Orbital are an electronic duo from Sevenoaks, England, consisting of brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll. Their career initially ran from 1989 until 2004, but in 2008 they announced that they would be reforming and headlining The Big Chill,[1] 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. One of the biggest names in British electronica during the 1990s, Orbital were both critically and commercially successful, and known particularly for their element of live improvisation during shows, a rarity within techno acts. They were initially influenced by early electro and punk rock. Wikipedia 2009
Orbital
Orbital reunite with Novation
A fantastic gig at The Big Chill saw the pioneering electronic duo back together, with Novation controllers on hand to make sure the return ran smoothly…
Over the last 20 years Orbital have made a huge impact on Dance music around the world. Brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll’s blend of beats and melodies has won them thousands of fans and the duo’s live performances have become legendary. After taking a few years off the brothers recently reunited and headlined The Big Chill festival with a blistering performance. They have now totally reconfigured their on-stage set-up, with Novation controllers, Jazzmutant Lemurs and Ableton Live helping them twist and turn their way through their set.
“The Big Chill gig was brilliant,” says Paul Hartnoll. “It was the gig that got us back together and it didn’t disappoint – well worth it. I think I’m still getting over the hangover from afterwards now!”
“I spent months programming so we can have a real open-ended experience on stage,” reveals Paul. “I love jamming with the arrangements and feeding off the crowd. The set tends to have a Chinese whisper effect and develops over time as we get more confident or bored with what we do – we change it and try things out to see where it will go. Hopefully each gig is tailored to the crowd and the mood of the night fits perfectly into place – that’s the idea anyway!”
At the heart of the on-stage set-up are a couple of Novation SL MkII controllers which are the latest in a long line of Novation gear the duo have used…
“We liked the look and layout of the SLs which is so important live,” says Paul. “And we have always used Novation gear on the road: from the original BassStation to the DrumStation – still our back up in-case the TR-909 or 808 go down – to the SuperNova which was one of our main live synths for many years.”
“We use the SL as the main hardware controller,” Paul continues. “We use the Jazzmutant Lemur to launch clips in Ableton Live but much prefer the hardware and feel of the SL MkII for flying in real time samples and filter manipulation. I have keys that turn on extreme effect settings in things like Live’s Beat Repeat next to keys for filters on/offs with the cut-off and resonance just above for quick access. You can’t beat the feel of the SL MkII for filter sweeps and effects manipulation. I love the modulation joystick which I use with the spring off for controlling the sample start on triggered vocal samples, and another one of the great things the SL has is a dedicated pair of up/down buttons for tempo.”
“I just think the SL goes a bit deeper than some other controllers,” Paul concludes. “I like its apparent simplicity with hidden depths if you need them. They are the solid part of the live control that you can’t get from a touch-screen.”
Finally it seems The Big Chill was just the start of a busy summer… “We have a small tour of the UK planned and a few more festivals over summer,” says Paul. “While on the road I’m also working on an album with Lianne Hall who sung on my solo album The Ideal Condition.”