Diversions EP

Eric Oehler Thu, 28 Jul 1994

The Hartnoll Brothers are at it again. This EP, which is much longer than many LP's I've bought recently, is completely true to form for Orbital. There are six tracks, each between 7 and 15 minutes, containing remixes, "rarities", and the pre-requisite John Peel session. While the rarities are really not all that rare (most were released on either the British Peel Session disc or as B-sides to single CDs) they're still things that generally aren't available in the US, and for the $8 I paid, it's much cheaper than buying a bunch of imports.

Overall, this disc is pretty solid. Here's how it breaks down:

1. Impact USA (the earth is burning): This track for the first two minutes sounds pretty much like the album version on Orbital 2. A minor change in the bassline. I wasn't all that impressed, at first. Then it takes a completely different turn from the original, adding a high-frequency, somewhat ominous synth line. Less danceable than the original, but more interesting to listen to as a standalone piece of music.

2. Lush ('94 Eurotunnel Disaster)/Walk About [John Peel Session]: Everyone who is anyone in "underground" music ends up eventually playing the Peel show. New Order, The Cure, Smashing Pumpkins and the Smiths all gave impressive performances early in their careers. Orbital is no exception. This monstrous 14 minute mix of Lush and Walkabout is a bass-heavy, relentless version of those two songs, remixed so thickly that only vague traces of the original songs remain. Fun stuff for people familiar with the original songs.

3. Semi-Detatched: A supposed "ultra-rare" song, despite it's appearance on the Halcyon EP. Hmm. This one is a rather ambient, laid back track, which in typical Orbital style keeps getting layered as it progresses. By the time it's really going there's a wall of lush synths emanating from your speakers. Not a particulalry dancable track, and it doesn't stick out in my mind. Still, it's ear candy and isn't bad by any means.

4. Lush 3-5 (C.J. Ballard): An up-tempo mix of Lush, blending elements from Lush 3-1 and Lush 3-2 with a few new melodic lines. Nifty, dancy, although I thought it was a bit too fast. After hearing the original Lush tracks, I would rather hear something more like those.

5. Lush 3-4 (Warrior Drift - Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia): Another Lush remix. Sounds like an extended version of the original, with more elements of Lush 3-2. Thumpin' drum line. A good club version of the original.

6. Lush 3-3 (Underworld): Yet another Lush remix. Again, lots of elements of Lush 3-2, but some sort of jazzy elements thrown in, as well as more club influences. As remixes go, this is a good one.

Overall, this is a solid EP for Orbital. It doesn't deviate much from their current sound, but that's just fine because their current sound is quite impressive. A good value, being over 50 minutes and still costing only about $9. It makes a good CD for getting introduced to Orbital, having a lot of characteristicly Orbital material, but not costing as much as a full album. A good CD.

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 |  Eric Oehler                           wonko@dax.cs.wisc.edu  |
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 Experience is what you get when you were expecting something else

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