ORB

On April 9th electronic overlords The Orb release a companion piece to recent studio album ‘Abolition of The Royal Familia’ with the gem-packed ‘Guillotine Remixes’ collection. The new compilation’s concept echoes back to 1991’s ‘Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions’, which is a collection of versions predominantly by people who featured on the original ‘Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld’ album.

‘Guillotine Remixes’, features reinterpretations of tracks from a host of familiar faces, most of whom also have credits on ‘Abolition’, including Youth, Moody Boys, David Harrow, Andy Falconer, Paul Metamono and Gaudi - collectively providing an expansive journey into dance music; from acid house and balearic beat to techno and beyond, emphasising The Orb’s club DNA.

Longstanding On-U Sound collaborator and producer Dave Harrow delivers two deep trance cuts with ‘Daze’ and ‘Narcotics’ while Tony Thorpe's production outfit and former KLF in-house remixers Moody Boys serve up a bass-heavy remix of ‘Queen of Hearts’. The adventure continues with maverick musician Gaudi who takes ‘Ital Orb’ away from its rub-a-dub roots and throws pulsating esoteric beats into the mix.

The cerebral atmospherics of ‘Slave Til U Die’, reworked by early nineties Orb comrade Andy Falconer, brings the speed down to chill-out levels before The Lost Stoned Pandas - aka Sendelica’s spacerocker Pete Bingham and legendary writer/musician Kris Needs - drop a pumping take on ‘Hawk Kings’.

Elsewhere, Paul ‘Metamono’ Conboy, shifts direction with the balearic monster ‘Honey Moonies’, before we’re treated to another banger from Kris Needs (fresh from finishing a book on The Orb) and Pink Floyd/Orb side- project HFB cohort Dom Beken, who join forces on the sun-drenched ’Weekend’.

Furthermore, violinist Violeta Vicci takes ‘Pervitin’ and ‘AAA’ in to deeper, ambient territories, followed by Orb stalwart and Killing Joke bassist Youth, who teases out the metronomic ‘Shape Shifting Pt. 1’.

The LP concludes with a brand new Orb track - the digital-only bonus ‘Off The Beaten Trax’ (Knee Splitter) - a prolific trip through deep and melodic techno.