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.

Another Brief Excursion In The Underworld

Side 1 of a mixtape, featuring "13 ambient adventures" and originally assembled 10th January 1998. 

 

When I presented Side 2 on 3rd August 2021, I literally had nothing else to say in the accompanying post, which seems very unfair in retrospect. I'll put it down to the post going out on a Tuesday at the beginning of August and it being relatively early on in my routine of daily posting. I'd either had a very heavy Monday at work and/or very limited time the following morning to finesse a post. 

 

These days, whilst it's still very rare for me to prepare a post days in advance - although I'll often carry an idea or may know what I want to post on a particular day - I usually set aside more time for writing the post, over and above any prep for the musical selection itself.

 

A Brief Excursion In The Underworld's subtitle is a bit misleading. Yes, there are 13 tracks; no, it's not an ambient mixtape; I'll leave you to be the judge of whether it's an "adventure" in any way at all. What it is, is a home for a bunch of off-kilter music that I liked but which didn't fit onto any other of my electronica, dance or ambient compilation tapes at the time.

 

I've previously featured Side 1 of "The Best Of Trance Europe Express" and it's no spoiler to say that Pleidean Communication by A Positive Life aka Stefan Pierlejewski doesn't appear on Side 2. However, it's another misleading mixtape title, as TEE was chock full of excellent music, including this track. A slightly longer version of Pleidean Communication appears on the 1994 album Synaesthetic, which was re-sequenced and re-released with lovely new artwork late last year. For those who prefer physical formats, you can pick up the original issue on CD via Waveform Records or the reissue on double vinyl via re:discovery records. Either way, it's well worth a listen.

Polygon Window is one of the many, many aliases of Richard D. James, releasing a clutch of singles and promos and just one album, 1993's Surfing On Sine Waves. Again, you can pick up a digital re-release of the album with a couple of bonus tracks via Warp Records. Whilst you're there, I'd also highly recommend Polygon Window's Quoth EP, which features the brilliantly titled Bike Pump Meets Bucket.

In the mid-1990s, Banco De Gaia seemed to be the ambient/chill out act that my friends liked, even if they otherwise weren't into that kind of music. I particularly got into Banco De Gaia in early 1994, having seen Toby Marks DJ during my first experience of a Megadog night in Derby. I went on to buy the limited 3CD, 13-track album Last Train To Lhasa in 1995 and although I don't listen to it as often as I should these days, it's not lost any of it's impact. No surprise that you can pick up a special edition of Last Train To Lhasa on Bandcamp. The re-release covers CDs 1 & 2 of the original physical release - including the version of China featured here - plus 5 bonus tracks. 

Rising High Records was founded by musical polymath and innovator Caspar Pound, who tragically succumbed to cancer in 2004 at the age of 33. It's fair to say that his list of achievements and influences on electronic music are too great to list here. A couple of personal favourites were the excellent Further Self Evident Truths .. compilations and Rising High Collective, where Pound collaborated with Marc Williams, Peter Williams and singer Plavka, then known for her work with Jam & Spoon and providing vocals on The Shamen's classic Hypereal. Caspar Pound's daughter Sapho has been responsible for the Rising High legacy in recent years, which has seen much of Rising High Collective's singles and remixes available again in digital format. The version of Move Ya featured here, remixed by Bedouin Ascent aka Kingsuk Biswas, doesn't appear to have been reissued as yet and is exclusive to the first Further Self Evident Truths .. compilation.

Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood should need no introduction, especially if you've been a regular visitor to these pages. In fact, I love Glide By Shooting - and it's parent album/EP Swimming Not Skimming - so much that I've featured it here previously. I think the music speaks for itself on this occasion. Simply stunning.

I'll admit that I've not had a great deal of interest in Jon Anderson's career, whether with Yes, Jon & Vangelis or as a solo artist. Yet, he manages to constantly enter my consciousness with music that demands my attention. I'll admit that I was equally ignorant of 1994 album Deseo and have remained largely indifferent to it since, but I was drawn to 1995 companion The Deseo Remixes. Aside from the appeal of the lenticular cover (remember those?) which sadly cracked when I moved home a couple of years later, the CD featured remixes by Transglobal Underground, Deep Forest and The Future Sound Of London, as well as a couple of beauties by Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton as Global Communication. Bless This is one of the few tracks on The Deseo Remixes to retain the track title from the parent album and, in both cases, closes proceedings. The version here is a shimmering, echo effects-laden chorus with a rhythm that evokes the drum machine from Vienna by Ultravox, seven minutes passing by in a flash (or should that be haze?).

If you enjoy what you've heard here, check out Side 2 which features more goodies (not to be confused with The Goodies) by The Shamen, Scanner, The Art Of Noise, The Grid, Moby, David Toop and Cosmic Baby.

 

1) Pleidean Communication (Original Version): A Positive Life (from Trance Europe Express², 1994)

2) If It Really Is Me: Polygon Window (from Surfing On Sine Waves, 1993)

3) China (Clouds Not Mountains): Banco De Gaia (from Last Train To Lhasa, 1995)

4) Move Ya (Bedouin Ascent Silicon Grooves Mix): Rising High Collective (from Further Self Evident Truths .., 1995)

5) Glide By Shooting (Remix By Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood): Two Lone Swordsmen (from Swimming Not Skimming, 1996)

6) Bless This (Remix By Global Communication aka Mark Pritchard & Tom Middleton): Jon Anderson (from The Deseo Remixes, 1995)

Side One (46:09)

Side Two here