William Orbit Overview

Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" is indubitably a masterpiece of the most sublime emotional order. The notion of reinventing this classical mainstay might seem impossible, defamatory, or even ridiculous. Apparently, William Orbit is willing to risk it: his "Pieces in a... [more]

Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings" is indubitably a masterpiece of the most sublime emotional order. The notion of reinventing this classical mainstay might seem impossible, defamatory, or even ridiculous. Apparently, William Orbit is willing to risk it: his "Pieces in a Modern Style" (2000) gives Vivaldi, John Cage, Beethoven, Handel, Gorecki, and others the electronica treatment. Is this blasphemy? Perhaps. But it's hard to imagine who else would try it other than William Orbit, remixer and producer extraordinaire. Strangely enough, the man who would attempt such a revolutionary project makes decidedly gentle music. "Pieces In a Modern Style" is a prime example of Orbit's continuing commitment to listenability. There's no thumping club remixes here -- instead, pieces like John Cage's "In a Landscape" feature echoing guitars and sweet electronic strings. Some critics have claimed that this is nothing but a New Age-style musical washout. But Orbit does show a darker side with Erik Satie's "Ogive Number 1," cloaking the piece in an electronic blanket of sharp space noises and apocalyptic helicopter sounds. Orbit applies the same smooth aesthetic to his original works as well. His trilogy of "Strange Cargo" albums (released between 1988 and 1993) reads like a progression of ambient music through the years. The first of the series does suggest a slight New Age feel. Synthesizers are humanized with acoustic instrumentation yet still manage to sound otherworldly. By the time "Strange Cargo III" emerged, Orbit had become more dramatic with pulsating, deeper electronic rhythms and languid vocals from the husky-throated Beth Orton. Perhaps it is Orbit's insistence on electronic accessibility that has garnered him such attention as a remixer. Since the 1980s, he has retooled works for the likes of Sting, Seal, Depeche Mode, and Peter Gabriel. But his biggest claim to fame is his collaboration on Madonna's critically acclaimed "Ray of Light" (1998). The work has been hailed as the first successful fusion of techno and pop; Orbit softened techno's more abrasive elements, integrating its spacey beats with accessible hooks and melodies. The result was Madonna's resurrection as a pop empress and Orbit's crystallization as "the man behind the music." Does Orbit's pop-ified sound make him a genius or a sell-out? It seems that both William Orbit's strength and weakness lies in the same place: the ability to make electronic music that's lovely, spacey, and easy on the ears. [show less]