30 Something

伝説の兄弟テクノユニットORBITAL 30周年記念盤!

90年代に数々のヒット作を乱発し"UKテクノ四天王"として君臨したORBITAL が30周年記念盤をリリース。ロックダウン下で30周年を祝うパーティーは出来なかったもののめげずに前進を続け、単なるベストアルバムではなく自身のライブを基に代表曲を再編集、リミックス、リメイク、再構築を行い、お馴染みを感じさせながらも未来へのビジョンを明確に捉えたアルバムへ!


ANNA、JON HOPKINS、DUSKY、JORIS VOORN、ELI BROWN、SHANTI CELESTE、JOHN TEJADAたちのリミックスも収録し、ANDREW HARRISONによる書き下ろしスリーブノート、ブックレット付きの2CD!!

Fraternal techno duo Orbital missed out on a proper celebration of the 30th anniversary of their seminal 1989 debut "Chime," so 30 Something arrived in 2022, seemingly as a "better late than never" gesture. More than that, the release gazes back to the duos beginning and puts their accomplishments, progress, and long-lasting influence in perspective. Orbital has already released several singles compilations and live albums in the past, so here they do something different, presenting previously unreleased material, reworks of some of their most enduring tracks, and a wealth of remixes by peers and disciples. Opening track "Smiley" samples a news clip about a 1988 acid house rave, attended by Orbitals Paul Hartnoll, which ended up being violently raided by police. Filled with twisted breaks and squiggly funhouse synths, its one of the most exuberant tracks the duo has ever made, yet its alarming samples demonstrate how the rave scenes history has been bittersweet. "Acid Horse," sharing its title with a one-off Ministry/Cabaret Voltaire side project from the same year Orbitals first single appeared, is a sample-heavy, horn-driven stomper which almost sounds like a parody of Wax Trax!-style industrial dance from that era. "Where Is It Going?," written for the 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony, features an excerpt from a Stephen Hawking speech about the Large Hadron Collider, which then becomes pitch-controlled to match with the tracks moderately banging beat. The next section consists of updated mixes of tracks which have been mainstays of Orbitals legendary concerts since the 90s, reflecting them as living, breathing organisms rather than relics of the past. "Satan" has beefed-up breakbeats and sinister film samples along with its growling industrial sequencers and Kirk Hammetts wailing guitars. The 12-minute tour de force "Impact" sounds gnarlier and tripper than ever, while other classics like "Chime" and "Halcyon" are slightly more complex and detailed than the originals without detracting from what made them special in the first place. The remixes all focus on material from Orbitals first four albums, with several tracks represented more than twice. Many are stripped-down club adaptations, such as Duskys minimal electro take on "Are We Here?" or Logic1000s cloudy, bass-forward mix of "Halcyon & On." Floex turns "The Girl with the Sun in Her Head" into something new, with intricately designed synths which sound like theyre splashing out of the speakers, while Lones glitchy breakbeat version of the same song is just as splendid. Detroits Octave One keep "Chime"s lo-fi grit intact, but add some additional melodies which take the track to a different place. In line with the albums full-circle theme, the CD edition concludes with a sparkling 12-minute mix of "Belfast" by David Holmes, who helped inspire the tracks title in the first place. It would have been more interesting if 30 Something dug a little deeper into Orbitals catalog, but as it is, its a good balance of nostalgia and futurism, and a treat for longtime fans. ~ Paul Simpson

長年テクノ・シーンで活躍してきたオービタルがファースト・アルバムの発表から30年を記念する作品をリリース。新曲、未発表曲、代表曲のリメイク、リミックスで構成された内容はとても豪華で、偉大な電子音を築いてきた貫禄が光る。目玉は本作用に制作した"Smiley"だろう。TB-303風のシンセ・ベースはもろにアシッド・ハウスの要素を醸し、疾走感溢れるブレイクビーツは肉感的グルーヴを創出している。
bounce (C)近藤真弥