Rating: 9/10

Track Amount: 10

Running Time: 1 hour and 17 minutes

Genre: EDM/IDM

Personnel: Alex Paterson and Michael Rendall (with guests)

Producer: The Orb

Record Label: Cooking Vinyl

Recording Location: N/A

Art Direction: Abacus and Haf S

Best Tracks: Arabebonics, Doll’s House, Khàron

Quick Verdict: A true classic of the 21st century

This is an interesting concept for an album, if there ever were one. Given The Orb’s previous tendencies to create intelligent and unique Electronic Music, did they still have any relevance three decades on from their beginnings back in the 1990s? Inspired by a literal dream and featuring a diverse array of guests, including Steve Hillage, this is, from the outset, a fairly niche concept album in its appeal. Let’s jump in and take a listen to this 2025 release, and hopefully, it will be a case of quality over quantity.

1. Spontaneously Combust begins the album with some rather old-fashioned mockery recordings, welcoming the listener to the future. Soon enough, it launches into a deep and spacey tune with some ethereal and minor-key melodies at hand. This sounds very awesome indeed, and is a deep and emotional listening experience that is so vibrant and unique, even in 2025. It is a great collage of sound and sonic exploration and experimentation. Obviously, this is inspired by Psychedelic drug use of sorts, but it does sound extremely brilliant to listen to. The melodies that eventually enter are also brilliant. If music needs a relatable experience overall, it is similar to the higher state of consciousness that Buddhist enlightenment discusses. That is achievable to many in our lifetimes. A really lovely and dramatic tune is at hand, which sounds deep and magical. The music is very vibrant and enjoyable throughout. The Orb make music that is part of our future, not held back by the past. Towards the midsection is a deep bassline and 4/4 beats that enter, making this tune sound absolutely brilliantly unique. This is a truly wonderful and exciting listen that sounds vibrant and magical. If one ever needs a good listen to established musicians making brilliantly futuristic EDM, then The Orb is a great choice for this. There is very much a Dub Music feel to it all as well, but in an Ambient EDM stylistic way. This still has the power and consistency to groove and move you. Overall, a really fine and fantastic piece of music. A true banger of a track to open this album with. This music is exactly what most listeners in 2025 must hear. In a world of increasing AI influence, this is great music that humanity can give the thumbs up to. Some truly interesting and amazing sounds are present on this album, and this music is classy, beautiful and brilliantly assembled. Fragments of sound and vocals throughout leave a great impression on the listener. All in all, a truly beautiful and unique listen. In the second half, this trippy and intricate piece sounds marvellous and has a genuine artistry to it all. The main track fades out for some dreamlike textures as we gradually approach the end of this tune. If you are a fan of LSD, Ketamine or DMT, this music will definitely appeal to you. A truly amazing and definitely top tune. This very gradually breaks down towards the end, with the ethereal textures returning. Very, very good to hear. This music is outstanding. A very good job by The Orb.

2. P~1 is six minutes in length. It begins with some random, interesting electronic sounds and quickly launches into a sample of dialogue that is really great. This is a weird introduction that sounds oddball, before some Acid TB-303 styled melodies enter. This launches into a trippy and discordant piece with some snappy drumbeats that enter. This music sounds very intelligent, interesting and nicely layered throughout. All in all, this music is unsettling emotionally, but absolutely brilliant and mindblowing to listen to. The sounds and rhythms are definitely out of this world. Some cut-up breakbeats in a Drum and Bass fashion are present here, which sound super cool to listen to. The electronics and sounds throughout are beatastic and absolutely a joy to listen to. The midsection has the vocal samples return, which are cut up and edited. The sounds throughout are really mindblowing and awesome to hear. The cut-up breakbeats emerge and re-emerge throughout this tune, making it sound like a genuinely interesting listen. The music and style of this track are way beyond any so-called “innovations” in postmodern Pop Music at the time of writing. This maintains a great deal of interest throughout and just sounds super cool to listen to. A really full-on and awesome piece of tune, with some samples of people discussing Acid House Music culture, as this gradually wraps up. Again, fantastic. It fades out gently.

3. Baraka is seven minutes long, and begins with some UFO sort of sounds that are very spacey indeed. Some dramatic and interesting IDM stylings are present here, and this samples some Soul singing and crowd cheering throughout. A really awesome piece of music is present, more than people actually give it credit. This is outstanding to listen to; it just sounds pure and fresh. A really interesting piece of music listening, with cut-up digital sounds and elements of percussion throughout. The looped sample of the Soul singer returns, with some excellent beats that follow. Some people may think that this is awkward, but far from it, it is a genuinely interesting tune which has many, many layers of sound to explore and enjoy. In a world where technology is advanced and we use computers in our daily lives, The Orb have found its place musically. There is a sample of a pastor/preacher who mentions the devil, that is, satan as well. Indeed, this is a powerful music message. Regardless, this music is genuinely great. It serves a good place on this album, and The Orb appeals to both Christians and Buddhists alike with this interesting release. A really dramatically interesting tune that is designed to break down barriers, this sounds absolutely thrilling and awesome simultaneously. Sweet to hear, and even if you dislike Christianity, this is good music to listen to with the sampled preacher. Eventually, the sample concludes with some random nature sounds in the mix, following and washes of Electronic Ambient sounds. A very clever listen.

4. A Sacred Choice is shorter at five minutes in length. It launches into some strange samples of loose instrumentation and shouting, sounding a bit like the sort of thing John Lennon was aiming for with Revolution 9 on The Beatles (1968). A Reggae/Dub styled tune with a great Rastafarian styled singing section emerges. This is really great music designed to appeal to both music lovers and people of all religious backgrounds as such. A really cool and interesting tune emerges, which sounds monumentally so. This music discusses more religious concepts. Quite frankly, if you dislike religion, this album is not for you. Despite this music setting, the music is really fantastic to hear. The bass and beats sound really excellent for this awesome mixture of IDM, Dub and Reggae. Again, this is a consistent album that flows very nicely. Cut-up editing and delayed vocals in the second half of this tune illustrate the sacred choice at hand, followed by distorted and robotic-sounding vocals. A really top and vibrant sounding tune with some dashes of Fender Stratocaster in the second half, along with some rolling drums and percussion to match it all. A really, extremely cool listen. The song gradually wraps up with more singing, and it genuinely sounds great. Very, very stylish. This music is undeniably powerful to hear. Great job by The Orb and friends.

5. Arabebonics sounds ghostly, emotional and deep from the start. It is a very emotional, church sounding sort of hymn-styled piece with moody strings and other instrumentation to match it. This is a moving piece of music that can hit the soul. Not a lot of music really can do this. This music is a really different listen. Soon enough, Middle Eastern instrumentation enters (suggested by the track title), and laidback beats enter. Some Rapping emerges as well. This sounds deep and interesting throughout. No doubt that many who value both Rap and World Music will treasure this particular tune. It is definitely different. If The Orb are about breaking down music barriers, then they are doing a great job on this album. In a world of diverse major religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, these guys make some fantastic tunes to appeal to all. This music is a bit weird for many to hear, but regardless, it is interesting and powerful to listen to. A good take on some interesting and different sounds, which sound deep and vibrant throughout. This is an innovative tune that makes sense in 2025, at the time of writing. Great to hear. It ends with the main instrumentation section at hand. Brilliant.

6. It’s Coming Soon is another six-minute-long piece. It has some more ethereal sounds and melodic singing, before launching into a sweet tune that is fairly reminiscent of 808 State. This tune evolves nicely into a good World Music EDM sort of piece at hand. It sounds very much in tune with the world itself in 2025. Also, this album and tune are really consistently good to listen to. This music is beyond the logical and mathematical description that many would assign it. The singing is suitable for this tune, and the tune itself is a real winner. Acid House and other EDM-based genres mix nicely together on this tune. This music is solidly great, and it has a multitude of loops, delayed textures and percussion to keep you interested. All in all, this music is brilliantly executed and delivered. The music and textures are from a future that is more hopeful and interesting than your typical AI takeover scenario promises. All in all, this music is very top-notch. A wonderfully fantastic and enjoyable piece of music from start to finish. Fans of Soulful vocals and EDM Techno beats will dig this tune in particular. This is an interesting listen for people who are sensually aware of the future ahead of us in this world. A really great listen from start to finish. It gets more subtle towards the end, finishing up with some more ethereal textures to boot. Another killer tune by The Orb.

7. Doll’s House is a seven-minute-long tune beginning with some ethereal sounds and vocal samples. It sounds very different. This is a deep and dark listening experience that sounds like the darker side of The Orb’s listening experience. Clacking percussion eventually enters, and this tune gets underway. This music is really sweet and undeniably good to listen to. This music flows extremely nicely and eventually launches into a straightforward IDM Techno-based piece. It is ridiculously good to hear for an IDM/EDM album to have such a wide variety of tracks on it. In any case, this tune is definitely danceable and a real must-hear for fans of The Orb. This is definitely a great listen for those of you who love to blast loud Techno based EDM at high speed in your car. All in all, this does sound musically fantastic. The sounds and craftsmanship on this album are really fantastic. Some vocal samples and minimal Underworld sort of sounds build up to a climax in the midsection, before this launches into the second half of the track. A really fantastically futuristic listen is on this track. The Orb are back on top of their game on this album, and provide definitely innovative music for all fans of music to listen to. Very, very cool. This is the music that legends are made of. A good and Progressive Techno tune is here. The loops and beats throughout are wonderfully done. A definite highlight of the album, and something all EDM fans will love to hear. It ends with some documentary/film sampled vocals before gradually wrapping up. Absolutely awesome music.

8. The Oort Cloud (Too Night) begins with some sweet textures, soulful female vocals and water rushing in the background. This gradually launches into a sweet and pretty tune that is vocal-centric and sounds really great to listen to. A very Acid House styled track emerges, sounding refreshingly great to listen to. This flows into a really great House Music tune that is rarely done today. This music is sensationally consistent and stunning, with various wonderful melodic key changes throughout. The track is a killer listen. Towards the midsection is some Roland TB-303 action at hand, which sounds sweet and awesome to listen to. Some interesting cut-up drum machine progressions then lead us towards the midsection. This track is another essential listen from The Orb. It simply sounds really great. This music powers along very nicely and sounds truly joyful and wonderful upon hearing. A very great mixture of Acid House, straight-ahead House Music and futuristic Techno. All in all, a really wonderful unique tune to listen to. The Orb prove that well into the 21st century, very interesting and original EDM can still be made. A great and adventurous tune at hand is here. This tune progresses nicely and just sounds brilliantly moving throughout. At the end of this track is the Soul singing and interesting sounds in the background to conclude. This finishes with the sound of waves rushing and sampled vocals.

9. Under The Bed begins with some symphonic instrumentation, which sounds eerily different. This is a nine-minute-long piece at hand, which is really cool. It sounds minor key and sad, but it is a very magical listen at hand. This music evolves into an Electronic symphony of sorts, if that is a great way to describe this piece. The music is still impressionistic, psychedelic and detailed on this track, which is a real winner to listen to. This music sounds descriptively amazing, and has light, shade and colour to impress the listener. The sounds and textures are absolutely fantastic to hear as well. This is a dreamy soundscape that has some interest and flair to it all. This music really should be cherished more highly than it is. The Orb still have a wonderfully majestic flair to their sounds overall, decades after their first album. This continues on for some time, just sounding really great and gorgeously so. If you need some postmodern music to meditate to, then this is a great album and in particular, this track shines for this. Hence, Buddhist Hipsters. A freeform and gorgeous tune that just sounds extremely cool to listen to. A really fresh and amazing tune to listen to, with wind instrumentation and sounds that would sound great high on weed or psychedelics. Having said that, this is also a great tune to hear when sober. It sounds amazing to listen to in all circumstances. This is a future and sound of the 21st century that many people on a higher intellectual level can seriously enjoy. The music here does really sound awesome and unique in a very pretty way. No sections of music sound out of place, either. Very, very cool to listen to. A really amazing and intricate piece of lovely-sounding tunecraft. In the second half are some awesome and different-sounding sections of symphonic Electronic instrumentation. This is like taking a trip to the future. Indeed, this music would also sound absolutely brilliant under the influence of psychedelic drugs, such as DMT. It is intended that way. This mellow piece transforms into a beauty and is also indescribably beautiful to listen to as it goes along. If you love instrumentals, you will be at home on this track. It finally reaches the end with some pretty and dramatic sounds, which are really awesome listening. A fantastic tune, period. It dissolves nicely at the end.

10. Khàron is the final track, which runs for over 12 minutes. It begins with some cyber outer space sounds, followed by piano and some sampled documentary vocals about the Cold War rush to send astronauts into outer space. Very, very cool. Layered vocals and textures are also put here, which sound really marvellous. This is the sort of music that directly points to the future of humankind, and does it in a very beautiful way. Not a single dull moment is present on this track, either. The music present is simply excellent. Buddhist Hipsters will rejoice at this magical finale on this album. Indeed, the music present is very amazing and is something that The Crystal Method wished they had made. Regardless, this is a sonic trip into outer space and beyond human description. The ghostly, wordless vocals are also very smooth. A really pretty and brilliant listen is present. This tune dissolves space and time, and will sound great in 100 years, as much as it does today. All in all, a really fantastic and pretty piece of musicianship that works. Period. As long as humanity is not killed (potentially) by AI, we will continue to create masterpieces in futuristic sound such as this. An absolute treat to listen to. This sounds sweet and interesting simultaneously. Towards the middle of this tune are some subtle changes, including a loose low-end melodic patch. This moves into a dramatic and, quite frankly, beautiful rush of melodic mastery. This is really quite beautiful and interesting. Only The Orb could make such a wonderful piece of music in this description come alive. The midsection is very lively and detailed throughout, showcasing a really important listening experience in the 21st century. As this transitions into the second half of the track, it sounds magnificent and gorgeous to listen to. Very cool. Syd Barrett likely would be jealous of this sort of tune back in 1967, had he heard this. A forward-thinking and soothingly melodic piece of music. This has a deep and emotional impact on the listener. Really great music. This naturally progresses on, sounding pretty, melodic and surreal all in one. This music is a glimpse into the world of 2100 and beyond, if humanity makes it to that stage. One can hope that more people step up and listen to this amazing album, and see that it is a prophecy of the music of a better future. In the second half, this changes to a more minimal listening experience, with some piano fragments playing away. This dissolves into a simpler track at hand, and sounds deeply moving for those of you who have achieved musical enlightenment from loving all forms of music. In any case, this gradually wraps up very nicely, with melodies galore and worldless vocals that are super processed. A masterwork in 2025, who would have thought? This continues very nicely to conclude a genuinely great album. Fantastic. The vocal sample led finale is excellent.

This album is hugely underrated and must be heard by many more people out in the world today. It is an extremely intelligent and fantastic mixture of Ambient Music, EDM, IDM, Techno and futurism. Above all, it is proof that classic albums are still being made in the 21st century, regardless of genre or impact. Should you listen to this album? If you love intelligent and artistic music, do give this a shot. Fans of Punk Rock will likely hate this album, however.

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