- Another interesting choice in DMC's enterprising series sees The Orb join the same company as fellow dance pioneers New Order and Orbital. From underneath his woolly hat Dr Alex Paterson has put together a mix ranging from the sublime to the bizarre, stressing something The Orb have always had - a healthy sense of humour.
With a personal dedication to his late brother Martin, Paterson supplies two vintage Aphex Twin tracks ('Polynominal-C' and the spaced out 'Blue Calx'), the bonkers 'I Wanna Be A Fishy' from Thomas Fehlmann, and an odd electro cover of 'Barbie Girl' from Electric Chairs. Martin penned the funky Creature track 'Ow Much', whilst new Orb material 'Land Of Green Ginger' hints at business as usual for the next album, due later this year. Fans of older school house will find B12's roof raising 'Interim' takes them back to 4am in the morning somewhere in the early 90s, a sound reminiscent of 'uf orb'.
My only criticism of this mix would be the constant fluctuation in tempo between tracks - it makes for good contrasts but doesn't provide a great deal of continuity. That said, it's an intriguing mixed bag that sheds some light on The Orb's inner workings. So who'll be 'Back To Mine' next then? Since we're on influential early dance acts, how about 808 State or The Beloved?