Hello Waveforms

William Orbit provides yet another astounding ambient masterpiece

Grammy Award winning writer, producer and contemporary music visionary William Orbit is a man of many respectable accomplishments in his career. Starting with the critically acclaimed and pioneering ambient solo album Strange Cargo in 1987, he unknowingly planted the seeds for a genre that continues to gain a massive audience worldwide. Almost twenty years since his first album was released and following on from 2000's Pieces In A Modern Style and production work for U2 and Finley Quaye, William Orbit released his new album Hello Waveforms. It will undoubtedly further his reputation as one of the seminal greats in the dance music scene. William provides yet another astounding ambient masterpiece that combines beautiful soundscapes, esoteric beats, and the perfect hint of vocals. The album is easily one of his finest masterpieces of his career. Recorded in London and America, it features a collection of collaborations and influences – the track Humming Chorus is taken from Madame Butterfly, Spiral features the Sugababes and Kenna on vocals, while Finley Quaye plays acoustic guitar on the dreamlike Who Owns The Octopus. William has also reunited with his former Strange Cargo band member Laurie Mayer, who plays piano and synthesizer on Surfin and provides vocals on the tracks Bubble Universe and Who Owns The Octopus.

A signature sound that is second to none

The first track is titled Sea Green and is a perfect opener for this album. Beautiful pads and little melodies are so addicting it makes the listener wish the song would keep going non-stop. An element that always puts Orbit at the top of the producer's list is the way he goes above and beyond just knob twiddling. The listener is always captured with elements of guitar riffs and other live performances that blend perfect with the synthesized ambient sounds. For those who can't get enough of Orbit's melodic hooks and liquid analog sounds there is plenty to be heard on tracks like You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers and Who Owns The Octopus. With the rapid growth of the chill-out music scene, William Orbit still has a signature sound that is second to none. One the stand-out tracks of this disc is Fragamosia and is a perfect blend of slightly more uptempo beats, organic pads, a nice guitar solo, complimented by a dark and haunting quartet. As the album moves forward it pushes the creative envelope a bit further with tracks like Surfin and They Live In The Sky; which take on a bit more of a live feel. Drums carry on with a live-performance as opposed to being programmed. Vocals are silky smooth and guitars subtly sit in the mix rounding out the keyboards and bubbly synthesizers in a complimentary way. The final track of this disc is Colours From Nowhere and is the perfect ending track to a fantastic musical journey. With that the album concludes, but it's not goodbye, merely au revoir.

Hello Waveforms is nothing short of pure artistic expression

An artist who individually determined the new age of modern mixer/producer credibility, William's most high profile projects to date include his contributions to Madonna's Ray Of Light album, U2's Electrical Storm, Blur's 13, and his smash-hit single Adagio For Strings. From his early Strange Cargo work, through to his work as a producer with everyone from Beth Orton to All Saints, William Orbit is one of the seminal producers in dance music, and Hello Waveforms is another addition to an already impressive legacy. With the perfect blend of programmed beats, live performances, and unique swelling sounds, Hello Waveforms is nothing short of pure artistic expression that is refreshing for anybody to listen to, appreciate, and fall in love with. This music sounds lovely on pretty much any audio equipment, from the most basic laptop speaker to the widest sound picture of a home cinema. And that's where Orbit really succeeds – his consonant harmonies and blue textures will bring tranquillity to even the most frantic day.