Cooking Vinyl Vinilo y CD

Review: Prism brings the number of Orb albums to 18 and now in their fourth signnificant phase as a line up - Alex Paterson joined by Michael Rendell, replacing long term Thomas Fehlmann - released by electronic music duo The Orb into at least the high twenties. In this time, the pair have achieved cosmos-wandering musical mastery, expanding their usual dance music horizons into even further-flung territories like synthpop and non-dub reggae, tempering it all into a unified, fantastical sound. Only nine tracks convey The Orb's latest sonic imaginings, with the phase-swirly, wah-infected 'Why Can't You Be In Two Places At Once' and the future-reggae cut 'Dragon of the Ocean' standing out as highlights. Of course, it wouldn't be the same without The Orb's usual indulgence in collaboration, this one sporting appearances from Gaudi, Youth, David Harrow and violinist Violeta Vicci. .

Review: Orb offshoot project Sedibus has proved popular with fans for two reasons: it reunites Alex Paterson with Andy Falconer, who worked extensively with the Orb between 1990 and 1994, and the music they make recalls some of the pair's best moments of that period - albeit with a quite different instrumentation. Seti, the pair's sophomore album, has been described by their label, Cooking Vinyl, as "ambient unplugged". That only tells half the story. While it does boast all manner of acoustic instruments - sitar, guitar, piano, tabla and other percussion - it also features Paterson's trademark spoken word snippets and the dreamiest of electronic chords and aural textures. With beautiful, immersive and typically lengthy compositions, it feels and sounds like a grown-up version of the Orb's mightiest early 90s work.

Review: When will Alex Paterson, the Dr, run out of ideas? Here joined by fellow originator of The Orb, Andy Falconer, the pair's Sedibus project takes all of the serenity of the legendary UK electronic act and then walks it up onto the nearest mountainside in the middle of the night, sets up camp, and invites you to join in a stargazing odyssey. You can almost feel the cosmos appearing around you as the work unfolds. Just like the great blanket of stars, energy and matter above, there's complexity here, even if it often feels deceptively simple. Layers, textures, passing noises, background harmonies, all these elements subtly create this deep and incredibly immersive soundscape that pulls you in like a black hole, before showing you what the spread, retreat, and expansion of energy might sound like.