Rating: 8/10

Track Amount: 10

Running Time: 1 hour and 5 minutes

Genre: Techno

Personnel: Paul & Phil Hartnoll

Producer: Orbital

Recording Location: Strongroom Studios, London, UK

Record Label: FFRR

Art Direction: Grant Fulton

Best Tracks: Impact (The Earth Is Burning), Walk Now…, Monday

Quick Verdict: A minimal yet solid gold classic album by Orbital

After the relatively successful debut album by Orbital, the Hartnoll brothers decided to keep on going with their own unique slice of Techno Music. They went back into the recording studio and delivered this album release, aka the Brown Album or Orbital 2, as it is much more commonly known. In any case, this album received very much universally positive reviews and is now very much considered not just Orbital’s best album to date, but also a fine classic album in the Techno genre overall. This is the definitive moment for the Orbital brand. Let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear how it sounds today, and if it is any good overall.

1. Time Becomes begins the album with an interesting vocal about the nature of space and time. This is looped repeatedly for the duration of the track, in an excellent and subtle way overall. This continues on nicely and variably as this tune progresses, in a looped and delayed sense. This is a listen that opens the album very well. A nice looped vocal introduction for the listener that is hypnotic and interesting.

2. Planet Of The Shapes begins with some vinyl hiss and beats in the left channel, with some other quirky melodies that sound really great. This is fairly odd listening, and has a vocal sample about a stopped clock being right twice a day (which it is). Soon enough, some deep and pounding basslines enter, sounding different. This music progresses along very nicely, with some surreal and ethereal sounds to match. This is followed by 4/4 kick drum beats, and launches nicely into a music tune that is seriously cool. Beats and tasty textures galore enter this tune, sounding absolutely sweet and chilled. A really top tune at hand. This has some rather freaky but completely original and unique melodies that sound cool throughout. The music goes on nicely and progresses in an interesting, yet minimal foundation throughout. Orbital weren’t afraid to move on from the Acid House scene and to pursue their own music path for the better. Near the midsection are warm-sounding sitars and other crafty and pretty sounds that sound insanely good. A seriously tripped-out listen, in some ways. This has the beats return, and some deep, meaningful and interesting sounds and textures to hear throughout. An absolutely mindblowing listen for all you Technoheads out there. This breaks down in the second half, with some interesting and dark outer space sonic sounds as such. This is a fantastic nine-minute-long track that sounds great and is of good quality as well. This is a very cool tune, and you don’t need to be totally into EDM to enjoy it all. Some odd melodies are present and prominent in the second half of this track, which will surprise you. Nonetheless, this is a very interesting track at hand. The music and performance overall are seriously fantastic, whether you are high or stone-cold sober, listening to this. The sitars are very magical as well. As we slowly approach the end, some of the sounds are gradually mixed out, making the track more minimal. A winner of a track, and Orbital are just getting started at this point in this album. Awesome work overall. The track fades out gently at the track, followed by the vocal sample from earlier on in the tune. This is looped over to the end. Different.

3. Lush 3-1 begins with some awesome and bright-sounding melody patches playing away. This album gets a whole lot more exciting at this point. Some thumping melodies are chucked into the mix, and this tune gets going. Very, very catchy. This is followed by 4/4 beats and launches into a pretty and nicely delivered piece of minimal Techno Music at hand. This sounds upbeat, danceable and original, all in one. An absolute winner from this album, and no doubt that it is a brilliant centrepiece track to listen to from The Brown Album itself. This music has its own colour and flavour to it all. Towards the middle are extremely precise and wonderful-sounding beats and textures that sound seriously cool. A surreal and interesting tune is present. The second half has some interesting and delightful sounds that are explorative in the sonic sense. A really wonderful and interesting track to listen to. This evolves and flows naturally as well. This has some extra percussion thrown into it all. These bangers deserve a place in your collection, and repeat listens as well. This has some very like the Prodigy breakbeats in this tune as we gradually reach towards the end of it all. A very fantastic and euphoric listen overall. A fantastic piece of music.

4. Lush 3-2 begins with some interesting sounds that carry on over from the previous track, which sound seriously dope. Percussion enters, and this piece of music gradually comes alive. Some UK Hardcore styled breakbeats enter, and this tune comes alive. This is an adventurous, wonderful and surreal tune that deserves your ears, right now. Some soulful, wordless female harmonies emerge on this track, which are different. A seriously magical tune, and if you have a few minutes spare, you really should hear this wonderful music as such. It breaks down into some neat and interesting electronic progressions in the second half of this tune, which sound both amazing and great to listen to. This tune sounds really interesting, original and different overall. Orbital knew their craft well and truly by this point in life. Towards the end, the female harmonies return, and this tune gradually changes and flows with euphoric emphasis. It is gradually mixed and segues into the next tune.

5. Impact (The Earth Is Burning) is a 10 minute long piece of music that is the core of this album. It quickly launches into an eerie and suspenseful piece with synth strings, Roland TB-303 styled sounds and gradually enters into a sweet and enjoyable track throughout. This music breaks down into an odd sounding and different tune overall. This continues to flow nicely into an original, iconic and unique sounding piece of music as such. It becomes more minimal with a melodic bassline and beats, with occasional textures thrown in for a tastier experience. Although this track is quite lengthy, it is still a hugely enjoyable listen overall that explores one’s imagination internally, set to music, of course. This is a dreamy and trippy listen throughout that is perfect for those of you who dig straight ahead Techno with no frills about it. Understandably, this is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, as is very much the case with minimal Techno Music. Still, it sounds fantastic for what it is. The music and sounds are very surreal and different overall. The midsection has atonal horns and other sounds and melodies that are seriously interesting to listen to. Nonetheless, this does sound really magical and fantastic overall. This sounds varied and pleasant enough to melt your mind. Of course, this music is designed to be listened to under the influence. Having said that, this tune is an odd mash up overall. It sounds very varied and intelligent, every section of it all. It has a really cool breakdown in the second half that sounds a lot like the Prodigy, once again. A vocal sample about having a cry for survival is present, followed by some awesome beeps and sounds throughout. As this gradually reaches its conclusion, the atonal horns return, reminding one of the works of Robert Wyatt or Sun Ra, as such. This mixes out nicely towards the end, and sounds fluid and excellent overall. Some layered electronic melodies then enter, before leading into the next track. An excellent piece of music.

6. Remind begins with recurring melody patches, and launches into a spacey and explorative Techno Music piece that sounds both futuristic and terrific simultaneously. A deep, heavy atonal bassline enters, and this tune comes nicely alive. This is way ahead of many in the early 1990s who were attempting to make a great EDM album of their own. Soon enough, some liquid Roland TB-3O3 sounds enter, and we are away with 4/4 beats and simple hi-hats. Orbital had really made something very impressive with this album, and it is a keeper for many listeners out there. A sensationally wonderful and spacey listening experience is present. This track gradually builds up nicely and constructively with a midtempo set of changes and melodies throughout. This is a post-House and Acid House music journey that was designed to be shared by all listeners. This release, back in 199,3 no doubt was heard by the likes of Underworld and other important EDM acts at the time, who paid attention. The midsection launches into minor key melodies and some neat breakbeats that sound ultra cool. This music definitely has an important and listenable appeal, even at the time of writing. All in all, this is a very good album that crushes much of the EDM competition of the time. This music is like taking a good dose of DMT or accessing astral projection, in an auditory sense. This continues on nicely, although some may find the nearly eight-minute-long running time somewhat undesirable. Still, this music has a genuine appeal to it all. A seriously cool and warped listening experience that sounds great from beginning to end. Hallucinations for your ears. A surreal and futuristic agenda is here, and it sounds very near perfect, in its own genre as such. It wraps up slowly towards the end and finishes with some racing melodies. Awesome work.

7. Walk Now… begins with some makeshift Australian Aboriginal didgeridoo-style sounds, which are absolutely fantastic to hear. This is nice sounding and looped on for some time. After 30 seconds, beats enter, and this tune gradually becomes alive. The music and sounds are extremely cool throughout. A great mixture of vibe and sonic exploration is present throughout this album as well. The sonic textures and drum machine beats bring out a character and flavour to music that has not been particularly explored elsewhere. There is a breakdown after a bit, leading into another section with interesting melodies, sounds and beats throughout. This music carries a life of its own, and it does sound really quite neat and great. If anyone is from Australia in particular and likes EDM, they will dig this instrumental track and its mixture of ancient and modern culture sounds. A seriously fun and exciting listen, this is where the 1990s really got interesting in retrospect. The second half of the track has many layers of sonic looped melodies that simply sound quite amazing. Nonetheless, an impressive album delivered by Orbital that, quite simply, sounds wonderful and different simultaneously. Towards the end, this sounds much more like a danceable and banging tune that makes you want to move. This music is sweet and tasty, just like an ice cream on a hot summer’s day. This eventually winds down and becomes more minimal before concluding after nearly seven minutes in length. Seriously cool. It ends with the didgeridoo-style sounds.

8. Monday begins with an organ sounding melodic loop, and launches into Roland TR-808/909 drum machine beats to match it all. Eventually, 4/4 kick beats enter, and we are underway on our sonic journey. This sounds really pleasant, melodic and enjoyable. If anything, this is one of the best Techno Music albums of all time. Period. This leads into a much more subdued section of music with an unusual rhythm, handclaps and the organ loop repeating. The music present is very wonderful, innovative and monumental throughout. A pleasantly enjoyable track that has some interesting twists and turns throughout. A very interesting, pretty and intelligent music statement that sounds like a well-structured and thoughtful tune at hand. In the midsection, it gets a bit more minimal overall, before leading into a completely different second half. This has a basic bassline and EDM Roland beats prominently heard. This is a groovy and interesting tune that sounds minimal yet extremely cool fun to listen to. The organ re-enters from earlier, and this track takes a life of its own. Nonetheless, another essential track to hear from Orbital. Towards the end, this all slowly builds up into a frenzy of melodic energy. This goes on for some time, with many delicious layers of sound to explore. It then strips away the sound at the end, leading the organ loop to finish. Nice work.

9. Halcyon + On + On begins with a soft fade-in of ethereal sound, which sounds absolutely monumentally fantastic. This is over nine minutes in length, so strap yourselves in and away we go. This is very sweet, pretty and magical in its own way. Spacey piano playing enters as well, which is really cool to listen to. The music and sounds together are extremely pleasant and divine to listen to. This continues with some smooth and sweet female singing vocals that are looped. This does sound very pretty overall. This tune has many layers of sounds and fragments of sound, which sound really quite detailed and gorgeous. The music and sounds throughout are simply pleasant and wonderful to listen to. This sonically is a real winner overall, and the music and sonic textures continue to sound surprisingly good overall. If this album has a very minor flaw, it is the fact that the music sounds quite dated nowadays, and it is fairly repetitive as well. However, that is very much nitpicking, so to speak. This is certainly an album worth exploring and hearing regardless. There are some interesting and nicely structured percussive beats and electronic melodies in the second half of this tune, which sound really cool. This music certainly broke down barriers of what was acceptable in terms of being heard. Perhaps the Future Sound Of London were paying attention as well? Likely so. This track could have been trimmed a little bit lengthwise, but nonetheless, it sounds very magical, all the same. A very solid and professional edit overall. The music and sounds present are seriously cool and interesting. A very wonderful piece of music at hand. This track is noticeably a bit longer than it should be. However, it does not need skipping, just some good patience. This leads to a much more gradual and subtle conclusion to the track involved, and finishes after nearly nine and a half minutes in length. Sweet. The ethereal vocals at the end are great.

10. Input Out is the final track on this album, and begins with some robotic vocals that have the same looping and separation effects as the introduction piece had. It is very odd, but nonetheless, makes a lot of sense given what we have just heard before. “Input, translation, rotation” is repeated to infinity on this track. It ends the album after two minutes of rather tedious listening overall.

This is a very, very good Techno album that, although not the greatest album of all time, is possibly one of the greatest Techno albums of all time. It has a relative wonder and consistency to it all, which is great for all the EDM banger lovers out there. However, it does seem to run out of steam a little, especially on the final two tracks of the album. Despite that, this is an interesting album overall, which has its value. Should you listen to this album? It really depends on if you like pure Techno or not but most EDM fans will enjoy this album. However, if you love Punk or rawer types of music, stay away.

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