Album of the Week: Orbital - 30 Something

29 July 2022 | 5:30 pm | Will Backler
Originally Appeared In

Legendary electronic duo celebrate three decades of influencing dancefloors the world round with a double album of new tracks, remade classics and remixes from some of the biggest names in dance music.

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Being cheekily titled 30 Something seems only appropriate for the new collection released by brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll, better knowns as iconic duo Orbital, who got their start playing in squats and really embracing the spirit of punk rock in an electronic world… 33 years ago in 1989, but who cares about specifics, right - it was 30 something years ago.

30 Something is a double album that will appeal to both fans from way back to people first getting into Orbital, with new cuts Smiley and Acid Horse showing the pair are as relevant as ever at crafting rave fuelled cuts for the dance floor. They’ve given a number of their most iconic tracks the “30 Somethings Years Later Mix” touch up, including Impact (The Earth Is Burning), Belfast and of course Halcyon.

The second part of the double album introduces the remixers, with some of the who’s who of current dance music putting their spin on tracks that quite probably influenced them as an artist at some point or another. ANNA, John Tejada, Octave One, Jon Hopkins, Shanti Celeste, Logic 1000, Dusky, Lone and many more (tempted to just list them all to be honest!) all step up to the plate.

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With 30 Something, Phil and Paul Hartnoll have more than proved that age really is a number, and that the people who helped shape certain genres of music are more than capable of still being not just relevant, but innovative… some 30 years later.

The best of the rest of this week's records:

Beddy Rays - Beddy Rays [Independent] USA

Rock

Beyoncé - Renaissance [Columbia / Sony] USA

Pop

Dance Gavin Dance - Jackpot Juicer [Rise Records] USA

Metalcore

Domo Genesis & Evidence - Intros, Outros & Interludes [Bigger Picture Recordings] USA

Hip Hop

Dune Rats - Real Rare Whale [Ratbag] AUS

Rock

Florist - Florist [Double Double Whammy] USA

Folk / Indie

Guilty Simpson - Guilt [Man Bites Dog] USA

Hip Hop

Kuedo - Infinite Window [Brainfeeder] ENG

Electronic

Pat Chow - You Are So Valid  AUS

Indie