Ambient pioneer, studio master, and omnipresent dance remixer
William Orbit began his musical career in the
new wave band Torch Song. Even while the group recorded several albums for IRS,
Orbit remained in the studio to learn the ropes and began producing and remixing for artists including
Sting,
Madonna,
Prince,
the Human League,
Erasure, and
Belinda Carlisle.
Orbit concurrently recorded his own material, and released his first solo album, Orbit, in 1987.
That same year, he inaugurated the
ambient project Strange Cargo, which released follow-up albums in 1990 and 1993. Also during the late '80s,
Orbit latched onto the
acid house explosion in England and founded one of the scene's most notable labels, Guerilla Records.
Orbit's own Bassomatic recorded for Guerilla alongside British progressive acts
Spooky and React 2 Rhythm plus excellent Chicago producers
Felix da Housecat and DJ Pierre. Through Virgin, Bassomatic also released an album, Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass.
Though his release schedule slowed slightly during the '90s,
William Orbit continued producing and remixing at a furious pace. He also founded a new label, N-Gram Recordings, and prepared to release the
classical crossover work
Pieces in a Modern Style. The album, which featured
electronic interpretations of
classical pieces, drew angry protests from composers Arvo Pärt and Henryk Górecki, and they helped block the album's release. In 1998, after 15 years of behind the scenes post-production,
Orbit's name hit the mainstream thanks to his helming the
Madonna comeback album
Ray of Light (
Orbit not only produced the entire LP, but co-wrote many of the tracks). The album won Grammy awards for Best Pop Album and Best Dance Recording, and its success led to a host of remixing and production work, including
Blur's 1999 album,
13. In 2000,
Orbit finally released
Pieces in a Modern Style, and the album became an unexpected hit thanks to Ferry Corsten's
trance remix of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings. In 2006 he returned with
Hello Waveforms on the Sanctuary label.
Finley Quaye appeared on the album along with former Torch Song/Strange Cargo vocalist Laurie Mayer. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
