Electronic pioneers The Orb are set to release a career-spanning compilation, Orboretum: The Orb Collection, on 25 October, featuring remixes and re-edits from the archives presented across a 2CD and limited-edition quadruple vinyl set.
The Orb, led by Dr Alex Paterson (along with a motley crew of characters over the years), describe this compilation as a ‘director’s cut’, reframing what is now an extensive catalogue and offering a new perspective on The Orb’s musical journey. You can pre-order it here.
The vinyl set features four transparent colour discs (green, lilac, orange, and blue) to symbolise the four seasons, whole the collection spans The Orb’s work with Universal Records (discs A and B) and indie labels like Cooking Vinyl, Kompakt, and Malicious Damage (discs C and D).
As well as time-honoured classics, it also features tracks from recent albums such as Abolition Of The Royal Familia (2020) and Prism (2023).
“I don’t want The Orb to end up milking it like Roxy Music, who were always cranking out another best-of, although we did release the History Of The Future best-of in 2013, and its part 2 in 2015 to be fair,” says Paterson. “We have such a gigantic catalogue though, that sometimes even I need a reminder of what I’ve done, especially these days. This is a sort of director’s cut, reframing our output, making new neuro pathways, and new juxtapositions. Some of these tracks are 30 years apart, but there are clear through lines, a continuum.”
Paterson is an iconic figure in electronic music – having originally got into punk and Jamaican dub and reggae, he then moved into acid house and chill out music, achieving commercial success and transforming The Orb into one of the first large-scale live electronic acts. The Orb continues to be active, focusing on recording and collaboration.
Orboretum: The Orb Collection is released on 25 October on Cooking Vinyl.
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