Who Can Calculate The Orbit Of His Own Soul?

Celebrating William Orbit aka William Mark Wainwright, 15th December 1956 to 23rd July 2026.

The news of William's passing broke on Friday, unexpected and deeply, deeply sad.

I first encountered William Orbit's work in the late 1980s when he remixed Dreaming by O.M.D., Camouflage by Stan Ridgway and More by Doctor & The Medics. 

The latter two were on the I.R.S. Records label, where William had not only found work as an in-house producer, but a home for his band Torch Song, with Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert and his first Strange Cargo album. There was a previous solo album - Orbit - in 1987 but, to be honest, it's not that good.

The 1990s not only saw an exponential growth in his work as an in-demand producer and remixer, but the launch of Guerilla Records, who were a go-to for quality electronic and dance music, including William's own Water From A Vine Leaf, featuring Beth Orton and era-defining remixes from Underworld and Spooky. 

The decade drew to an end with one of his greatest collaborations, Madonna's incredible Ray Of Light album. William's CV expanded to such an extent that I think it might be a greater challenge for anyone to find that they don't have music in their collection that has William Orbit's involvement in some shape or form.

In recent years, I greatly enjoyed William's musings and memories on social media, sometimes completely leftfield or stream of consciousness, but always entertaining. The insight into such an incredibly questing and creative mind, responsible for so much music that I've listened to , bought and treasured through my life.

I've created a 46 minute selection on the fly, very little deliberation over the song choices, other than wanting to include some overlooked gems and deeper cuts, and spanning the 1980s through to the start of the 21st century.

The nine songs create some strange bedfellows: Creation hopefuls 18 Wheeler next to Seal and Kate Garner (post-Haysi Fantayzee) followed by Limp Bizkit. All Saints fans may be out for my blood for choosing the instrumental version Pure Shores, but I wanted the music to have space to breathe. 

Likewise, I've skipped the singles from Ray Of Light for an album cut which is a perfect example of why the team up with William was so inspiring.

Bassomatic's finest moment is represented here with an alternative mix from the 12" single, 

Malcolm McLaren turns up with The Bootzilla Orchestra (remixed with S'Express guru Mark Moore, whilst I've closed the selection with William's remix of The Shamen, a memory of happy times in clubland.

Today's post title is lifted from De Profundis, a letter written by Oscar Wilde in 1897 whilst imprisoned in Reading Gaol, to his beloved Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas. If you have time to spare, you can find De Profundis in it's entirety here. The quote in question is on page 22 (of 28) and seemed fitting for this tribute.

Rest easy, William.

1) Stay (Strange L’Escargot Mix By William Orbit & Mat Ducasse): 18 Wheeler (1997)

2) Crazy (William Orbit Mix): Seal (1990)

3) Pure Shores (Instrumental) (Remix By William Orbit & Mark 'Spike' Stent): All Saints (2000)

4) Fascinating Rhythm (Soul Odyssey Mix By William Orbit): Bassomatic (1990)

5) Call A Wave (Orbital Mix By Mark Moore & William Orbit): Malcolm McLaren & The Bootzilla Orchestra ft. Gina Cie & Jeff Beck (1989)

6) Love Me Like A Rocket (Psychomix By Paul Caplin & Torch Song aka William Orbit): Kate Garner (1983)

7) My Way (William Orbit Remix): Limp Bizkit (2001)

8) Shanti / Ashtangi (Album Version By Madonna & William Orbit): Madonna (1998)

9) Hyperreal (Orbit) (Remix By William Orbit): The Shamen ft. Plavka (1990)

1983: Love Me Like A Rocket EP: 6

1989: Call A Wave EP: 5

1990: Crazy EP: 2

1990: Fascinating Rhythm EP: 4

1990: Hyperreal EP: 9

1997: Stay EP: 1

1998: Ray Of Light: 8

2000: Pure Shores EP: 3

2001: My Way EP: 7

Who Can Calculate The Orbit Of His Own Soul (46:45) (GD) (M)

It was only in May this year that I wrote about William and Guerilla Records. I've reactivated the link the to the bespoke Dubhed selection that accompanied the post.

Everybody Needs A Bosom For A Pillow

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 14th February 1998. 

 

I have no memory of this particular day so I can only hope that I'd woken early (as I do) to record this mixtape, rather than it being one of the least romantic Valentine's Days ever. I hasten to add that, either way, my girlfriend at the time was not the currently long-suffering Mrs. K.

This was definitely an attempt at an 'upbeat' selection, starting off with a Manchester two-hander from 808 State and Intastella, the latter remixed by A Certain Ratio's Martin Moscrop. Things then take a veer left(field) with possibly one of the maddest singles The Times/Ed Ball ever released, and that's including I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape. 

 

Next up is Mucho Macho's remix of Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, from the 'flop' first release of the single in 1997. I had to check the dates but, a mere two weeks after this mixtape was recorded, Brimful Of Asha was re-released with a Norman Cook remix and went straight to #1 in the UK, where it remained for a further 12 weeks, 11 of those remaining above the #60 peak of the original release. Spooky.

 

Planetary Sit-In is Julian Cope in string-drenched pop-with-a-message mode, his last ever UK singles chart hit, #34 in October 1996. 

 

Stay was 18 Wheeler's biggest UK hit, charting at #59 in March 1997. Wikipedia damningly cites their biggest claim to fame as being the band that Oasis were supporting (at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in 1993) when Creation head honcho Alan McGee discovered the latter. Being on the same label clearly did 18 Wheeler no favours.

Fellow Scots The Apples fared similarly poorly with the record-buying public, managing just one UK #75 single, which isn't this one. This version appeared on the CD single, mis-labelled as the Stereo Guitar People Mix by Pete Lorimer. Ironically, this remix by James Reynolds is actually heavier on the guitar so you can understand the mix up. Reynolds arguably enjoyed much greater success, not least being the 4th Baronet of Woolton, having succeeded to the title in 2015.

Freak Power (aka Norman Cook & Ashley Slater) took two goes to have a hit with Turn On Tune In Cop Out, #29 in 1993 then #3 in 1995. Ashley Slater went on to appear in 2014 with his partner Scarlett Quinn as Kitten And the Hip in an excruciating X-Factor audition, which YouTube has preserved for posterity). Having survived this ordeal, the pair continue in a reformed Freak Power.

 

Not much to say about Groove Is In The Heart, other than Deee-Lite were a breath of fresh air in 1990 and this song still has the desired effect, three decades on.

 

Last but not least, the mysterious collective, The KK Kings. I heard this song originally on the soundtrack to the wonderful 1993 film Bhaji On The Beach. I think this was their only official single, though they'd previously released a promo, Justified & Ancient, which together with their prodigious use of samples, led to comparisons with The KLF. It's so much better than that and a shame that we didn't get to hear more from them.

 

As a final note, the mixtape title comes from a key line in Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, which itself is the hook of the Mucho Macho remix. Despite all this, I still managed to write Everyone Needs A Bosom For A Pillow on the cassette sleeve. Again, either a case of not enough sleep or the worst Valentine's Days ever. Amazingly, I was in the same relationship the following year, but I have no record of whether Valentine's Day 1999 fared any better. It couldn't have been any worse, could it?

 

1) Lift (7" Version): 808 State (1991)

2) This Is Bendy (Remix By Martin Moscrop): Intastella (1991)

3) Finnegans Break (Edit By Ian Shaw & The Big Noize Supremists): The Times ft. Tippa Irie (1993)

4) Brimful Of Asha (Mucho Macho Bolan Boogie Mix): Cornershop (1997)

5) Planetary Sit-In (Album Version): Julian Cope (1996)

6) Stay (Radio Edit): 18 Wheeler (1997)

7) Beautiful People (Silver Sky Mix By James Reynolds): The Apples (1991)

8) Turn On Tune In Cop Out (Radio Mix By Norman Cook & Simon Thornton): Freak Power (1993)

9) Groove Is In The Heart (Peanut Butter Mix): Deee-Lite (1990)

10) Holidays (In The United KK Kingdom) (Extended) (Remix By Mikha K): The KK Kings (1994)

 

Side One (45:25) (KF) (Mega)