Music
10 must-hear ambient house records – selected by The Orb
Orb mainman Alex Paterson reaches for 10 classic examples of horizontal dance music... turn off your mind and float downstream.
At the point where ambient music and house mix, you’ll find The Orb. Since 1988, Alex Paterson and a revolving band of collaborators have pioneered a blissful, psychedelic take on electronic dance music, perfect for nightclub chill-out rooms or home contemplation.
Early tracks like Little Fluffy Clouds and A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld showed off the group’s dreamy atmospheres and skill for spinning an unlikely sample. Over 17 albums, they’ve floated in and out of fashion, but the group’s new LP Abolition of the Royal Familia – which finds Paterson joined by new right-hand man Michael Rendall – feels like a return to form. An unconventional sort of protest record – albeit one taking issue with the Royal Family’s endorsement of the East India Company’s opium trade back in the 18th and 19th Century – it’s a dreamy trip into dub reggae, Balearic house, ambient music and psychedelia that feels both contemporary, and classic Orb.
To mark its release, Red Bull asked Alex Paterson to pick 10 of his favourite tracks from the place where ambient music and house meet.
1. Manuel Göttsching – E2-E4
Seminal release by the Berlin-born guitarist and founder of the Krautrock group Ash Ra Tempel, E2-E4 was recorded in one single take, using guitar, keyboards and a sequencer. To its maker’s surprise, it became a hit at New York’s Paradise Garage and was remixed by Carl Craig and Basic Channel, among others.
Says Alex: “One of the classic tunes that created a multitude of house remixes. Recorded in 1981 in Berlin, it’s safe to say it’s way ahead of its time.”
2. 808 State – Pacific State
The breakout tune from the Manchester acid house trailblazers, Pacific State sounds just as good from the centre of a dancefloor, or sprawled out on a sun lounger.
Says Alex: “It’s a 303 tune from Manchester, UK. The intro is timeless – Graham Massey at his best! A mixture of new sounds and newer heads to create a monster.”
3. KLF – Chill Out
Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty’s anarchic KLF project covered a lot of ground – from sample-packed bootleg records as The JAMs to massive stadium house numbers like What Time Is Love? But this experimental long-player is one of their finest moments.
Says Alex: “Not a track but an album – recorded in stages in Stockwell. This was the future now. the old school was made redundant and in its place was a lido to the world of chilling.”
4. 10cc – I’m Not In Love
A 1975 single by English soft rockers, I’m Not In Love stripped away virtually all familiar rock instrumentation in favour of silky smooth vocal harmonies and revolving tape loops.
Says Alex: “When we recorded The Orb’s Loving You, a lot of people thought we had sampled this track. Wrong, we sampled Grace Jones. But if J Dilla can sample 10cc, then wow – they must be cool! Double-tracked harmonies that melt your soul – and as a DJ you can put some fat beats into the mix.”
5. Juno Reactor – Luciana
A deep dive into atmospheric ambient music from Ben Watkins’ Juno Reactor project – not quite house music, but certainly rhythmic, with a real sense of space and forward motion running through the mix.
Says Alex: “A 65-minute epic, it was recorded for an exhibition in London in 1991 and came out on [Paterson’s own] Inter Modo records in 1994. A pulse so pure – you’re drawn into its patterns of textured sounds.”
6. Beloved – The Sun Rising
A Top 40 mix in 1989, The Sun Rising blended electronic beats and textures with sacred music samples to create a holy spin on the acid house sound.
Says Alex: “This tune, along with St Etienne’s Only Love Will Break Your Heart (Andrew Weatherall remix), are two of the best tracks to listen to at dawn, in a field, in the warm summer of California or Margate. Sun Rising has such a sweet sound – close your eyes and feel the rush.”
7. GAS – Nah Und Fern
Commencing 1996, Berlin producer Wolfgang Voigt has released a string of subtle, anonymous ambient house records through the labels Mille Plateaux and the label that he co-founded, Kompakt.
Says Alex: “From Köln’s finest label and record shop, Kompakt. Ambient techno that’s intensely original. Feels like you’re alone in a forest – just ambience and a beat that’s barely there.”
8. Ulf Lohmann – Java
One of the more mysterious and enigmatic figures of the Kompakt label, Ulf Lohmann’s Java appeared on the compilation Pop Ambient 2002.
Says Alex: “A must-track for all you chilled-out clubbers – go home and get the kettle on, or build a boat and sail to Java. This one should be put on repeat and left for a while.”
9. Novisad – Sommersonnenschein
Another mysterious artist with ties to Kompakt, Kristian Peters released just a handful of tracks between the years 1998 and 2009, operating under the names Novisad and Adlib.
Says Alex: “A brilliant piece of ambience with a touch of house. This track is another off the Pop Ambient series. There are so many ideas in this four-minute masterpiece. A real one-off.”
10. Leandro Fresco – El Abismo
A 2017 track from the sharply dressed Buenos Aires producer and sometime Orb remixer is lush, minimal ambient at its best.
Says Alex: “Anything by this Argentinean wizard, who specialises in the pulses, textures and lush pads. So much beautiful music. We are dropping a new version of Little Fluffy Clouds later this year, and Leandro has done a fine mix.”
Pre-order Abolition of the Royal Familia here
Now listen to a gorgeous ambient mix from Jackie House of Honey Soundsystem on Red Bull Radio.
