The Orb

The Orb is perhaps the best-known name in mainstream Ambient music, and for all the right reasons. Since the end of the 1980s, Alex Paterson and a changing list of collaborators have produced chilled-out, ecstatic grooves and fluffy, flowing remixes for dancers greeting the dawn. Their output is every bit as brilliant and stunning as the rising sun after a long night of physical flow and endless four/four pounding. Multicolored synth lines run like a watercolor palette in the rain. They layer blissful selections from Pink Floyd, Minnie Riperton, Ennio Morricone and Rickie Lee Jones to create a harmonious pastiche of original music, seamless samples and astute dialog. As the Orb's pulsating harmonies weave self-contained ecosystems of sound, delirious beats climb up the mix like vines, heavy with sweet fruit, ready for plucking.