its great to see paul ‘orbital’ hartnoll releasing records again. his first single was a wonderful slice of technology and melody that proved even without his brother that he was more than capable of carrying the torch that orbital lit all those years ago.
for the second single to be lifted from the forthcoming album, the ideal condition, paul has teamed up with none other than robert smith. yup, that one.
at first it may seem a strange double act, but then when someone recalls the track on which robert worked with dance act junkie xl then things makes sense, robert likes to dance, but just not with his mates in the cure.
of course, the results are totally wonderful.
there are those trademarked techno based rhythms that seriously rattle the headphones, those deliciously addictive loops, on top of which robert sings a song of love, with an air of melancholy and regret, and then there is the full blown out chorus, where the music is layered up brilliantly.
the basic version is a perfect slice of synth pop that could only ever be made by someone who knows how to make studio toys succumb.
a perfect track.
naturally, as well as the b-side, old school tie, there are remixes galore.
so many, that the full set plays like an album.
grime (or was it grindie) producer statik steps up the beats and strips away the lush production a little, but thankfully the track retains a lot of appeal and could in fact be a perfect indie dancefloor filler, then there is the kgb remix, a lovely rich ambient mix for those who want to hear this on a sunday morning.
next up, paul himself straps on his deepest darkest detroit techno production tricks for his remember 1992 remix, this time the chorus section is reduced to a minimal but heavy thud stomp, with some fantastic acid overdubs, i mean seriously, the hip people are all harping on about the machine music made by trentmoller/villalobos/james holden etc, but paul has totally pulled this out of the bag. he may have been off the scene for a while, but the production here proves that time was well spent. other remixes by the whip, boss boss, and delafonz are all manageable, but are overshadowed by the brilliance of the 1992 remix.
can’t wait for the album.
out on the kids label
more detail : here