Interview: Dr Alex Patterson
All Around The Orb
from Project X #24
By Matt T. & Ron Koch
With a photo of Alex by Jeff Hornstein

Everyone familiar with the Orbs' spacey, floaty sound would probably
guess that the makers of this music are a little, well, let's just say
also spacey and floaty.  lost somewhere in their "Little Fluffy
Clouds", no doubt.  Recently, Project X blasted off into the sky and
met up with the two mates who make up this surreal UK act, Dr Alex
Patterson was in attendance, but Thrash, the Orbs' other half, was
apparently far beyond the clouds we found Alex in.  We think that he
was just doing some follow up research for their second, and msot
recent album "U.F.Orb.

But, despite their very cosmic sound, the Orb is a group that's down
to earth, somewhat at least.  For a couple of guys, whose faverite
drink is called "Thermo-gen" tea, Alexs' earthiness is a bit ironic.

We found Alex playing with a wooden stick - his toy for the moment,
smoking a funny smelling cegerette they call a "Spliff" in the cosmos,
and sporting a sock hat. scarf and baggies...

Project X - Where does the name "Orb" come from?

Alex Patterson - The "Orb Inceptor" or the "Orgasmatron" from that
Woody Allen movie. (The Sleeper)

PX - If you could explain the Orb in one word, What would it be?

AP - Um...Buttocks...yea, buttocks.

PX - The music you create is impossible to label, so you don't have
to, but what are your influences?

AP - Ambient (house) and Raggae.  Yeah raggae.  We hope people will
listen to us and become interested in raggae music.

PX - And what about the stardust sounds that are sprinkled all over
your songs, where do they come from?

AP - My mom, I got a call from Me. Spaceman when I was a child, and it
turned out to be my mom...But none of those influences really matter.
The whole idea behind the Orb is to chill people out.  It's therapy.

PX - You got your start in the music business as drum-tech "roadie"
and then you did a lot of studio productions and remixing.  Who did
you remix for?

AP - Front 242, Depeche Mode, Erasure, Primal Scream, Big Audio
Dynamite, and some underground bands like Love Kittens and Paradise
10.

PX - Your music seems very drug orientated

AP - We don't set out for it to be that way, but, I guess, it's kind
of, you know, ... smoking music.

PX - The song "Little Fluffy Clouds" won the Orb and award from the
American Lung Association for its' artistic contribution to clean air
awareness.  Are you actually concerned with that issues, or was the
award just a nice coincidence?

AP - Well, when we got that award, we rolled a big fat joint on it.  I
don't suppose the American Lung Association would like that.

PX - We won't tell.