The Orb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTy4-OjscAQ

I can't embed this video because, while Universal want to make some content free, they don't want it to be free free. It's Toxygene by the Orb: the Jean-Michelle Jarre-sampling techno-dub masterpiece.

I was reminded of this earlier when talking about 90's dance stuff and remembered their ridiculous Top of the Pops performance. The only reference I can find to that is here - YouTube doesn't seem to have it (someone correct this!)

My nostalgia is generally confined to hyper-specific personal incidents, but I do have some 90's nostalgia - ridiculous dance music could cross over into the mainstream and cause a huge stir. Deadmau5 is probably the only good example of this in recent years: basically hardcore dance that has "it" in a pop way. The Orb were different because they were riding a huge cultural wave: they tripped off the edge of rave culture and landed in art-dance. I love the sounds in that track, the "offensive" Jarre-sampling, the faux-disturbing video, the "trippy" freeform nature of it and the driving, driving dubby bassline. It really caught my ear when I first heard it, and I continue to respect The Orb and all their excesses.