the orb

Orbsessions Volume Two

*LIMITED EDITION YELLOW VINYL* A second set of previously unreleased material from The Orb camp, taking in a varied set of contributions from Paterson, Fehlmann, Roedelius and co. As with the previous Orbsessions collection, the packaging is impressively elaborate, which is only fitting for such lavishly produced electronic music. There's certainly nothing minimal about this material, opener 'D.A.D.O.E.S.?' is positively bristling with expansive, airy sonic texture and depth-charge bass plunges, serving as a nine-minute appetizer for the feast to come. 'Ralph's Cupboard' is a cluttered wall of sound held together by some hefty beat macinations, and likewise, '2026' stirs up some subtle ambience around a propulsive dubwise rhythmic pattern. Next up comes the double-whammy of 'Shem' and 'Shem Version'. While the former piece floats around nebulously, the latter kicks in with a warm and woody-sounding beat loop that drifts around amongst the vaporous sound matter. The centrepiece of the collection is the lengthy synth workout 'It's A Small World' which all hangs on a bouncy, rather excitable sounding piece of drum programming. Bass lovers will be pleased to clap their ears around 'Angel 4 Matrix', the album's parting shot, which does some serious bottom end damage, taking a Pole-like approach to crackly, atmospheric dub and adding a few extra layers of swirling density for good measure.