Published
Wed, Aug 10, 2016, 17:37
- Described as their "most ambient album yet," it's scheduled for October release through Kompakt.
The Orb have announced details for their next full-length, COW / Chill Out, World!, which is due out in October.
The ten-track album continues The Orb's Kompakt connection, after last year's Moonbuilding 2703 AD LP (and this March's Alpine EP) on the Cologne label. But while Moonbuilding 2703 AD took six years before it finally came together, Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann needed just six months to produce COW / Chill Out, World!.
The process was moved along by Paterson collecting field recordings while the duo were out on tour—they've been extremely busy with gigs lately—which allowed for "valuable moments of spontaneous creative laptop productivity" while on the road. One track, "9 Elms Over River Eno (Channel 9)," was constructed solely with recordings made in Durham, North Carolina during this year's Moogfest, including the sounds of the nearby Eno River.
Paterson describes COW / Chill Out, World! as "our most ambient album yet" and "a protest album in reverse." Fehlmann, who also comments on how the pair "trusted our first instincts and allowed the ideas to flow freely," says: "We didn't intend to rehash old chill out vibes. On the contrary. It's the 21st century and it seems like a good idea for people to sit back and chill the fuck out, before continuing to act destructively. To chill out is to act consciously, guided from a calm centre."
A press release says the title could be considered a reference to Paterson's uncredited role in The KLF's 1990 album Chill Out, and to the cows on the cover of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother LP. Occasional Orb collaborator Youth and ambient composer Roger Eno were brought on board for contributions, and The Designers Republic took care of cover art. The album will be available on vinyl, CD and digital formats.
The Orb have also revealed a series of live tour dates across the UK in November and December, following on from a London show last month. These two-set events will feature a celebratory 25th-anniversary performance, in full, of their seminal debut LP Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, along with music from this forthcoming full-length and "greatest hits" from The Orb's storied career. A US fall tour is upcoming as well, though details for that are still in the works.
Try out LP cut "5th Dimensions."
Tracklist
A1 First, Consider The Lillys
A2 Wireless Mk2
A3 Siren 33 (Orphee Mirror)
A4 4am Exhale (Chill Out, World!)
B1 5th Dimensions
B2 Sex (Panoramic Sex Heal)
B3 7 Oaks
B4 Just Because I Really Really Luv Ya
B5 9 Elms Over River Eno (Channel 9)
B6 The 10 Sultans Of Rudyard (Moo Moo Mix)
Kompakt will release COW / Chill Out, World! on October 14th, 2016.