoying.
Album #1,012 Electronic beep boops and buzzes. Repetitive as expected. Just…OK.
Mega chill
Horrible... Solo sonidos que me hacían incomodo. I wish i had duck feet, si vuelvo a esuchar esta canción, aun que sea por accidente, me suicido, en el lugar donde este parado. Me mato.
1/5 why are we beeping and booping like this for almost an hour. 4.9
Sounds so fresh
Agree with the guy who hooked up at a Halloween party with an Asian girl dressed as a cat, this album sucks. This music only suits 5am in a field with a light show
It's fine and i enjoyed it but probably doesn't need to be on this list.
Edm
Dreamy, trance-like techno
No estaba en ese mood pero le daré otra oportunidad.
It's a long ambient record, that delves with ethereal sounds and rythms to keep you hooked the entire length of the album, it's calm and cool.
I like orbital but this album isn't the one
Not for me. A boring album
There's a lot to like and I assume a lot of this was new in 1994 but at the end of the day I don't get that excited about electronica without vocals
torn on this. Not in a "do I like it" kind of way because I like it, but I don't know if it's a high 3 or a low 4. The vocal samples on this album never quite worked for me back when I actively listened to Orbital back in the day and that hasn't changed. The instrumentals are great, though. if I end up rating this a 3 know it's a high 3. if I rate it a 4 know it's a low 4. please also know I'm not entirely satisfied with either decision.
I do loved this album. I've never heard about them before, this site really broadened my musical knowledge
I knew I’d hate this from the first second of the first song. How wrong I was! The first half of this is great, although slightly let down by the second half. I listened to the first 3 mins of each track because of time constraints, so can’t give this top marks, but I really liked what I did listen to. Just a shame about the length really; no album needs to be 75 minutes long and there’s a 30 minute 5 star album hidden amongst all the filler here.
Pretty repetitive. Not the worst thing I’ve heard though.
Ambient Techno...Could not agree more. So very 90s.
Comfortably background for me. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t like it.
Wired
Too long and goes nowhere, but not terrible.
Utterly annoying bollocky kak
3b
I'm sure that the maker of this list put this album here as some kind of mean joke. Never, ever should you have to listen to this album and certainly not before you die. Maybe after would be better.
The music is repetitive in a way that tickles the brain just right, appealing to the human desire for patterns and order. It's still fresh and exciting over 30 years later, which is perhaps more than can be said about me. Favorite track: "Kein Trink Wasser"
Damn Orbital. They know their shit. Sounds amazing, so many fun textures and beats. Does anyone else imagine little guys shaped like the sound they make dancing along to this? Just me? The Spin Doctors sample is by far the coolest part of the album. The last 2 songs were really long but not bad, just made the album drag a hair at the end. But whatever, still a 5 cause it was so banging
Beautiful beautiful sounds. It all builds and develops and feels so wonderfully. Very immersive somehow. But then also there is something about 90s electronic music that feels so clean and spacious, even when it's glitchy and distorted. Bold to end a record with two such long tracks but they both work really well
This is the background music on How It’s Made. All that is missing is the voiceover of the narrator explaining how a widget is made. “Today on How It’s Made, we follow the surprisingly precise journey of the everyday widget. It begins as raw material, carefully measured and fed into high speed machines that cut, shape, and smooth each piece to exact specifications. The parts move along a conveyor, where automated tools and skilled technicians work together to assemble them with remarkable efficiency. After a final inspection to ensure quality and consistency, the finished widget is packaged and shipped, ready to quietly do its job, all thanks to a process that blends engineering, timing, and just a little industrial magic.”
Enjoyed this much more than I expected! Definitely some tracks that should be danced too but also some nice ambient stuff.
Hectic, annoying collection of sounds & words I’m certain intended to be clever, cerebral & creative. The end result is none of this. Another album that left me wishing I’d better spent an hour.
Putting this on and it instantly fades into the background. I'm looking up recipes to try in 2026 and I almost forget this is playing. There's nothing about it that makes you want to turn it off but nothing so good that you want to turn it up. 3.5
Good album.
Hmmmm… good question
- never heard of this - another long one with not many songs which i’ve decided i don’t really like i’d rather more songs that are shorter on a longer album or few longer songs on a shorter album - okay what is this weird lowfi jazz - bubbling water over a walkie talkie okay - bro egyptian vibes in the back - this sounds like a background song in the scooby doo monster island movie like all of them - little too experimental for me - also too much instrumental not enough words - yeah no 1 star
Good electronic music. Needs further listens. Nothing sticking out as a memory the day after
Fine. Sometimes good. Sometimes boring. This probably sounded amazing and cutting edge in 1994.
I was all ready to hate this and I gotta say… I didn’t love it but there were more than a few moments I liked. Less techno dancey and more kosmische. A few songs sounded like Neu! But it was way longer than necessary.
Naw.
hm, Orbital. Why does that sound so familiar. Oh yeah! They did that Halcyon song from Mortal Kombat. I miss that song! It's a 9 min song. I used to put it on repeat. Anyways, lets see if this album is as good as that song. Meh, not really. It sounded more experimental than anything else.
Not sure why there are multiple Orbital albums but ok.
Is it ambient? Is it EDM? I don't care. It's boring.
I don’t knowingly know any Orbital but they’re an artist that’s always been one I’ve been aware of and would like to explore. I managed to listen to this on my headphones which seemed to be the right choice as I became immersed in its soundscapes. My only criticism is it is a bit long at 75 mins but the ambient closer, Attached justifies its runtime.
Much better than I thought it would be. Still not my thing. 2.5
Kind of chill, but none of it really stood out as anything special. By the one hour mark I was done, but the album just kept going. Somewhere between two and three stars, but I'll round it up to three I guess.
Diving into some more electronic stuff lately, but this one wasnt my thing.
Felt like I was on hold for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
First impression: ten tracks, 75 minutes? The opposite of the delightful Ramones treat I got yesterday. Oof. Electronic is one of those hit or miss genres for me. When it's good, it's really good, sometimes it's not necessarily good for active listening but it's useful for getting my ADHD ass to get some tasks accomplished, and sometimes it's a hollow, disappointing experience. We'll see where this 75 minutes takes me. ...yep, this sure is 90s electronica. It'll be useful for getting tasks accomplished if I'm in a very specific, well caffeinated mood.
Meh, felt way too experimental and metallic to me.
Very coool
Decent enough album. Good background music.
I really like Orbital and this type of sound in general. There is some nostalgia in this for me. Helped me keep focus while driving today!
this wasn't that bad - a bit long but some neat tracks and good background music
weird
comme c'est doux, ca fait bien référence de puristes qui écoutent "la vraie éléctro" I Wish I Had Duck Feet ultime favorite
The first song is appropriately titled “Forever,” which is how long this album felt like it lasted.
Ah, my old friend, electronic music. I have a love/hate relationship with electronic music. Some I really, really love, but most of it just bores me or irritates me. Orbital are, or is it is, more on the boring, annoying side. I tried to listen to it, I did….Well, not really. I did listen to it once, and I realized pretty quick a second listen wasn’t going to push me more to their side of thinking, but here I am writing this while bleeps and blorks are ringing in my ears with a tinny-sounding fake drum. What is interesting about this album is that Orbital released it right at the start of the Criminal Justice Act, launched by the United Kingdom to crack down on illegal raves. While Snivilisation isn’t a direct response to the act, like the Prodigy’s Music for the Jilted Generation seemed to be, Orbital did release a track called Are We Here? (Criminal Justice Bill) which consists of four minutes of silence. To me, that sounds like heaven after listening to Snivilisation. Maybe I’m being a little harsh. The title, Snivilisation, is badass, and standing up against the man is cool. These days, it seems like too many people want to cozy up to the man. But I digress. Most of the songs sound like the theme songs for TV shows in the 2000s. They are just kind of there. It may be an important album for Electronic music, but it isn’t to me.
In its best moments this makes you want to dance. A well done electronic album.
pc qui écrit au stylophone
ça s'écrit "Civilisation"
Really been feeling this era lately. (3.5)
Very lisenable but too long. (2.5)
I liked the space vibes on the first song. I was giving with it at first but it felt repetitive after a while. The shortest song (Quality Seconds) is one of the best and also aptly named.
This is another one of those classic early 90s electronic albums that instantly evokes a sense of nostalgia. It’s packed with those classic piano and keyboard sounds that made me fall in love with electronic music in the first place. You can still hear traces of the earlier, more club oriented aesthetic, but now it’s filtered through the framework of early IDM and experimental electronic music. It’s also a great early example of ambient house and ambient techno, with experimental broken beats mixed throughout the album.
This album was an amazing critique of technology and consumerism. Without lyrics I think so much was conveyed through the song titles and sampled voices. “Philosophy and Numbers” is a great example of this. The two samples are introduced with one talking about philosophy and the other technology. At the end of the song, they go back and forth trading the ideas to each other and that's where the meaning of this album really clicked for me. The album art is a perfect representation of this, and it's now one of my favorites. There's so much symbolism packed in there I could talk about it forever (see what i did there). This album is political and makes statements. I'm automatically interested in a piece of art when the artist isn't afraid to share these thoughts. Besides the messaging I resonate with, the music is ear candy and was composed very creatively. There are so many fun sounds and satisfying moments. “We Are Here” is a highlight for me. its a whole album within the album. Very political and environmental with developing instrumentals. I loved the album and I was shocked to see how low the average rating was. Each song was so intentional and had a story to it. Even if I interpreted the song different than intended i got so much out of every song I think this album would make a great soundtrack to a space movie btw - Tess
Forever: 7/10, I enjoy the synth, this sounds like the background music in an nerdy adventure building/working game(like satisfactory), or the background of the one part that is sped up while their working in science show. I Wish I Had Duck Feet: 3/10, it sounds like my brain when Im thinking and having a stomachache at the same time Sad But True: 8/10, this reminds me of a monitor in a hospital or a science lab, but it's also giving ascension. some lyricism is reminding me of those Egyptian stereotype songs Crash And Carry: 8/10, sounds like drumline cadence for the first 30secs.spunky, and reminds me of the history channel but in the 2010s Science Fiction: 9/10, it reminds me slightly of a boss fight in an indie game with the lower tones, I like the plink plink waterdrop sounds Philosophy by Numbers: 11/10, holy shit this is by far the best song, the plinking and the speaking and the noises are so trippy, I like how they dropped the synth around the end, it reminds me of the one computer game Portal Kein Trink Wasser: 5/10, I like the piano part but when the beat drops it gets too repetitive, this reminds me of the color code #52B2BF. Quality Seconds: 1/10, why do we sound like a broken mri machine with drums? also too repetitive for my liking Are We Here: 9.5/10, start sounds like victor sheet music before he adds to it. at 8:05 I swear I start ascending because THIS PART IS SO PERFECT. 9:00, holy shit opera singer fr. 14:30 is like the end credits in an indie movie about love and hate? Attached: 10/10, it's got the Mario desert theme thing in there and it's elegant but also funky and opera like. pewpewpew noises
Low 4 stars I really enjoyed listening to this album. It gave me something really interesting to immerse myself into during my late night drive to the airport. The first few tracks feel really muted, yet flowing? (average synth player trying to describe tones :P), and really reminded me of Stereolab or some early Aphex Twin. A lot of the songs had voice samples pop in and out: and I really appreciated when they did, it made those songs sound really full of life imo. The middle of the album started to get higher and higher in sharpness and energy (my words arent wording but hear me out), until we hit two of my favourite tracks, Kein Trink Wasser and Quality Seconds. Both of these sounded so cool omfg. The first one I thought was so cool with how they were able to bring in the piano and then the drums and then layer them both together, and the second one just sounded like a hardcore band but instead of guitars you gave them computers. The message behind the voice samples in Are We Here? also kinda made me think a little bit. However, especially towards the middle and the end of the album, it started to drag and get a little bit repetitive. Really not a fan of that closing track. But, anyway, I could definitely see myself coming back to the beginning few tracks of the album to either study to, or find inspiration for synth tones and whatnot. Favs: Forever**, I Wish I Had Duck Feet, Crash and Carry, Kein Trink Wasser, Quality Seconds Dislikes: Attached, Philosophy By Numbers
It's either the chillest dance floor or the hypest chill-out tent
3.3 2x
Number 1000! The milestone is more exciting than the album itself. Any genre with “ambient” in front of it I just don’t get, I won’t even be performative and pretend like I do.
I liked '90s electronica and forgot about Orbital. Now I remember why, not a huge fan of background music like this
This is good if you’re into this sort of thing. A little repetitive for me.
I usually like electronica. I usually enjoy dance music. I usually like songs named Sad But True. I think I would rather listen to on-hold music to most of this album. Best track is Quality Seconds.
Note really my thing, some of it was interesting though.
I just don't think I'm a fan of electronica. Guess I should have filtered it out.
A little bit techno, a little bit D&B. Not my go-to but I enjoyed it enough
Though I'm not into this sort of thing in general, there were a couple of things that surprised me. Some songs were very long in length which (I presume) isn't that common for this sort of electronic music but maybe I'm wrong. I also liked how some songs blended into one another. However there just wasn't exactly enough to keep me too interested.
album was cool but I'll likely never listen again
It was nice atmospheric background...until it wasn't..and suddenly it was again. It was good even if it felt a bit schizophrenic.
You’re throwing up too much electronic music over the last week, this being the fourth in 8 days. I would maybe have scored this higher if that had not been the case, but comparing it to yesterday’s Chemical bro this seems a bit too background for my taste more on par with the ambient sounds of the Alphex twin earlier in the week. Well my crash course in the genre has shown me I enjoy it much more than I would have thought, though this is a bit too background, though guessing the live experience was something different all together. Strong 3 Star, happy enough to have on ( yes in the background), and will with some playlists in the future.
I do like this duo and the music is well produced but nothing has the same juice as 2 or in sides
I had a friend that was really into this album. I don’t mind EDM, but it gets old and repetitive when you’re not at a concert or club.
If you like it, you like it. But to me? Unlistenable garbage.
I put up with it. Some good bits but mostly bored me
clanky music, didnt like it
Not the best or the worst techno I've ever heard. Again, decent background noise for my workday. 3/5
More boring than egregiously offensive, in my opinion. I feel 98.2% confident that, should I be sentient in my last moments of life, staring death in the face, I will not be thinking, "Man, I'm so glad I listened to that Orbital record." 1.5/5
Finally got my spotify to work at work. Having a rough day so I thought to myself "Oh I'll listen to an album to help me get through the day!" This made my day worse.
Very repetitive, I got bored. I can imagine dancing to some of it, if you were off your head. Some tracks had a good beat.
Not bad. Could listen to them occasionally
A new favorite. Can't believe I missed this back in the day
Hissimusaa
⭐️⭐️⭐️
"forever" was quite good, meanwhile "quality time" was not quality at all, i'd say it was trash time. the others are meh - some are just boring, some are too repetitive. also the cover looks like a face with a dick, 2
good
Psychedelic beats - almost all instrumental
Listened Before? N I'm sorry, I'm sure this is considered a classic but I found it boring. Such repetitive beats and samples I just couldn't get into it. It was starting to give me a headache by the end. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Quality Seconds
This is another one of those classic early 90s electronic albums that instantly evokes a sense of nostalgia. It’s packed with those classic piano and keyboard sounds that made me fall in love with electronic music in the first place. You can still hear traces of the earlier, more club oriented aesthetic, but now it’s filtered through the framework of early IDM and experimental electronic music. It’s also a great early example of ambient house and ambient techno, with experimental broken beats mixed throughout the album.
I know people don't like this kind of music.. But I like this kind of music.
Maybe it’s good all the Orbital CDs were only available on import (and were thus too expensive). My main train stop in Frankfurt also had a world famous techno club in it. At times it felt like you could throw a rock and hit a rave just about anywhere around Central Europe in the early-mid 90s. As such, actually buying music that you mostly spend time dancing to seemed a bit counterintuitive. When I eventually did start giving Astralwerks and co some dollars, this was in large part because of nostalgic reasons and/or wishing I was back in a big city instead of, well, Colorado Springs. But Orbital remained priced out, only Halcyon being available on some cheapo compilations. I dunno, this just feels like music you had to be there for, whereas “2” at least has some melodic conceits.
Fantastic for the classroom
All Instrumental music. maybe good for studying or background noise but not for driving.
I didn't hate it, but there are many other 90s EDM albums I'd rather listen to.
Bloody boring if Im honest
Don’t really have too much to say about this one
First time listening. 2.5 This was interesting enough and had some fun moments. Bumping this up to 3 stars since this is something I would enjoy while running. While the tracks themselves can be repetitive, at least most of the tracks sound different.
weak
Standout Tracks: "Forever", "Sad but True", "Crash and Carry", "Science Friction", "Kein Trink Wasser" A nice album! Plenty of interesting musical textures and catchy hooks.
**Orbital – *Snivilisation* (1994)** _Genre:_ Ambient techno / IDM / Rave _Length:_ 75:00 (12 tracks) --- ### 🎧 **Music & Production** - **Sound palette:** Glitchy breakbeats, lush pads, acidic 303s, spoken-word samples, Alison Goldfrapp’s ghostly ad-libs, and the brothers’ trademark “where’s-the-kick?” groove architecture that builds rhythm by layering syncopated loops rather than a straight 4/4 thump . - **Dynamic arc:** Tracks often begin minimal or pastoral, then mutate into stormy, polyrhythmic climaxes—an Orbital signature that feels especially cinematic here (“Sad but True”, “Are We Here?”) . - **Studio tricks:** Heavy use of filter-sweeps, reversed reverbs, and micro-edited vocal snippets; the mix is wide and headphone-centric, giving the record a 3-D art-installation feel . - **Pacing gripe:** Two 10-minute closers (“Are We Here?”, “Attached”) back-to-back can feel exhausting; several listeners flag the final quarter as “dragging” . --- ### 📝 **Lyrics & Samples** There are no conventional verses/choruses; instead, the “lyrics” are **sample-bites** that act as political graffiti: | Track | Key sample / vocal | Theme | |---|---|---| | *Philosophy by Numbers* | Cheery advert voice: “So what do you want to study—technology or philosophy?” | Satire on utilitarian education & tech worship . | | *Are We Here?* | Criminal Justice Bill protest chant, crowd yelling “Are we here? Are we here?” | Rave culture under siege by 1994’s anti-party legislation . | | *Sad but True* | Alison Goldfrapp wordless falsetto | Loss of identity in media-saturated society. | | *I Wish I Had Duck Feet* | Children’s-story narration + circus FX | Body-image fetishism pre-Instagram (prophetic) . | --- ### 🌍 **Themes** 1. **Civilisation in self-sabotage mode** – the title itself is a sneer at “snivelling civilisation”. 2. **Tech vs. humanity** – “Philosophy by Numbers” warns that a society mastering gadgets while abandoning critical thought risks a “second dark age” . 3. **Rave as resistance** – Written just after the Criminal Justice Act, the record treats the dance-floor as a threatened commons . 4. **Post-colonial hangover** – Distant tribal drums & chants bubble up, hinting at Britain’s imperial echo. 5. **Media narcissism** – Samples about cosmetic surgery, advertising and reality-TV point to today’s IG-filter world long before it existed . --- ### 🌱 **Influence & Legacy** - **Immediate:** Alongside *Dubnobasswithmyheadman*, *Exit Planet Dust* and *Lifeforms*, *Snivilisation* helped shift UK techno from warehouse utilitarianism to album-length storytelling—paving the way for **Boards of Canada, Burial, Kieran Hebden** . - **Long-tail:** The fractured beat design and socio-political sample collage can be heard in later acts such as **Autechre, Clark, Andy Stott** and even **Radiohead’s *Kid A*** sessions (Thom Yorke name-checked Orbital as a textural roadmap). - **Live staple:** “Are We Here?”/”Attached” remains the epic finale of Orbital gigs, often stretched to 20 min with improvised MIDI loops. --- ### ✅ **Pros** - Arguably the **most conceptually unified** Orbital album—works as a 75-minute suite. - **Goldfrapp’s spectral vocals** and the brothers’ evolving arrangements create **emotional peaks without lyrics**. - **Still futuristic:** the mix of break-beat science, dark ambient and satirical samples feels eerily relevant to algorithmic culture. - **Highlights:** “Forever”, “Sad but True”, “Kein Trink Wasser”, “Are We Here?” . --- ### ❌ **Cons** - **Density fatigue:** Constant tempo changes, dissonant FX and two consecutive 10-min tracks can feel **“like watching a sugar-fuelled 6-year-old”** on one sitting . - **“Philosophy by Numbers”** is intentionally irritating—some listeners skip it on every play . - **Lack of immediate hooks** compared with the Brown Album or *In Sides*; rewards only appear after **focused headphone listens**, making it **poor background music** for many . - **Dated ’90s cynicism:** The corporate-voice samples can feel **“well-worn”** or **“edgy-for-its-own-sake”** to post-Internet ears . --- ### 🏁 **Verdict** *Snivilisation* is Orbital’s **bleakest, brainiest and bravest** statement: a **concept-rave symphony** that mourns the death of collective idealism while still begging you to dance. Its **messy sprawl** is both its genius and its Achilles heel—**a masterpiece for the patient, a migraine for the casual**. In 2025’s tech-drenched, attention-fractured world, the record’s **Cassandra-like warnings** hit harder than ever, ensuring its place in the **IDM canon** even if it never reaches the playlist ubiquity of *Chime* or *Halcyon*.
Its techno...not my genre so I can't really give it any more of a review then that.
Sometimes I like to listen to techno while I'm working because it lifts my spirits and makes me feel like I'm in a video game while I'm hammering through the emails. It's something that can just be on in the background and without lyrics or catchy melodies it doesn't distract me as much. just beats and grooves.
I really like the range of sounds they experiment with in this. I especially loved how hard they came out of nowhere with Quality Seconds, even if it felt out of place. This album is cool vibes and feels like ear candy.
Im confused
Ambient, physhedelic bleep bloops are not actually a music genre, right? And these guys have two albums on the list? But no Phish? Come on!!! 2⭐️
This is that really good old school electronic music.
No.
Tough to get excited about this one. Mr. Dimery seems to love Orbital's brand of Electronica. The upbeat track were cool, but the more Ambient stuff has gotten old.
I have been on a run of very average and uninteresting albums. For this one, at least I can say it was not the latter, as it was a very interesting listen. All the same, it was still just average to me, as I found a good amount of it to be pretty repetitive. Having songs which are exceedingly long is not necessarily a problem, but if there is no real diversity in the song, the question is: what's the point of extending this? The answer is still unknown. Best I can give this is 3-stars, and that's being generous.
I do not want duck feet
Was hoping I would like it more as I do generally like this genre, but it left a lot to be desired to be honest
Standouts Forever Science Friction
I heard somewhere that your taste in music reflects whats going on in your head, and I can confidently say now that my brain does not function like a 6 year old playing with a synthesizer
Someone PLEASE tell me why these guys have 2 albums on the list.
Genuinely wincing at all the negative reviews for this thing just because it - like itself and all the other electronic albums on this list - DARES to not be Gen-X/Millennial UK/US rock slop. God forbid, get a grip. Anyways, I had to listen to this about 4 times to make up my mind. The production on this thing is crazy, especially for 1994. I love this old electronic shit. You really get an insight into the technology of the time and how difficult it is to produce music like this. Philosophy by Numbers was a banger. Quality in Seconds made my heart race. And Are We Here? made me zone out (in the best way possible). This record is so diverse in all the music held on it, every song feels different and there are large intermissions between the differing beats and styles that it doesn't feel out of place. This is definite a record you need to listen to in one go. I hate to be 'that analogue music guy', but I feel like experiencing this on vinyl after a joint would go so hard. And the album art is cool as fuck. I'm calling it. This album is a masterpiece. Unbelievable this thing has such low scores. Open your ears.
I will be listening to more orbital in future. This evokes a feeling of knowing too much about computers in 1999. Goes hard as fuck.