October 1st 2007 sees the re-release of the Orb's second album, U.F.Orb through Island/ Universal.The 2-CD package includes a full re-mastered version of the original album, deluxe, expanded packaging with sleeve notes from Kris Needs plus a collection of mixes which originally appeared as B-sides and extra tracks on long deleted single releases.U.F.Orb, their seminal second album, was originally released in June 1992 and reached number one in the UK chart.It followed their debut, The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld, which was released a year earlier. Their debut had established them as one of the UK's most innovative and expansive electronic bands; a deeply textured album of other-worldly sounds and subtle beats it was widely hailed as the start of what would become known as 'ambient house'.Yet for all their dream-like moments and far-off sounds, the Orb's foundations lay as much in the DIY aesthetic of punk as they do in the cocoon-like sanctuary of acid-house back-rooms.Essentially the brainchild of Alex Paterson, the Orb sprang forth from an ethos of 'anything-goes'. Initially working with Killing Joke's Youth and KLF-er Jimmy Cauty and inspired by New York mix-tapes from the likes of Shep Pettibone, the Orb's initial game plan was to operate outside any restrictive notion of genre by utilising anything from dub to punk to abstract electronic bleeps and blips. The mentality, which spawned the Orb, stemmed from having a laugh but being deadly serious about amazing music of whatever strain or period.With the advent of acid-house in 1988 their ambient workings and DJ sets, which straddled the gaps between the ambience of Eno & White Noise, early house tracks and the wide-screen space of classic dub, saw them much in demand in the capitals nascent club-scene. Providing back-room entertainment at legendary bashes such as Shoom and Land of Oz the early incarnation of the Orb soon gained a reputation for something different in a world where the 4/4 beat ruled supreme.It wasn't long before their formative ideas made it to vinyl and early releases such as A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld and Little Fluffy Clouds became acclaimed as defining a genre that would be loosely referred to as 'ambient-house'.Their debut album collected many of their early ideas and singles, yet it was their second album, U.F.Orb which saw them really capture the spirit of the time.Arguably their 'piece de la resistance', the album distilled everything about the Orb perfectly; rumbling bass heavy moments in dub, dis-jointed snippets of sound, abstract beats and dialogue segments from long-forgotten counter-culture films. It reached number one upon release, the first album by a British electronic / dance act to do so and went on to become one of the definitive electronic releases of the period.With a title taken from Alex's interest in UFOs and beyond, the album was preceded by a single, Blue Room, a 39 minute 59 second epic (it came in at a second under the then chart compilers 40-minute single time-limit) which saw the band appearing on Top Of The Pops. A legendary appearance, which saw Alex and then Orb compatriot, Kris 'Thrash' Weston playing chess as the single played.20-years after acid-house first exploded it's easy to forget how pioneering artists such as the Orb really were. They took the DIY ethos of punk and fused it with a sense of musical exploration afforded by the explosion of electronic music and created a sound that was unique and something that would spawn a slew of imitators.Alex would continue to record as the Orb putting out albums that continued to explore beyond the norm and became a much in-demand collaborator / remixer working with the likes of Primal Scream who all appreciated the pranksters one-off, devil-may-care musical abilities.The full tracklisting is as follows:DISC ONE - THE ORIGINAL RE-MASTERED ALBUM01: O.O.B.E.02: UF Orb03: Blue Room04: Towers of Dub05: Close Encounters06: Majestic07: Sticky EndDISC TWO - REMIXES01: O.O.B.E ( Andy Hughes Mix ) 02: Towers of Dub - Ambient Mix03: Blue Room - Mark Angelos Mix04: Close Encounters - Ambient Mix 105: Majestic - Mix 106: Assassin - Chocolate Hills of Bohol MixFor further information contact:Steve PhillipsCoalition PR 0208 987 0123Steve at coalitiongroup.co.uk06.08.07http://www.theorb.comhttp://www.myspace.com/orbisms