Orbital: „You have to keep it fun — for the audience and yourself“ (interview)

Orbital interview by Radio 1 Prague’s Jerry Žák and Josef Sedloň at Pop Messe 2025 in Brno.

You’re playing a very diverse festival this year — contemporary acts, new faces, different styles. As one of the foundational acts in electronic music, how does it feel to share the stage with artists that were likely influenced by you?

Phil Hartnoll (Orbital):
I just love it. I really do. I love coming over here.

Paul Hartnoll (Orbital):
Yeah, last time we tried to play a festival here, it was a disaster — the wind came in and blew everything over. It destroyed our equipment! I think that was Pohoda in Slovakia. We haven’t been back since, so we’re really happy to be invited again.

You’re known for your live performances, full of improvisation. After all these years, how do you keep it fresh? Where do you get the energy?

Phil:

When you’ve played the same track for 30 years, you get bored of it. So you start changing it. You improvise, play around with it, find a new angle. It’s about making it fun again — for you and for the crowd.

Paul:
You’re feeding off the audience. If they look bored, you move on. If they’re loving it, you extend the track, bring it back in, maybe throw in a twist. Tracks like Halcyon, Satan, and Impact — they evolve each time. Green Mind, too. Total jam fest.

What got you into electronic music in the late ’80s?

Phil:
There wasn’t one trigger. I was into anarcho-punk — Crass, Dead Kennedys. Then our parents went to America and left Paul in charge. We blasted records at home. I got into ZTT stuff — Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Two Tribes. It had the same energy and message as punk, but it was funky, danceable.

Paul:
And Kraftwerk, of course. We all loved Kraftwerk. Plus Cabaret Voltaire, Cocteau Twins, and this Australian band called Severed Heads. Weird, raw, but beautiful.

Has your creative process changed? Do you still need to talk things through in the studio?

Phil:
Not really. There’s no set process. One of us gets in the flow, the other reacts. Sometimes it’s just: “That’s great.” Or: “That’s shit.” Then we move on.

And what inspires you these days?

Phil:
Not much electronic music, honestly. I like Kelly Lee Owens, Anna Meredith — she moves between orchestral and electronic, which is fascinating. But lately I’m deep into Cardiacs, North Sea Radio Orchestra, and weird folk stuff. When I DJ, I listen to all sorts, but I never remember the names — I’m dyslexic. Booka Shade and Exavolt are on my Spotify, though.

What about remixes from your recent compilation? Any favourites?

Phil:
Floex — the Czech guy — I really liked his remix. Found him through a video game soundtrack. Very musical. We even did a remix for him later on. Anna Meredith’s remix of Belfast was brilliant, too. She totally transformed the track — made it heavier, darker, but still beautiful.

Last year, we sat here with Sleaford Mods. You collaborated with them — what was that like?

Paul:
They went way more aggressive than we would. We’re more into posing questions with our voice samples. They were direct. But it worked — they brought the words, we brought the beats. It was really effective.

Phil:
When I first heard it, I just smiled. It was bold. Perfect for calling out some of the awful attitudes in England — the people who wish harm on refugees, who wanted to leave Europe. I mean… why would we leave you guys? It’s embarrassing. Totally stupid.

And what can we expect from tonight’s show?

Phil:
Nothing to see here — just look at the visuals!

Paul:
We stole that from Pink Floyd. It’s a festival set, it should be good.

Czech version coming soon!

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