The group was formed in 1988 by Dr. Alex Paterson (full name Duncan Robert Alex Paterson) and Jimmy Cauty (one half of The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and later The KLF). The Orb's first release was the acid house anthem "Tripping on Sunshine".
In May 1989, The Orb released the "Kiss EP", which was heavily influenced by New York's KISS FM. Paterson began DJing around London, England at this time when he met Paul Oakenfold. At Oakenfold's behest, Paterson began DJing at Land of Oz, the chill-out room at Heaven.
Paterson mixed samples of BBC nature recordings, NASA space broadcasts and everything in between into the music of ambient pioneers such as Brian Eno. Around this time, Paterson met Steve Hillage and Hillage later contributed guitar to the Orb's "Blue Room" single. In return Paterson worked on Hillage's System 7 project.
In October 1989 The Orb released the 22-minute single "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From the Centre of the Ultraworld", which contains large chunks of Minnie Riperton's "Loving You". The single managed to reach the lower end of the UK chart. Although Paterson and Cauty had been working on a debut album, the two split in April 1990. Cauty removed Paterson's contributions to the album and released the remainder as "Space".
Killing Joke's Youth, who'd recently found dancefloor success with Blue Pearl assisted with the single "Little Fluffy Clouds", but existing commitments made it impossible for him to be anything more than a part-time member. In his place, Paterson recruited Kris Weston (aka Thrash), a young studio engineer who had worked on "Little Fluffy Clouds" and recently left Fortran 5.
In April, 1991, The Orb's debut album, "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld" was released in the United Kingdom to critical acclaim. The double-album obtained a top 30 placing in the UK.
"U.F.Orb" was released in July, 1992. It featured the 39 minute 59 second "Blue Room" which was their third single to reach the UK charts, although the album version was only 17 minutes long. Early pressings of the album were available in three differently coloured sealed plastic packs (black (10,000) and blue (5,000) in the UK and green (1,000) in the US) containing an additional disc with the soundtrack from Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (Patterns & Textures edition), a mail order only long form video released by the Orb.
During 1993 and 1994 The Orb were dismayed by Big Life's intention to re-issue some of the Orb's earlier material. As a result, Paterson and Thrash opted out of their contract and Paterson signed an international deal with Chris Blackwell's Island Records. The double-album "Live '93" soon followed. It was a mix of recordings made in Glastonbury, Copenhagen and Tokyo. The album's credits included, Simon Phillips, Nick Burton, Kris Weston, Fluff and of course Paterson.
In June, 1994, they released their first studio album for Island, "Pomme Fritz (The Orb's Little Album)". The album reached number six on the UK, but critics hated it, even comparing Paterson to Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett.
August, 1994 saw the release of a collaboration between Robert Fripp, Paterson, Weston, and Thomas Fehlmann, hence the name FFWD or Fripp, Fehlmann, Weston and Duncan. Weston's input was already diminishing by this time and following the release of FFWD, he finally parted company with Paterson. He was replaced by Thomas Fehlmann.
"Orbus Terrarum" was released in March, 1995. In February, 1997, following an ambitious world tour, they released "Orblivion".
The retrospective "U.F.Off" came in October, 1998 and was initially available in a Limited Edition double CD.
"Cydonia", although recorded in 1999, was delayed by Island until its release in February, 2001. Several different versions of the album were leaked on the Net some time before the official release.
The 2004 released album "Bicycles & Tricycles" strongly departed from their earlier ambient sound, and incorporated strong hip-hop influenced rhythms, including rap on one of the tracks.
In 2005 The Orb released a new studio album, "Okie Dokie It's The Orb On Kompakt", which focused heavily on the microhouse and pop ambient sounds that the Kompakt label is well known for.
2005 also saw the release of "Orbsessions Volume 1", which was an album of rarities from throughout The Orbs' career.
Sadly, Andy Hughes, long-time mixer and producer of many of The Orb's works, passed away on June 12 2009, following a 'short illness'.
Warszawa
The Orb Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sula vie dilejo
Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm
Sula vie milejo
Mmm-omm
Cheli venco deho
Malio
Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm
Helibo seyoman
Cheli venco raero
Malio
Malio
The lyrics to The Orb's song Warszawa are enigmatic and enshrouded in mystery, leaving much to interpretation. The opening lines of "Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm Sula vie dilejo" and "Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm Sula vie milejo" are vaguely reminiscent of some sort of initiation ceremony or chant, with "Sula vie" potentially referring to the spiritual uplifting or transcendence that the initiate is experiencing. The repetition of the "mmm" sound could be seen as an extension of the "om" chant in Hinduism, an ancient syllable that is said to represent the universe and the divine.
The next lines, "Cheli venco deho / Cheli venco deho / Malio," are equally cryptic, perhaps hinting at some sort of ritualistic language. "Cheli venco" could mean "she sells," while "deho" might be derived from the Spanish word "dejo," meaning to leave or abandon. The word "malio" seems to function like a repetitive refrain, perhaps as a placeholder for the listener's own interpretation.
Overall, the lyrics of Warszawa serve to create a mood rather than convey a clear message. The Orb's use of repetition and chanting builds a hypnotic aura, allowing the listener to be carried away into a realm of spiritual exploration and otherworldly experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm
An ethereal, contemplative sound is heard.
Sula vie dilejo
The city of Warsaw is mourned.
Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm
The same ethereal, contemplative sound continues.
Sula vie milejo
The memory of Warsaw is honored.
Mmm-omm
A pause in the music creates a sense of tension.
Cheli venco deho
The destruction caused by war is acknowledged.
Cheli venco deho
The same acknowledgement of destruction is repeated.
Malio
A sense of sadness and tragedy is expressed.
Mmmm-mm-mm-ommm
The ethereal, contemplative sound returns.
Helibo seyoman
The sounds of the city are faintly heard, evoking memories of its past life before the war.
Cheli venco raero
The destruction caused by war is further acknowledged.
Malio
The sadness and tragedy is further emphasized.
Malio
The song ends with a final expression of sadness and mourning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, BRIAN ENO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Grzegorz Winiarski
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ates
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WulthWhite
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kv4s
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6SIX
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nika
Niemiec z urodzenia i serca. Pamięta Pan swój esej "Polskość to nienormalność..."
Ewa
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Tylko Polski szkoda.
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Waldek Kapusniak
Zmywaki w Anglii czekają