Orbital release their first new album in eight years in 2012 entitled Wonky, it’s out on the 1st of April and they follow it up with a UK tour(see dates below). Watch a taster video for the album track ‘Never’ below.
Recently reunited following a long sabbatical, Paul and Phil Hartnoll are back. Playful humour and warm humanity are woven into Wonky’s fabric – from the heart-tugging harmonies and woozy vocal layers of Never and Distractions, to the guest appearance by the highly acclaimed LA-based electronic musician Zola Jesus on the brooding, atmospheric epic New France. These are machine-made symphonies to stir the soul and electrify the senses. “When I’m writing music, if it doesn’t move you emotionally, it’s not working,” Paul explains. “It has to give me butterflies. I have to make myself cry in the studio.” Formed in the late 1980s, Orbital released a string of classic 1990s singles including Chime, Style, The Box and Satan. Paul and Phil put their partnership on hold in 2004, but a five-year absence only increased demand for their exhilarating music and legendary live shows. The brothers finally announced their comeback with a triumphant headline set at the Big Chill in 2009.
Orbital were revitalised, rebooted, reunited – and it felt so good. The idea for Wonky sprang from Orbital’s rapturously received live comeback. A year of sell-out tours and euphoric festival appearances, including Coachella and Glastonbury, was followed by a further year of globe-trotting DJ sets. This allowed the brothers to road-test the new album in raw form, then make instant adjustments in the studio in response to crowd reactions. “That was really beneficial to our writing,” Phil says. “Trying out tracks in front of audiences, listening through their ears, getting responses. That’s been a really good string to our bow.” Wonky was recorded in Orbital’s Brighton home base, then mixed in London with internationally acclaimed producer Mark “Flood” Ellis, whose stellar list of previous collaborators includes PJ Harvey, U2 and Nine Inch Nails. “I mostly remember Flood from all the electronic stuff like Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode and Renegade Soundwave,” Paul says. “He also has a good structural overview of music, because he’s not just a dance producer, he comes from a more holistic song viewpoint, which is how we like to approach it.” From the intoxicating energy rush and glistening fanfares of its mighty opening track, One Big Moment, to the restless bounce and optimistic glow of its galloping finale, Where Is It Going, the new Orbital album was designed to follow an emotional and musical “road map” devised by Paul and Phil. Mark Farrow’s sumptuous sleeve artwork reflects this circular narrative. “The whole process of this album has really been a case of the book writing itself,” Paul explains. Reunited and revitalised, Orbital have come full circle with Wonky. Paul and Phil can hardly wait to unleash the full album in its natural habitat, the live stage.
“For me these feel like the most enjoyable Orbital times that we’ve ever had,” Phil says. “It’s just getting better and better. It feels like a new beginning.” Album out 1st April 2012 UK Tour April 2012
05 Manchester Academy
06 Leeds O2 Academy
07 Glasgow O2 Academy
08 Liverpool O2 Academy
09 Cambridge Corn Exchange
10 London Royal Albert Hall
