Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Bass

Arriving after the twin explosions of acid house and Madchester in the U.K., Set the Controls was inspired much more by the former. Orbit's career defines peripatetic, but much like Norman "Fatboy Slim" Cook, whose Beats International project also made a big British splash at the same time, here he made his own mark before achieving an even greater fame later, for other reasons. The strongest stretch of the album consists of the opening three tracks. "In the Realm of the Senses" combines Musgrave's fine dance diva chops and Orbit's ear for crisp modern Euro disco and techno both. If anything, the track is also a homage to the glorious "Supernature" by Cerrone, with vocodered vocal bits and an astronaut feel like a more poppy Orb. The title track, an amusing and commanding revamp of Pink Floyd's own sci-fi zone-out "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," plays up the space imagery and sounds -- right down to the concluding Star Trek dialogue snippet -- while hitting the beat with a crisp, clinical sharpness. The chorus of female voices chanting adds to the effect. "Fascinating Rhythm" takes everything even higher; a deserved U.K. Top-Ten hit single, its shuffling hip-hop beat was more in line with baggy groups like the Happy Mondays. Otherwise, Musgrave's sleek main vocals, MC Inna One Step's solid dancehall turn in the break, and Orbit's perfect combination of music, production, and beat were all their own. Things get a bit nondescript after that point, but there are some good points -- the harmonica and electro-vocal fusion on "Zombie Mantra" and the sampling of some melodramatic English movie on "Wicked Love" both add to their respective songs. Concluding remixes of "In the Realm of the Senses" and "Fascinating Rhythm" end Set the Controls on a reasonable high. ~ Ned Raggett|