Orbital (band)

Orbital
Orbital in concert at the Brixton Academy in 2009
Background information
Origin	Sevenoaks, Kent, England
Genres	Electronica house acid house breakbeat trance techno
Years active	1989–2004, 2009–2014
Labels	FFRR, Internal Records
Website	orbitalofficial.com
Members	Phil Hartnoll Paul Hartnoll

Orbital were an English electronic dance music duo from Sevenoaks, Kent, consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2009 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill, in addition to a number of other live shows in 2009. The band's name was taken from Greater London's orbital motorway, the M25, which was central to the early rave scene and party network in the South East during the early days of acid house. In addition, the cover art on three of their albums features stylised atomic orbitals. Orbital were both critically and commercially successful, and known particularly for their element of live improvisation during shows, a rarity among techno acts. They were initially influenced by early electro and punk rock.

In 1989 Orbital recorded "Chime" on their father's cassette deck, which they released on Oh Zone Records in December 1989, and then re-released on FFRR Records a few months later. The track became a rave anthem, reaching number 17 in the UK charts and earning them an appearance on Top of the Pops, during which they wore anti-Poll Tax T-shirts. According to Paul Hartnoll, the track was recorded "under the stairs" of their parents' house in "a knocked-through stair cupboard that my dad set up as a home office". The track received its first live airing at a disco in a local Sevenoaks venue called the Grasshopper. Next was a gig at the Town and Country 2 in Islington, performing for the first time under the name Orbital. A few singles and EPs followed, and their first self-titled album, a collection of tracks recorded at various times, was released in late 1991.