Orbital 2 is the second album from British electronica duo Orbital. Orbital 2 was the album's title in the United States only: in the rest of the world outside the US the album was released without a title, and it is commonly known as The Brown Album to differentiate it from Orbital's similarly untitled 1991 debut album, which had a green cover. It was released in May 1993 and reached the #28 on the UK album charts.
- 180 gram vinyl
Review
“Opening with a looped Star Trek sample, Orbital's second album
progresses through eight tracks of warm, unrepetitive techno in what sounds more
like a DJ mix album than an LP, with no bows to mainstream sensibilities. Here,
the duo's acknowledged inspiration from Kraftwerk, present before but always in
the background, came to the fore. The brilliant manner in which the Hartnolls
weave several synth lines, samples, sung vocals, and percussion –
mathematically precise but still beautifully orchestrated – updated
Kraftwerk's mastery of minimalist electronic music. One of the highlights of
the '90s techno movement, the "brown” album is still Orbital's most exciting
work." J Bush – Allmusic.com