Orbital - Snivilisation (1994)

Orbital are true originals. The album's they create suggest a bigger talent than is obvious on their single releases. For over a decade they grabbed dance music by the neck and gave it the 3rd degree in how proceedings should be run effectively. To a large extent they cajoled previously disinterested individuals into believing that with a bit of imagination, anything is possible, even within the realms of a genre prone to large-scale anonymity. Snivilisation is wrapped in a grey cover with an oh so clumsy animation that hides the fact that on the inside the music is anything but. It’s hard to beat 'Forever' as an opener, flitting as it does between cool keyboard strokes and fluid spacey noises. It seems ready-made for its creators, the Hartnoll brothers, whose on stage persona of bobbing heads while tweaking instructions through banks of technology would have sat easily on Hal’s musical memory banks.

'Sad But True' best represents an industrial dance scene that has disappeared without trace but was quite prominent in the early to mid-nineties. This movement didn’t offer an awful lot but 'Sad But True' is a little reminder that it had some worth. 'Crash And Carry' is the token jumped up techno track with obligatory jungle sounding motif. Not too clever but a nice change of momentum for the album all the same. 'Science Friction' is a lot more pleasing. A delicate key arrangement tinkles in the background as a bumbling but plush synth movement carries the tune forward with gusto. 'Kein Trink Wasser' opens up with a piano hailstorm but changes tact, adopting a neat electro spin that sounds delicious before returning to its roots near the end. It is one of the few tracks on Snivilisation that is instantly accessible.

The convoluted vocals are the first thing that makes you sit up and take notice on 'Are We Here'. You might be asking the same question after sitting through its full 15 minutes duration. This is a mite excessive but when the song's power overwhelms you, it may not even seem adequate. At first 'Are We Here' conjures up scenes of slowed down cavalries of marauding robots, pillaging the land while we cower in underground bunkers. The beat that drives it has a trashcan type rumble. About half way in things go supernova as the super light gravity-defying chime dangles great slices of inventive rhythms. The scene changes as the steel carcasses we've slain are used to weld spectacular buildings that are surrounded by newly developed green belts.

The funny thing about Orbital is that tend to leave the best track on their albums until the end. At least that was the case on 'Insides' where the technocolour of 'Out There Somewhere' appeared. And who could forget the beauty of 'Belfast' so eloquently appearing at the end of 'Orbital 1'. So, somewhat on cue 'Attached' closes Snivilisation with glorious splendour. It a towering inferno of a tune resembling something sent back from an advanced race of people thriving in outer space. 'Attached' spits out laser guided blocks of sound while an electric derived choir shapes the tunes beautifully formed contours. It demonstrates the Hartnoll's ability to somehow shatter their own universally high standards. ‘Attached' raises the stakes on an album that may have suffered a little without its ability to put a perfect seal on proceedings.

Orbital are one of the purest purveyors of intelligent dance beats. Snivilisation will never have you shaking your body uncontrollably; a mature salsa romp is a more likely outcome. At times you may feel cheated by its complicated stand but there is so much to enjoy once you've become familiar with its subtleties. Snivilisation was made possible by technology but made wonderful by a very human inventiveness.

Rating: 7.5/10

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