In preparation for their winter tour of the UK, musomuso caught up with Dr Alex Paterson, the driving force behind ambient electronic outfit The Orb, to discuss - amongst other things - the early success of the group, the process of songwriting and sampling, their plethora of remixes, what songs he'd love to play on the upcoming live dates and what the future holds for "Dr. Alex" and friends.

We start right back at the beginning, way back when The Orb consisted of Paterson and his partner-in-crime at the time, Jimmy Cauty, who would go on to find huge success and acclaim in 90's 'stadium-house' giants, The KLF. How did Paterson see his relationship with Cauty progressing had they remained as a duo? His response is suitably surreal, tinged with that trademark Orb humour: "Butterfly effect time! Jimmy [Cauty] would have burnt his studio down and gone to Jamaica to paint Lee 'Scratch' Perry (R.I.P.). Orb music has stood the test of time, and The KLF met Killing Joke [the group Paterson was a roadie for back in the 1980s] by the Berlin Wall and made metal disco for the Americans to rock off to. All filmed and then sold by the kilo as an orange from The Orb Orchards Film Company Inc.". 

In the recently-published biography 'Babble On An' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld with The Orb' [written in conjunction with friend, DJ, remixer and journalist Kris Needs], Paterson expresses the surprise that was felt when The Orb's second long-player, 1992's 'U.F. Orb', hit the No. 1 spot in the album charts. Interested to know if that early success established a good grounding for future projects, Paterson looks back fondly: "Everything is different in hindsight...all my mates were pop stars, and I just kind of joined that gang! I was the only DJ in our gang...'you're only a DJ, blah, blah, blah...or blag, blag, blag'". In terms of their ongoing relationship with their label, Paterson becomes more frosty: "As for a No.1 - The Orb would never had ended up on Universal [in particular the Island label, owned by Universal Music Group] being completely left out in the cold." It's thought that issues with U2's 1997 album 'Pop' caused a delay with The Orb's 'Orblivion' being released - essentially, The Orb were asked to play second fiddle to the Irish rockers. "Four years it took to release our last album [for the Island label - 2001's 'Cydonia']; they tried to kill us, but we had other ideas. Anyway, it's better to know the devil than to trust a bishop - 'there is no plan B, Boris!'"

With many of The Orb's compositions renowned for their expansive, immersive feel - the spaced-out journey of debut LP 'Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld' being just one, we wanted to get a feel for the typical songwriting process for an Orb album. Are songs produced as demo's, much akin to a traditional rock band? "Songwriting means days spent in a studio working on three or four tunes at the same time. I look to create maybe three versions maximum and then we are able to determine which will be the new track. Of course, we have an archive..." This approach to archiving proved invaluable for the collation of the reissued series of albums that came out in 2008 - alternative versions, remixes and more hinted at a veritable treasure trove of unreleased material for fans to get their teeth into.

And what, then, of sampling? Many Orb releases never fail to raise a smile with regards to the often obscure (or is that "orbscure"?) snippets of dialogue, snatches of music and found sounds. So has there ever been times that obtaining clearance for certain samples has proven too problematic? Paterson is, to some extent, guarded, but seems to know when a fight can't be won - "No comment! But yes, I have, but no trouble - just leave the sample out!" Paterson also touches on his method of collecting samples: "Heck - it's raining samples all over the world. All you have to do is record it, and if it's an everyday sound, you own it, no problem! I like working on the fly, it's all fun - so a bit of both [in terms of using already available samples and obtaining new ones]. Listen to the radio and 'Huckleberry Finn' [the fictional creation of writer Mark Twain], they're everywhere...even the ambient ambience of a slowed-down washing machine."

Just as The Orb are well-known for their mischievous samples, their resume as remixers is equally prolific. Did they ever come up against demanding 'clients' in terms of what they wanted from a reworking? "[There was] never a brief! We got a Top 5 with our first remix, can you guess what it was? [It was 'Lily Was Here', a 1989 solo single by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart featuring Candy Dulfer - it actually reached #6, but we'll not split hairs!] We have always been given a free reign, and the only band that got a sulk on was U2. Even Wendy & Lisa [of Prince's backing group, The Revolution] loved what we did to them!"

The abandoned U2 remix was for their single 'Numb', but lead singer Bono reportedly didn't like the results, and so the results were canned. A similar fate would befall The Orb when they produced a remix for legendary French electronic pioneer Jean Michel Jarre. With their version of part of Jarre's 'Oxygene' in the bag, the finished remix was again held back, apparently due to its lack of resemblance to the original source material. With The Orb being invited back some years later to work with Jarre on his collaborative 'Electronica' project, was there ever any ill-will from Jarre over their past interactions? "No. [Jarre was a] great sport of a gentleman, and yes, HE approached US to play on the 'Electronica' project." With a remixes list featuring the great and good of the music industry, including established international acts and lesser-known, niche performers, is there a group or artist that they'd love to remix? Paterson is succinct and immediate: "Brian Eno".

Just as Eno has worked on providing music for various art installations, and not-long ago released a lengthy box-set of such work, has such work-for-hire crossed Paterson's mind? The Orb did in fact release a soundtrack, an accompaniment to a short film entitled 'C Batter C', but have there been any ambitions of entering the realm of feature-film scores? "There was, and unfortunately Hollywood called when The Orb were in litigation with our (then) management, and they frightened them off. We did the soundtrack for 'Plastic Planet' by Werner Boote. It came out as 'Baghdad Batteries' on the Malicious Damage label in 2009. We'd still love to do the music for an alien film or a super-computer like VALIS” [the creation of sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick].

With the touring arm of The Orb dubbed 'Le Petit Orb' for their UK dates [personnel being stripped back to Paterson and current collaborator Michael Rendell], the shows are set to be quite different from past affairs - as well as a Q & A session taking place with Paterson before the performance, fans are being given the chance to vote for favourite tracks that they'd like to see in the setlists. Are there any tracks Paterson is eager to see at the top of the poll? "S.A.L.T. (from 1997's 'Orblivion'], 'Plateau' [1995's 'Orbus Terrarum'], 'Ghost Dancing' [2001's 'Cydonia'] and 'Captain Korma' [2005's 'Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt']." It'll certainly be interesting to see what tracks make the setlist, but whatever forms the bulk of their shows, it's set to be an illuminating and atmospheric evening out.

What with the most recent Orb release [the 'Guillotine Mixes' collection], the tour, Paterson's commitments to his own Orbscure record label, as well as the radio shows he regularly presents from The Book and Record Bar in London, does he find much time to kick back and relax? "This is my way of relaxing" he says. "I don't ever see music as a job - you either have it or you don't. Music is a way of life and my relaxation is our pet Alaskan malamute called Lady Ruby Wagtail - she's the bomb, and the supreme queen bitch in the park! I love gardening too, and picking up ambient sounds in forests etc."

And so, to the future. As a man who seemingly hates being without anything to do, is there time for any further expanded reissues of past Orb material [following 2008's campaign that saw bonus discs appended to 'U.F. Orb', 'Orbus Terrarum', 'Orblivion' and 'Cydonia']? "That's for you to ask! And yes, next year there's a plan to release an up-to-date box set of all things 'Orb'. [In the meantime] tune in and drop off to www.wnbc.com. There's seeds in the Orb's seed shop [www.theorbseeds.com] to be had, and life is round, and here's to Orbscure to cure all of the centuries ills."

With talk of a new box set on the horizon - possibly a continuation of the ‘History of the Future’ series, this will certainly be of great interest to Orb fans, and testament to the dedication, passion and creativity of one of dance - and electronic - music of the past thirty years. 

The 'Le Petit Orb' tour commences on October 28, 2021 at Aberdeen Lemon Tree, and continues through November and December, before concluding in December (tickets available from seetickets).

28th Oct : Aberdeen – Lemon Tree
29th Oct : Glasgow – St Lukes
30th Oct : Edinburgh - Summerhall
5th Nov : Frome – Cheese and Grain
6th Nov : London - EartH
7th Nov : Exeter - Phoenix
8th Nov : Cardiff – Glee Club
16th Nov : Nottingham – Glee Club
17th Nov : Norwich – Epic Studios
18th Nov : Brighton - Komedia
19th Nov : Cambridge - Mash
22nd Nov : Galway – Roisin Dubh
23rd Nov : Dublin - Liberty Hall Theatre
24th Nov : Belfast - Empire
7th Dec : Birmingham - Glee
8th Dec : Manchester – Stoller Hall
9th Dec : Leeds – Brudenell Social Club
11th Dec : Sheffield - Leadmill
12th Dec : Newcastle – Wylam Brewery

Alex Paterson & Kris Needs' book 'Babble On An' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld with The Orb', as well as 'Abolition of the Royal Familia: Guillotine Mixes', are available now.

Words and interview by Pete Muscutt & Steve Muscutt.