Middle of Nowhere [UK]

Orbital: Paul Hartnoll, Phil Hartnoll.
Additional personnel: Barbara Cohen, Alison Goldfrapp (vocals); Lem (guitar); Simon Poole, Phil Holmberg (trumpet); Andy James (bass); Steve Sidelnyk (drums, percussion).
Engineers include: Dave Pemberton.
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is an instant electro classic, courtesy of Orbital's Paul and Phil Hartnoll. This is techno for the armchair and the out-there raver, music that combines the sublime vocals of Alison Goldfrapp with thumping breakbeats and old-school techno bleeps and keyboard sounds. Ever since the success of "Chime" in 1990, Orbital have remained the undisputed kings of "intelligent dance" and, five albums later, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE proves that they haven't lost their touch.
The album retains the repetitiveness inherent to much dance music, but around this Orbital deftly weave strong melodic lines that constantly develop and evolve, thus giving even the album's longest tracks a sense of shape and structure. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE also has a great sense of unity--the expansive "Way Out," featuring glorious vocal and trumpet solos, rolls seamlessly into the bleepy-bloopy sounds of "Spare Parts Express." "Know Where to Run" and "I Don't Know You People" are darker, more harshly techno-driven tracks, although the latter is also Orbital's first to feature live drums and guitars. Whether or not you are an electro-connoisseur, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is accessible and endlessly enjoyable.