Orbital

Inspired by the 1980s acid house rave scene, brothers Phil (6 January 1964) and Paul Hartnoll (19 May 1968) started out making music on their father's cassette deck before forming Orbital, one of the UK's leading dance acts throughout the 1990s. Their debut single "Chimes" became an unlikely dancefloor anthem in 1989, crossing over to reach number 17 in the charts and their self-titled debut album caught the mood of the times in 1991 with a sound driven by keyboard-led trance euphoria. Quickly becoming a favourite of legendary Radio 1 DJ John Peel, their third album Snivilisation (1994) proved their commercial breakthrough, reaching number four in the UK before its acclaimed follow-up In Sides (1996) was regarded as one of the albums of the year. Determined to re-create the spirit of the illegal rave parties, Orbital were one of the first dance acts to take to the rock-dominated festival circuit, incorporating laser shows and 3D visuals. Their stunning performances at Glastonbury cemented their place in the festival folklore and, after splitting in 2004, they returned to the site in 2010 with actor Matt Smith making an appearance for classic track "Dr Who." They released their eighth album, Wonky, in 2012 and performed as part of the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Two years later they announced that they were splitting again but that they would continue on with solo projects. However, in 2017, they revealed that Orbital would once again go out on the road, with tour dates set for Europe and Australia. After having taken some time out from releasing albums, they returned in 2018 with their first studio album in six years, the politicised Monsters Exist, which covered topics including Brexit, the Grenfell Tower fire, and the 2010s migrant crisis, among others. The LP went to number 12 in the UK. Orbital released their tenth album Optical Delusion in 2023, which featured a collaboration with Sleaford Mods on "Dirty Rat" and Mediæval Bæbes on "Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song)." The LP went to number six in the UK.

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