The Orb

The Orb formed in London in 1988, Alex Paterson developing a sound that drew on ambient music, dub, and the emerging rave scene. The concept was simple and radical: music for the chill-out room, for the space between the dancefloor and sleep. 'A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld' (1989) was the debut single — twenty minutes of ambient house that announced a genuinely new approach.

'The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld' (1991) was the debut album — a double album of extraordinary imagination that drew on samples, field recordings, and electronic music in ways that felt completely original. 'Little Fluffy Clouds' became one of the most recognisable British electronic singles of the decade. 'U.F.Orb' (1992) reached number one.

The Orb have continued to record prolifically, their sound evolving through ambient, dub, and electronic directions. Paterson's collaborations with various musicians have kept the project vital. Their influence on subsequent ambient and electronic music is considerable.