The Orb Talks

Music

The Orb, eh?! We asked the general public to put questions to one of the true pioneers of modern UK electronica, The Orb, ahead of the release of the Soulman remix package including a re-fix from none other than Ricardo Villalobos.

Little did we know we'd be helping to facilitate a convention of complete space cadettes. Questions and answers are included below – make up your own minds, we have no idea what it's all about….

Jæ Emory: What were the skies like when you were young?

Lx – grey, cold & metallic with rain filling the cracks of the paths to school…

Thomas — blue with huge fluffy orbs of fun.

Mat Marsland: Why is my brain still pulsating from the late 80s?

Thomas – It’s coming in a minute!

Lx — it's beyond the ultraworlds

Will Jones: Who did the visuals back in the day? The ones with the huge orbs and what looked like some footage of some Chinese emperor projected onto them?

Lx — Dave Herman & Ross from Worthing, both lovely chaps with great vision. Then came Chris Craig and it just got weirder & wilder! Angus )) Dave Ross : ) Those were some dam fine days, back in the daze !

Aaron Wood: Are you ever going to tour the US ever again?

Thomas — yes ! over to you Lx

Lx — we will; all the shit that was unsorted is now sorted out with the Americans…soon come ; )

Andrew Benkert: Would you ever collaborate with Uwe Schmidt (Atom TM/Atom Heart/etc etc)? It has been a dream of mine that you and he would create some music together. If you have not thought of it before, please give it some consideration.

Lx— over to Thomas

Thomas — he's great, but not him…

Mark Hobold: Will you come to Japan? (please)

Lx & Thomas — we just got back from playing Club Eleven in Tokyo & Compass in Osaka .

Mark Hobold: Of all the Orb tours and shows, what were the best ones for you? I've seen you many times, but the show at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom for Orbis Terrarum was ridiculous (in a good way). The show changed my life. Can't wait for the new material.

Lx — Trekkoner in Copenhagen, Denmark 1993 . Two sets; sunrise & sunset…

Thomas — Saturday was pretty good ( Eleven in tokyo ) ….

Lx — yeah it was !

Jason Mark Ward: Any plans for an Aubrey Mix style version of The Orbserver?

Thomas & Lx — yeah there are plans innit . Check out the Soulman remixes & the Golden Clouds remixes too ; )

Richard Titby: I realise Lee probably can't join you but is Orbserver going on tour anywhere?

Thomas & Lx — We are, and if the price is right, we might have the Mighty Upsetter join us! But the Orb sound is touring now and getting bigger & more fluffy, with a great new edge.

Paul Bennett: Sheffield Uni on the ultraworld tour was a full stop in my life too, how did you take that out live?

Lx — in big lorries with lots of road crew! Mostly studio gear & lights & films & ting…

Martijn Matos Mollet: Was there really acid in the fog machine?

Lx —- urban mythes can be so So sLlLy… in a WorD, nO .

Ed Storey: Why was the Boston show cancelled?

Lx — Lack of support from an agent who changed the goal posts at the 11th hour. Shame as I was really looking forward to that . It was a OSS gig .

not The Orb. OSS = Orb Sound System with Fil Auto. The Orb = with Thomas.

Chris Scadden: I'd love to see/hear a BLU RAY album. OrB sounds and visuals……Any plans?

Lx — good idea , plans afoot with a film with Gary our ‘LD mAn’ of the 21st century. Have you seen ‘C- Batter – C’? Blu Ray… that's one for the manager !

Joseph Hannah: Besides, Mr. Lee 'Scratch' Perry, whom other truly red-haired artist would you like to collaborate/remix/engineer or produce with next?

Lx — me

Any plans for an Orb box set?

Lx — yes there is, we are talking to Malicious Damage about this next week.. 31st – happy Halloween.

David X Vz: Is there a tape to be published containing Dr. Alex mixings at the land of oz chill out nights?

Lx — not to my knowledge , but I have some tapes from the Chill Out sessions with the KLF…

Terry Rivard: Are there any plans for a fall tour? Unfortunately last tour cancelled and we were quite gutted about it. If you hit the road, please make Vancouver one of your stops we love you guys over here!!

Lx — we are planning things for next year for sure, we love Vancouver !

David Francis: The CD with Lee Perry was brilliant. Are there plans for a follow up with Lee Perry or another Reggae orientated CD?

Lx — maybe as asked another way , a kind of "auntie aubrey ultraworld " style package , with extra tracks from the original Sternhagen (Starhouse) Sessions ‘

Please try & check out the ' I’ll Be Black ' comp on Trojan in 2006 (very rare too! )

Archimedes Dionysus: Where are the drums taken from for Little Fluffy Clouds???…will the world ever know? 🙂

Lx — yeah right…

Matthew Hall: Do you have a replacement for my 1992 era UFOrb t-shirt you can give me one please? The grey one, with a kinda space helmet with glow in the dark print, that one! Mine is knackered from hot-rocks and being washed for 20 years and is falling apart but I refuse to let it go xxx lots of love xxx

Lx — sorry mate, you're well out of luck on that front; space helmets are so cool as well !

Mike Saint: Same as above…Matt's and my previous question…resell your retro t shirts please…Manchurian man in space suit… Plus….are there any offcuts etc from Ultraworld that could make an Ultraworld 2 album?

Lx — we are with you on the space helmet stuff, as above, see below !

Sean Gillhoolley: What colour was the sky?

Bryan Robertson: Who won the last orb contest?

Lx — on my radio show , someone called ‘Thunder Bits’ for a story about the ancient Sausage Tree in central Africa …..

Wil Troup: Are you a kick drum, a hi-hat or a snare? And why?

Thomas — hi hat, because it has the drive, maaan

Lx — Bass Drum , because it has the heart beat!

What's your answer to everything?

Lx — tea

Do you know Deadmaus has a mouses's head for a head?

That's enough …… yes I flecking did! It's hardly a cow in it

Bartli Valär: Did Yello pay you well to do HANDS ON YELLO or was the fun bigger than the payment?

LX — one more & we're out !

Who's finger is launched on the U.F.Off cover?

Lx — Nick Burton's middle finger is on the album cover -Nick was the artwork designer & ex drummer with The Orb ..

Dubby Van?k: Where's Waldo?

at the beach .

Aranyanadnatha Whirl: Is it certain that Baba Alex Yaif, plans appearing as first nonswaminesister yaif, growing feltlimbs in the axila?!

LX — 3 strikes and you're out…

Duncan Clark: Question for Dr Alex on behalf of Ian Dury:

If one doctor doctors another doctor, does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor the doctor who's being doctored

Just as the doctor being doctored wants to be doctored

Or does the doctor doing the doctoring doctor the doctor who's being doctored

Just as the doctor who's doing the doctoring wants to do the doctoring?

LX — what's up Doc ?

Nikki Higgins: Stranded…in Iowa…better get the breakdown squad out…will I ever share a night as the orb plays about? Mayday, this is echo hotel…echo hotel this is the orb calling…let Nikki know the slug will soon be out…stranded…in Iowa…when n how can I be so lucky to breathe the air of thousands of orb lovin’ others as myself? Please help/tell me?