EXCLUSIVE STREAM OF THE ORB

Dr. Alex Paterson is dance music’s equivalent of your funny stoner uncle — lovably eccentric if liable to go on a bit.

Alongside a constantly-shifting line-up of partners he’s been making music as The Orb for 25 years now — which, a wag might suggest, is the average length of one of their tunes — and although their last two collaborative albums with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry show they’re still a going concern, for this birthday bash Paterson’s rounded up the best of their 1990s heyday on three CDs and one DVD (out now).

Featuring ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’, ‘Perpetual Dawn’ and ‘Blue Room’ — albeit significantly shorn from its original 40 minutes — disc one is the perfect beginner’s guide to their goofy ambient house, whilst devotees can dive straight into the live and remix CDs for long-forgotten trinkets like the Ganja Kru remix of ‘Toxygene’.

Well worth indulging the good doctor — and yourself — for.

Listen exclusively to a live version of 'Towers Of Dub' found on disc three of the box set (buy it)...