"out with the old in with the new"
clearly a phrase that william orbit doesn’t really subscribe to with his new self released album.
the wide screen wobbly synthetics that formed the addictive part of many of his world dominating pop-dance productions (surely names are not needed ?) are still very much in action throughout the twelve tracks on offer.
having got his pseudo classical needs out of the way, william at last, gets back to his roots, and heads for the sunset/sunrise loved up dance floor.
pianos are echoed, strings are layered, vocals when used, are simple but effective, and the beats are sometimes upfront, and elsewhere they go all dubby.
highlights include the harder edged purdy with its rave styled climax synth-n-piano riff, the airy dub beauty of optical illusions and neutron star (which weirdly then mutates towards the end with some metallic guitar samples dragging the listener out of any state of calm), the electro’d up clinical execution of white night with its sharper beats and disconnected vocals, the splintered acoustic guitar trick in hydrajacked, and the ambient-dub pop brilliance of the albums title track.
once we get to the closing stages of the album, things settle down, and it’s over to the old school chill out room for a bit of a sit down and some much needed relaxation vibes, with plenty of those big atmospherics and sweeping chords that soundtrack the all important slow-mo shots on any travel documentary.
of course, any album that has been crafted with the help of five pro-tools engineers cannot help but sound amazing, and indeed this album makes any crappy little hi-fi sound like a richer sounds special showing off the latest demonstration disc, but when the melodies, bubbling beats, and moods are as deliciously enticing as those on offer, then i am not complaining.
basically, it’s everything i ever wanted from a william orbit album that doesn’t bear the name bass-o-matic.
more detail : here