LX and Thomas Felhman are back in town for a revival of sounds from those days of yore.
So it’s all about the ORB tomorrow night at Electric Brixton where LX and Thomas will re-ignite some unforgettable memories for generations that lived and breathed the fractals of White Noise and Brian Eno, and that were dispersed so intelligently into a sound that revolutionised the story of music.
Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld & UFOrb promises a unique opportunity to those who only ever heard about The Orb: welcoming an un-suspecting new generation to a university of sound. The “glistening melodic stratas” of “Little Fluffy Clouds” truthfully and ironically confronted the grey drizzle of Watford – defining a sense of humour and spirit that personified so eloquently, their debut album, Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld.
Tomorrow night, The Orb will be joined by Gaudi, Tripswitch, Metamono, Iain Dub, Joe Black and the Dub Bunnies. We fired a few questions and got some short sweet responses. Here’s what LX had to say…
So what were the skies like when you were young?
Grey and boring and went on forever.
That’s got to be one of the most poignant tracks of an era though, and which so many people remember today. Were you feeling happy and fluffy at the time?
Yes and in many ways we were trying to up the sound after the success of “loving you.”
So now you’re heading back down Saaf London for The Orb Presents Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld and UFOrb Live. How do you feel?
I was born in a south London hospital, I feel very much at home there already!
So we’ll be going into revival mode in Brixton with The Orb! It must bring back a lot of memories…
Squats, parties, gigs, barrier block, the market, more parties and growing up!
When and where did you first perform the Adventures album though? What would you say is your personal favourite track from that album?
The Ace in Brixton & my personal favourite is “Star 6 and 7, 8 ,9”
Tell us what you’ve got in store for us at the Brixton Electric this Friday? Do you have any warped techniques in mind to twist the brain cells of the expectant massives?
Secrets that will become apparent on the night, a giant fluffy cloud & tons of samples.
Okay, so now let’s continue to rewind selector and go back to the days of Killing Joke. From roadie to vocalist: what’s the most memorable occasion of that time for you?
It’s all rewind. Going on tour with Joy Division.
Who were your favourite influences as the Orb came into existence through this transitional time?
98.7 kiss fm, house music, ambient music, reggae music. DJing.
…and talking about influences… what actually inspired the name of the band: The Orb?
The film, “Sleeper.”
So here’s a tricky question that many a soul has wondered: who invented ambient?
The weather system.
You had your very first gig back in 1988. Tell us about that experience.
Police car, 12 track aki, Jimmy and I went to Bath. Turned some heads and played at players.
So here we are in 2013 – joined by generations of people that have known you guys since those days of yore… what’s the plan for this year?
Plans a plenty… A new album out 3/6/13 with the legend that is Lee Scratch Perry, called “More tales from the Observatory” plus a single called “Ball of Fire” out in May.
So this gig at the Electric tomorrow night is yet another new but old idea for The Orb. Why here and why now, what inspired you to do this show?
25 years old mate!