10 essential William Orbit productions

As a key figure in the progression of electronic music across the last four decades, the loss of William Orbit is a significant one, felt both on dancefloors and in the wider music sphere. The legendary producer, composer and songwriter passed away at his home last month, his family and friends confirmed in a statement on Friday (August 7), leading to tributes from famed collaborators including Blur, Ferry Corsten, All Saints and Madonna, with the latter - whom he worked alongside across decades-worth of releases - crediting Orbit for “pressing a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealised dreams.”

From his early days experimenting on the edges of synth-pop, house music and electro, to shaping the face of popular music, Orbit’s illustrious career saw him soar through the charts, take home GRAMMYs, rack up 200 million record sales, and foster newfangled genres via his Guerilla Records and N-GRAM imprints. Whether it was developing symphonies for the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, DJing at the Buckingham Palace staff Christmas party, creating magic with his Korg MS-20 and Roland Jupiter-8 keyboards or providing an emotional sonic backdrop to 2015’s ‘Amy’, William Orbit’s knack for rave-informed, ethereal-yet-hypnotic electronica has been applied to just about every setting.

Though in producing some of our most beloved and vital pieces of music, Orbit’s influence will remain everlasting. To celebrate his significant sonic legacy, we’ve compiled 10 of his most essential productions, ranging from dub house pioneer to chart-topping ‘Pure Shores’.

This groovy blend of electro and synth pop is arguably the most pivotal track in William Orbit’s discography. Forming Torch Song with Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert in the early '80s set Orbit on the path that followed. The band signed to the label I.R.S. (International Record Syndicate), and once their lead single ‘Prepare to Energise’ became a surprise hit - landing at Number 8 on the US Billboard Dance Chart and in the soundtrack of Tom Hanks movie Bachelor Party - it meant Orbit had enough money to build a studio stock-full of digital and analogue gear, and get hired by artists like Madonna for remixes. The rest is history.

Bettering the Artist Formerly Known as Prince on his own track? An achievement few can claim, yet you have to say William Orbit is one of them when you consider his riotous rework of Prince’s 1989 track ‘The Future’ — the first occasion where the legendary musician chose to release the remix instead of his own original as part of the soundtrack LP to Tim Burton’s Batman. The track wasn’t a huge commercial success, but the cavernous bassline, pounding electro synths and that twisted, mangled Batman theme in the centre make for a unique accompaniment to Prince’s decadent tenor.

Alongside MC Inna Onestep and vocalist Sharon Musgrave, Orbit was already experimenting at the edges of house music as Bassomatic in the early ‘90s, a progressive sound that he - and his Guerilla Studios/Records co-founders Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert - often labelled “dub house”. Bassomatic’s biggest chart success, ‘Fascinating Rhythm’, is one of the most notable examples of this sound, working through classic piano house euphoria, twinkling synths and cavernous dub rhythm at its bridge.

Due to its replacement of the lyrics from the 1976 original, the 1991 version of ‘Radioactivity’ is probably amongst Kraftwerk’s most notable reissues — transforming the track from scientific commentary to an all-out condemnation of the destructive nature of nuclear power, weapons, and technology. The new, dark subject matter provided ample inspiration for William Orbit, who created two officially released remixes of the track upon the release of Kraftwerk's tenth album ‘The Mix’. Driving electro, dark bass loops, and a chilling sample of a Geiger counter dancing above skittering acid... a perfect soundtrack to The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Beth Orton sure knew how to pick 'em (complimentary). In the early '90s she identified a string of future electronic music greats to work with, including The Chemical Brothers, Andrew Weatherall and William Orbit, as she became a figurehead of the “folktronica” sound. ‘She Cries Your Name’ marked the pinnacle: a gently beautiful blend of trip hop, ambient, folk and soul that’s breath-takingly intimate while still sounding full of life and intriguing stylistic quirks from Orbit.

More than three decades on from its release, the whirring synth stabs that build through the opening throes of Orbit’s ‘Water From A Vine Leaf’ have no right sounding so crisp and crystalline… and it only gets better from there. Featured on his 1993 album ‘Strange Cargo III’, the track carries through warm piano keys, feather-light breaks and harmonious acid riffs, with smooth vocals - both spoken-word and ethereal tuned - from regular collaborator Beth Orton at its core. It would be rude not to ascend, really.

From ‘Erotica’ remixes to performing together on ‘Beautiful Stranger’, ‘Frozen’ to ‘American Pie’, the fruits of Orbit and Madonna’s enduring partnership are so abundant that it's difficult to really pick out one defining moment in their shared discography, and thus is our mea culpa for omissions. Despite this, it’s not difficult to surmise that ‘Ray of Light’, the titular single from Madonna’s 1998 magnum opus, not only acts as a perfect example of their meeting of minds, but also helped set the tone for the Y2K rave-pop coalescence. Trickling in with uplifting guitar strings, before transforming into brain-scrambling acid and trance, Orbit’s production on ‘Ray of Light’ perfectly complements Madonna’s ethereal, soaring vocal as she details the spiritual transformation brought on by her conversion to kabbalah. With a looped rave alarm, percussive car horn beeps, and a piercing bassline toward its centre, Orbit perfectly captures the hedonistic, Windows XP optimism of the 20th century’s conclusion.

Samuel Barber’s 1930s classical work ‘Adagio For Strings’ has gone down in history for its haunting atmosphere, now synonymous with soundtracking the emotional climax of films like Platoon and The Elephant Man. A genius bit of songwriting in 1995 saw William Orbit reimagine it through an electronic-ambient lens. That spark laid the groundwork for a buzzer beater of one of the biggest trance anthems of the century dropping in 1999, when Dutch producer Ferry Corsten put his own pumping spin on that rework. It was absolutely everywhere at the turn of the millennium, sending many a laser-filled dancefloor into pure ecstasy and placing at Number Four in the UK Singles Chart.

All was not well in the Blur camp during the recording of ‘13’ in 1998. Tensions were strained among the band members, who had also decided to sack off their longtime producer Stephen Street for the record. Fortunately, the decision they made for his replacement, William Orbit, was a stroke of genius, ensuring Blur went out on a high with the final album they completed before guitarist Graham Coxon’s departure and their ensuing breakup. ‘Tender’ is one of the group’s most beloved cuts, with Orbit acting as the glue between Damon Albarn and Coxon, alchemising their strengths and strains in a heartfelt blend of gospel and alternative rock, with emotional singing from Albarn, reflecting on the demise of his relationship with Elastica lead singer Justine Frischmann.

Is this the greatest pop song of all time? You could make a very strong case. Written by William Orbot and Shaznay Lewis for the soundtrack of Danny Boyle’s 2000 film The Beach, about the dream of an island paradise which turns out to be a nightmare, this all-timer of an anthem from All Saints very much fits into the dream-half of the mood. You can practically feel the electronic pop production coursing through your body like liquid serotonin, led by its echoey, delayed synths, while the lush vocals and harmonies evoke grand feelings about yearning for and discovering a slice of perfection that’s all your own. Total bliss in music form.