The Orb seemingly have been around for donkeys, making some interesting and intelligent Ambient based EDM that is clever, cool and interesting. Their first album, The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld released back in 1991 was an instant classic and since then, the duo have made so many albums that, 22 years later, this is their seventeenth album release. The album cover is awesome just by itself and is a flashback to the legendary Pink Floyd album The Dark Side Of The Moon, itself 50 years old at the time of this album’s release. This should be an interesting listening experience as a result, so let’s hear this album, and hopefully, it will be a good listen.

H.O.M.E. (high orbs mini earths) is a 10 minute long opening track. It begins with some dark atmospheric sounds and sounds really eerie. These sounds continue on for some time, along with some static old record hiss and other discordant, spacey UFO styled sounds. A vocal sample mentioning the song title and other lyrical lines emerges, and this tune is really cool for its eerieness. A strange piece of music, this does sound very bizarre for what it is. This is very suspenseful and sounds like something directly out of a horror film. The track title is repeatedly mentioned here as a quote. After some time, the lyrics stop and instead, we have dark and eerie sonic textures that simply sound otherworldly, and in many ways, fantastic. These textures go on for some time, and the track itself is a dark beauty, just perfectly released in time for the AI revolution. There is a vocal sample after some time here after the four minute mark, quickly followed by an awesome set of melodies, and at long last, the track launches into action with glorious beats. This is excellent music, and is marvellous to listen to, as it is very futuristic. A danceable tune, and something full of interesting musical intricacies and sounds, this is a winner. A futuristic Techno styled tune for those who wish to seek out such music. Some strange chanting is in the second half of this piece, just before the Techno/Acid House sounds resume and this is a joy to listen to. A really forward-thinking, clever, interesting and awesome listen, words do not do this piece justice. Perfect to close one’s eyes to and to relax to, this is a really awesome piece of music without a doubt. Towards the end, the beats are phased out, leaving a multitude of colourful and experimental sounds that are really gorgeous, yet dark and eerie in their own way. A brilliant effort, never dull or boring throughout this piece of music. This outro is amazing sounding and has some strange and otherworldly musical sounds. It wraps up with a bit of sampled laughter, before fading out. Excellent.

why can you be in two places at once, when you can’t be anywhere at all – where’s gary mix begins with some samples of a guy inhaling a joint, and mentioning that it is weed, followed by some rather quirky Funk guitars and beats. A really good tune, this does sound very gentle, moving and pleasant. A really awesome and straightforward tune to hear, this is a breath of fresh air in the stale world of postmodern mediocrity that is Popular music today. This album surely is underrated upon listening to and must be heard more so by others. An excellent and brilliant listen, with some sampled female vocal harmonies, this is really fine and fantastic. A lively piece of fantastic music, this has more soul and character than you’d ever come to expect from The Orb. This jam section that is based heavily on Funk music goes on for a great deal of time, and it does sound very, very good. So far, this album steamrolls any criticism present about the group and their offerings. There is a breakdown in the second half with some liquid Acid House sounds, and some pitch-shifted vocal samples asking about said Gary in the track title. A wonderful, upbeat and joyful listen, this is exactly what one should hear if they want a good halfway house between Funky guitars and EDM beats. Of course, it is a little long but never loses its interest or momentum throughout. A great tune that Daft Punk would enjoy, given their 2013 Random Access Memories album. This tune wraps up with some quieter sounds in an outro breakdown and a sample of conversation asking for Gary. A weird piece of music, but nonetheless world class. Worth your ears.

a ghetto love story begins with some dark, faded in textures. The sounds here are warm and eerie. There are some strange samples throughout, and this piece quickly launches into an interesting, Reggae flavoured tune. A good tune, with a variety of sounds, textures and interesting music throughout, this is a great tune straight out of the heart of Jamaica. Very, very good and full of some cool twists and turns throughout, this is a fine and interesting tune. There are some interesting musical touches here, including slide guitar and simple beats. There is a breakdown near the middle, which is cool. Singing about one’s devoted love, this is a unique and quirky Reggae tune that is rather an oddball territory for The Orb. A wonderful and enjoyable listening experience, even if it is seemingly too long for some, this is some of the best EDM one can enjoy today. A great listening experience with some unusual sounds throughout. Towards the end, things get super psychedelic and subdued, with an instrumental section that is very much like The Chemical Brothers best and most underrated tunes. This is amazing and deserves to be heard today. It fades out gently.

picking tea leaves & chasing butterflies begins with a looped vocal sample, the screaming of seagulls and other numerous sounds galore. This is another lengthy epic tune that sounds really imaginative, spacey and different. Although the fact that most of these tunes go over five minutes is a drawback, these tracks are sensationally good. Multiple vocal samples are here before this piece launches into a deep and heavy Dub music based tune. This is closer to the Dub Side Of The Moon album instead of the Dark Side Of The Moon in terms of sound. Still, the horn section and other musical elements here are really great in their own, unique way. A quirky, pretty and artistic listening experience, this is a real joy to hear. Fresh, fun and wonderful, this is no doubt one of the most underrated releases in 2023. In the middle is some sampled chanting, which is unusual to hear from The Orb. The second half continues the Dub/Reggae vibe nicely, and this piece is a joy to hear. Quirky, interesting and intelligent, this music is really cool. There is even the sound of a cat meowing in the background of the main section of this tune. Obviously, The Orb paid heavy attention to detail. An excellent, catchy and moving tune, this is worth your time and ears. It ends with some dreamy horn samples and atmospheric sounds to conclude. An excellent listen, it ends with some Jazz music sampled, before being faded out with sweep delay.

Tiger is a four minute long piece, beginning with some interesting atmospheric sounds, vocal samples and stereo panned electronic sounds galore. Soon enough, some dream sounds enter, followed by a song section that, honestly doesn’t sound the best. It still is heavily reliant on the Electronic and Reggae themes of before, but to be honest, this is somewhat lacking as a piece of music. Nonetheless, this does sound really quite good, even if it is a little uninspirational compared to what came before it. The midsection is awesome, with some sampled documentary talk about the tiger itself, and some interesting sounds to match. A deep and interesting tune, although rather uninspired and ordinary listening, this is the first failure musically on this album. All in all, this is an okay listen, but doesn’t fit at all well on this album as it should. Fortunately, it is under five minutes long. It ends with a cut-up montage of sounds, before finishing with a fade-out.

dragon of the ocean – dogon mix begins with a posh English lady (at least accent wise) stating that a game with music is about to be played, followed quickly by atmospheric washes. This album is indeed, very Pink Floydian. This track is also quite revolutionary and interesting to listen to. There are many layers of Electronic sounds here to enjoy. Another Reggae flavoured track emerges, and we are in Dub/Electronic central here. A simple, driving and pleasant listen, this is real stoner music for those out there who enjoy it. A really cool and pleasant listen, the samples throughout are really fresh and amazing to listen to. A great and tripped-out listening experience, The Orb bring Reggae/Dub crashing into the 21st century, and this tune really does sound legendary and amazing. A thoroughly enjoyable piece of music. The second half has some lyrics about prehistoric life, with wind instrumentation, vocal samples and other interesting sounds present, including radio talk. A really awesome listen, the outro here has some ghostly atmospheric sounds, before gradually wrapping up and concluding. Great tune.

the beginning of the end begins with some Ambient keyboard washes, launching into a piece of music that is over eight minutes long. Fluttering cyber sounds quickly follow, with some really cool vocal samples. Soon enough, 4/4 beats kick in and we are underway on our sonic adventure. This is an awesome listen, straight up. Some sampling of aircraft announcements follows, along with some simple, yet danceable and enjoyable craft here. A really interesting and futuristic listen, this is superb to listen to. This tune is a much more straightforward one than what has been present previously on this album, being straight-ahead Techno in its sound and appeal. This is a piece perfect for that 2023 DJ set mix that you’ve wanted to do. It is simply wonderful, energetic and impressive. This is the sound of 2023 EDM, right here, in other words. A fine, fantastic and danceable effort by The Orb, this is wonderful and energetic music. The cyber and futuristic sounds galore here are extremely impressive. A really nice tune that is great EDM for almost any time or place. There are some down pitched vocals towards the end of this tune, stating the track title, whilst Ambient washes captivate oneself upon listening. The sounds and textures do sound very interesting, warm and gentle here. In an increasingly nightmarish and dystopian world, The Orb still manage to pull off great music. An excellent listen, although the outro could have been cut down a little. Pleasantly enjoyable, however.

living in recycled times is another long song on this album at over 10 minutes long. It begins with some interesting sounds that are more or less a continuation of the previous track. These ambient washes do sound really fantastic and are highly suspenseful. A really deep and different listen, this quickly emerges into a rather catchy piece of music with some unusual instrumentation and some Drum and Bass styled beats. Soon enough, this tune launches into a great piece with singer Rachel D’Arcy singing away wonderfully. A really excellent listening experience, this eventually launches into a pseudo-NuBreed styled groove that is fantastic. A really powerful and anthemic listening experience, this is great music present on this album. A breakdown occurs towards the middle of this track before the Drum and Bass beats and vocals resume to keep it moving along well. A really deep, interesting and appealing song, The Orb prove that, well over 20 years after their musical debut, they can still make great tunes. A piece of music that one can groove along to, the imagination and sounds here are better heard than described on paper. Nonetheless, the music on this album is thoroughly fresh, interesting and amazing, and this is no different. A breakdown in the second half occurs that is absolutely mindblowing and awesome in its appeal, complete with some string sections that are moody. The vocals are mixed in and out of consciousness, as is the rest of the elements of this track. Something for a great film soundtrack? Perhaps. There are some shifting liquid sounds to match the theme of the tune and moody violin sections. This is followed by some USA TV show samples, which are a bit weird. Nonetheless, this is a bit of a Psychedelic experience you will not forget. A really great listen, although the TV samples aren’t really necessary here. This piece gradually concludes with a slow and gradual fade out of all the musical elements here, leaving just the vocals and violins. Very melodramatic, and a great listen.

prism is the last main track on this album, being over nine minutes long. It begins with some dark, eerie and warm sounds, quickly followed by the recording of a newsman describing Chess playing professionals gone wrong. A really interesting listening experience, the music is quite deep and meaningful stuff to hear to this day. A very Ambient piece of work, this is not a million miles away from the early Aphex Twin tracks. It continues to change and evolve throughout the track, taking one very much by surprise. It is dark without being scary and gentle without being weak. In other words, this work of art is surprising, creative and very listenable. An enjoyable track nonetheless, this is most suitable for some meditation styled activity that one can do. Towards the middle, this track begins to change in terms of sonic buildup and intensity. If anything, this album is the 21st century version of Pink Floyd’s 1973 classic album, the Dark Side Of The Moon. This is not coincidently so, the album cover and music within both have a striking resemblance to that album. Still, this is an excellent listening experience that is spacey and otherworldly. The second half continues this dark and intense Ambient track, and it does sound thoroughly listenable and enjoyable. Wonderful music to hear, this is miles ahead of most other acts today. The fluttering melodies keep on fluttering away nicely, all the way through to the end here. Some further male TV presenter speech is sampled here about travelling through South East Asia, just before this tune winds up to a close. Excellent.

living in recycled times – Edit is the first bonus track at the end of the album. It’s fortunately, short at four minutes in length. It is also much more enjoyable than the longer version as a result. The familiar Drum and Bass beats, sounds and textures return here, along with Rachel D’Arcy’s decent singing here as well. Nonetheless, a really amazing and stunning effort musically that sounds like a good dose of EDM from this album. “Never give up”, is chanted here, and there are some spacey sounds to match this remix. A good tune to hear again in shortened form, this does sound really awesome and great. Catchy spacey Pop, worth your ears again. Nice tune.

why can you be in two places at once, when you can’t be anywhere at all – Edit is next, resuming action with the Funky guitars, subsonic bass and loose percussion feel. A lively and energetic tune to hear, this does sound amazing and wonderful for what it is. Shortened or not, this is a great listening experience, and indeed, a great tune. The Orb have proved their worth in the 21st century, and they will continue to be around for some time. There are Acid washes in the midsection, followed by a return to the main Funky section of music. A really fine piece of musicianship, this is absolutely worth hearing. A great conclusion to an underrated release from 2023. It ends with the main sample of speech from the main track to wrap up here.

This is a great example of a group (or duo, in this case) who have been around for many, many years making an album that still counts. Understandably, this is not the greatest album ever, but it is one of the most overlooked releases in 2023. Should you listen to this album? Give it a try, especially if you love Ambient and EDM genres of music.

Great music and an underrated album to listen to.

8/10