Halcyon and On and On: The Story of Orbital and the Rise of Rave

(Hardback)

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'By the end of the book, I fully expect that to many people I'm going to look like a right ***t.' Paul Hartnoll, Orbital

The Gallagher brothers of the rave scene, Paul and Phil Hartnoll together make Orbital - one of the biggest-selling and most recognisable techno acts on the planet. They have sold millions of albums, played to an audience of 10 million people at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics, and headlined their 'spiritual home' on The Other Stage at Glastonbury Festival three times. Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis even credits their first headline, in 1994, as almost singlehandedly bringing rave to the masses. Between them Phil and Paul have survived addictions, tragedy and marriages, plus two splits and reunions.

Now, on the 30th anniversary of the debut single that launched them to fame, Orbital are telling this extraordinary and explosive story for the first time. Alongside the pioneering music, the Hartnoll's tale is about brotherhood, and like most brothers they are as often at war as peace. No matter how bitterly they fight and deeply they resent each other, however, their shared history has forged an us-against-the-world bond that only they themselves can break. Which they do. Often.

Halcyon and On and On rivals the greatest rock 'n' roll stories, but without any actual rock 'n' roll. Their biggest problem, however, is that they both remember most of their history rather differently...

Reviews

Orbital's ageless electro modernism is still reaching for the stars * THE TIMES *
A bold force behind the evolution of electronic dance music as we know it today * SF WEEKLY *
Legends, they helped shape electronic music as we know it * MAGNETIC MAG *
The elder statesmen of rave * FINANCIAL TIMES *

Author Bio

When they're not at each other's throats, brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll together make Orbital, one of the most recognisable techno acts on the planet. Since exploding onto the rave scene in 1989 with their debut single 'Chime', Orbital have been at the forefront of electronic and rave music. Two years ago they re-formed for a third time, released the critically acclaimed UK Top 10 album Monsters Exist in 2018, and are again playing to packed venues around the world. With a string of collaborators from Dr Who's Matt Smith, Profs Brian Cox and Stephen Hawking (the latter appeared as the vocalist during their 2012 Paralympics appearance), they have consistently been rated one of the top live acts in the world. They both currently live and record in Brighton.