"It will leave middle-aged ravers ecstatic, and
should allow a new generation to understand what their folks have been
banging on about all these years."
- BBC
"Wonky sounds refreshingly ageless. Free of goofy
gimmicks and caned euphoria that blighted their early 00s albums, Wonky
restores the Hartnoll's reputation amongh electronic music greats"
-Q Magazine
"So thank whatever god you wish that Wonky mostly
finds Orbital deciding to do what they've always done best: gorgeous blends
of house drive and techno precision, linking airy whoosh and stadium stomp,
melodic hook and rhythmic push. These are dance tracks that hit you with the
immediacy of pop singles" -Pitchfork
"Romantically, one could posit this
collective pleasure as a middle-aged, virtual reconstruction of the elated
sense of community Orbital generated in their ‘90s heyday. From a distance,
it smells suspiciously of nostalgia. “Wonky”, though, is much stronger than
that. It might be an album that recaptures the voluptuous, saturated melodies
and rave epiphanies of the Hartnoll brothers at their peak, but it
also proves the enduring flexibility of Orbital’s work. As it turns out,
“Wonky” is solid, complex and hugely rewarding." -Uncut
"Wonky is a smashing combination of their
trademark giant melodic synthesizer tones with the crunch of tough dance
music. In fact, Wonky may be their most bangin' album to date, happily not to
the detriment of all the musical stuff they're wonderful at." -
The Arts Desk
"The 90s electronic titans use vintage analogue
synths, subtly retro-fitting their sound in a way that, ironically, brings it
bang up to date." The Guardian
"Wonky the best record Orbital have made in the
past 15 years and up their with their very best."
- Drowned in Sound
"It's further proof that Orbital aren't content to
stand still and rest on the lurels that have made them onces to watch at
festivals. Wonky as an album is sexy, smart, and filled with all the
potential to smash the competition."
- DIY
Undefeated champions of British electronic music, Orbital get
back in the ring in 2012 with Wonky, their first new album
in eight years. Wonky reached number 11 in the UK charts
midweek, adding to the anticipation of its release in the US on Itunes via
Downtown Records on April 17, 2012.
Recently reunited following a long sabbatical, Paul and
Phil Hartnoll are back on fighting-fit form and ready to reclaim their title.
Both timeless and contemporary, Wonky puts a vividly modern
spin on their signature blend of richly melodic, deeply emotive electronica.
Confident, energised and eclectic, Wonky already
sounds like the duo’s finest album to date. Gleaming, whooshing, shimmering
tracks like Straight Sun and Stringy Acid instantly
tap into the warm-blooded rush and restless bounce of classic Orbital. These
are future festival- rocking anthems in the making, right up there with
vintage live favourites Chime and Belfast.
But there are nods to cutting-edge club culture on Wonky too
– including a guest appearance by hotly tipped Birmingham grime MC Lady
Leshurr on the album’s irresistibly vibrant electro-rap title track.
The Hartnolls even give a radical post-dubstep makeover to their much-loved
techno-rock classic Satan, reworking it into a razor- backed beast of
shuddering bass called Beelzedub.
Like all Orbital albums, Wonky defies
narrow-minded caricatures of electronic music as cold and mechanical. Playful
humour and warm humanity are woven into its fabric - from the heart-tugging
harmonies and woozy vocal layers of Never and Distractions,
to the guest appearance on their first single by the highly acclaimed
LA-based electronic musician Zola Jesus on the brooding,
atmospheric epic New France, which Fader Magazine calls "A
reassuring return". These are machine-made symphonies to stir
the soul and electrify the senses.
“When I’m writing music, if it doesn’t move you
emotionally, it’s not working,” Paul explains. “It has to
give me butterflies. I have to make myself cry in the studio.”
Formed in the late 1980s, Orbital released a string of
classic 1990s singles including Chime, Style,The
Box and Satan. Paul and Phil put their partnership on
hold in 2004, but a five-year absence only increased demand for their
exhilarating music and legendary live shows. The brothers finally announced
their comeback with a triumphant headline set at the Big Chill in 2009.
Orbital were revitalised, rebooted, reunited – and it felt so good.
WATCH VIDEO FOR "WONKY" BELOW
The idea for Wonky sprang from Orbital’s
rapturously received live comeback. A year of sell-out tours and euphoric
festival appearances, including Coachella and Glastonbury, was followed by a
further year of globe-trotting DJ sets. This allowed the brothers to
road-test the new album in raw form, then make instant adjustments in the
studio in response to crowd reactions.
“That was really beneficial to our writing,” Phil
says. “Trying out tracks in front of audiences, listening through
their ears, getting responses. That’s been a really good string to our bow.”
Wonky was recorded in Orbital’s Brighton home
base, then mixed in London with internationally acclaimed producer Mark
“Flood” Ellis, whose stellar list of previous collaborators includes PJ
Harvey, U2 and Nine Inch Nails.
“I mostly remember Flood from all the electronic stuff
like Cabaret Voltaire, Depeche Mode and Renegade Soundwave,” Paul
says. “He also has a good structural overview of music, because he’s
not just a dance producer, he comes from a more holistic song viewpoint,
which is how we like to approach it.”
From the intoxicating energy rush and glistening fanfares
of its mighty opening track, One Big Moment, to the restless
bounce and optimistic glow of its galloping finale, Where Is It Going,
the new Orbital album was designed to follow an emotional and musical “road
map” devised by Paul and Phil. Mark Farrow’s sumptuous sleeve artwork
reflects this circular narrative. “The whole process of this album
has really been a case of the book writing itself,” Paul explains.
Reunited and revitalised, Orbital have come full circle
with Wonky. Paul and Phil can hardly wait to unleash the full
album in its natural habitat, the live stage. The undefeated champions of
British electronic music are back, sounding bigger and better than ever.
“For me these feel like the most enjoyable Orbital
times that we’ve ever had,” Phil says. “It’s just getting
better and better. It feels like a new beginning.”
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