The Orb Auntie Aubrey's Excursions Beyond the Call of Duty

Here we have the latest offering from Dr Alex Patterson and crew. The Orb have trawled through a vast array of bands to compile this project which consists of remixed tracks from the likes of Yello, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Killing Joke and Primal Scream. Both discs have a seamless, spliced quality working like two extended trips which chop and change in style like an acid-induced chameleon. At over 2½ hours, and complete with a 75 page booklet containing an introduction, quotes, poetry, and a full discography, the voyage is ready to cast off... Disc 1 is dominated by the opening brace of 'Praying Mantra'(Material) and 'Democracy'(Killing Joke) which both weigh in at over 17 minutes long. 'Praying..' is a mixture of Indian tablas and pipes with an industrial barrage of noises and percussion, with occasional voice samples. A heady strange brew not unlike Download's noise collages, it tails off into ambient experimentalism. 'Democracy' carries on the Eastern feel, with a strong driving mixture of sequences and percussion chugging along like a Siberian express train across the Tundra, slowing to negotiate the mountains then speeding down the other side. Again, there's similarity to cEvin Key's Download (or perhaps MJ Harris' Scorn?) as it draws to a reverberated halt. 'Satellite Serenade'(Keiichi Suzuki) with an Attenbrough narrative (!!) and aquatic blissed out swathes as a somewhat Knopfler-like guitar lick teases the ambience. We are 5 minutes in before a mid tempo dance beat announces its electronic entourage as the repeated refrain is fleshed out. Zodiac Youth's 'Fast Forward the Future' narrative follows with erotic panting, the breathing used as a sequence for a mid-paced techno outing. 'Higher than the Sun'(Primal Scream), with its laid back vocal over pulsing slow-mo techno, reminds me of Hannant's expansive sound. 49 seconds of dolphin/whale noises introduces 'So and Slow it Grows' (Wir), a bouncy techno dance groover with a cracking rolling bass, some drum 'n bass and even a sitar thrown in! The disc ends with Yasuaki Shimizu's 'Secret Squirrel', ambient electronica in the Burmer/Roach mould; drifting, meandering, spacey, it ends with an unexpected loud reverb. Disc 2 starts with Yello's 'You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess', a collage of voice/sound samples introducing ambient experimentalism. A driving sequence then mutates into a solid dancefloor grinder - perhaps shades of FLA/Skinny Puppy here. 'Out of Body'(Innersphere) is a sinister, disturbing dark voice sample with disquieting electronica which is juxtaposed with Depeche Mode's 'Happiest Girl', very radio friendly and fleshed out nicely by Dr Alex. On Erasure's 'Ship of Fools' vocals are used sparingly (thankfully!!) and it brings to mind those Talk Talk remixes of old. 'O'Locco' (Sun Electric) with its percussive throbbing sequence coupled with female moans & groans leads onto Maurizio's 'Ploy', new electronica territory with scientific voice samples, FSOL-like swathes and theremin swoops - weird! 'Men of Wadomem'(Time Unlimited) is very much in Leeb/Fulber mode. If someone would have told me this was the latest Intermix track, I'd have believed it. Bouncy EBM with voice samples spliced in - chunky 'n nice like a Yorkie bar! '2 much' (Paradise) is the album's strangest track, a jazz/funk based piece mixed with ambient samples, splicing, staccato sequences, avante-garde EM ending with 'Oh Suzannah'! I kid you not! PWEI's 'Home' is dubbed up and given the Eastern psychedelic slant (that sitar again). After all that's gone before, our journey ends with the disappointing 'What Goes On' (Love kittens), a 60's brit-pop strummer. Very commercial, very boring... So there you have it, a veritable cornucopia of sound and expression. From the immediately accessible to the experimentally avante-garde no EM style is left unturned and, to be honest, a few new ones are added to the pile. Like a kid in a sweet shop, each visit will discover new surprises. My appreciation of The Orb has increased many fold, so treat yourself to an extended excursion into the underworld - but hey, don't pig-out all at once! (Stuart J Harris)

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