The Orb founder Alex Patterson has announced three new projects coming in 2021. He is launching a label Orbscure Recordings, with the first release being an album by himself and original Orb member Andy Falconer. Then there will a book, Babble on an' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld with The Orb, released as well.
The label will be a new vehicle for Paterson’s various releases, plus serve as an outlet for new music from artists around the world. “The name is a play on the Obscure label Eno set up on Editions EG in the 1970s. Orbs Cure. Clever parrot-Orbscure! Orbscure! Orbs Cure for all ills. Orbs Cure made 2 chill,” states Alex.
The first release on the label will arrive from Patterson and original Orb member Andy Falconer as Sedibus titled The Heavens. It will be released on May 28 and can be pre-ordered here. The first single “TOI 1338b” is available to stream now.
“Organic in feel and clearly referencing our shared roots, The Heavens is an immersive journey of ambient electronica which not only references a source, but the distance travelled from that point of origin to something new,” says Andy Falconer about the album in a statement.
To cap all of this off, Paterson will release a book written by close friend and music journalist Kris Needs. The book titled, Babble on an' Ting: Alex Paterson's Incredible Journey Beyond the Ultraworld with The Orb, is a firsthand account of his life. It goes through his childhood, boarding school abuse, punk's liberating impact resulting in roadying for Killing Joke, DJing, first recordings with the KLF’s Jimmy Cauty, The Orb and new record label.
“I decided to do a book now as I have reached one full human cycle 60. Also, to tell my side of stories and to set the record straight on planet Orb,” says Patterson. “Working with Kris was seriously brilliant fun. We have been friends and allies for decades now. He’s a beautiful man with a deep knowledge of all things secret and actually lived through some of the stories together.”
There will be interviews with Youth, Andrew Weatherall, Primal Scream, Jah Wobble, Jimmy Cauty and plenty others. The book will be released on May 28 and can be pre-ordered here.