Andy Falconer | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 25, 1965 Oxford, England |
| Genres | ambient music |
| Website | https://www.afponline.eu/ |
Andy Falconer is an English born Engineer, Producer and artist mainly associated with electronic and ambient music. As well as his own musical project afp. [1] He is also along with Alex Paterson a member of the band Sedibus, [2] and former member of the bands The Orb and Apollo XI.
Andy was born in 1965 in Oxford, England and is the youngest of three children. His father James Falconer ran his own successful pharmacy while his mother Rita Falconer kept house. Andy attended the City of Oxford High School for Boys, and it was there that his interest in music and the arts first started to bloom. [3]
After leaving school at 18 Andy first went to work for the sound and light hire company 722027 in Oxford. However this was short lived, and he soon departed for London and secured his first recording studio job at Falconer Studios (no relation) in Camden. Quickly graduating from Assistant to Engineer and then Producer. Andy has worked with an impressive array of artists as diverse as Eartha Kitt, Depeche Mode, The Art Of Noise, System 7, and many others. [4]
It was in 1990 and while working as a freelance Engineer at Berwick Street Studios, in Soho London. That Andy met Alex Paterson and joined The Orb for the recording of their celebrated debut album The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworlds. [5]
Shortly after this Andy took a sabbatical from Studio work, but. In 2016 returned with his own project afp, and in 2018 reconvened with Alex Paterson as the band Sedibus, for the release of the album The Heavens. [6] [7] This was followed by the release of the album SETI [8] [9] [10] in 2024.
James Francis Cauty, also known as Rockman Rock, is an English artist and musician, best known as one-half of the duo the KLF, co-founder of the Orb and as the man who burnt £1 million.
Ambient house is a downtempo subgenre of house music that first emerged in the late 1980s, combining elements of acid house and ambient music. The genre developed in chill-out rooms and specialist clubs as part of the UK's dance music scene. It was most prominently pioneered by the Orb and the KLF, along with artists such as Global Communication, Irresistible Force, Youth, and 808 State. The term was used vaguely, and eventually fell out of favor as more specific subgenres were recognized.
Chill Out is the third studio album by British electronic music group The KLF, released on 5 February 1990. It is an ambient-styled concept album featuring an extensive selection of samples, portraying a mythical night-time journey throughout the U.S. Gulf Coast states, beginning in Texas and ending in Louisiana. Chill Out was conceived as a continuous piece of music, with original KLF music interwoven with samples from songs by Elvis Presley, Fleetwood Mac, Acker Bilk, Van Halen, 808 State and field recordings of Tuvan throat singers.
Space is a 1990 ambient house concept album by Jimmy Cauty under the alias Space. Originally intended to be The Orb's debut album, Space was refactored for release as a solo album following Cauty's departure from that group. Space was independently released on KLF Communications, the record label formed to distribute the work of Cauty's other project, The KLF.
Kristian "Kris" Weston is a British electronic musician, record producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of the Orb. Around the beginning of his career, he worked with Andrew Weatherall on remixes of Meat Beat Manifesto, remixed for Primal Scream, Saint Etienne, U2 and others. He was still a teen when working on the first few albums by the Orb.
The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld is the debut studio album by English electronic music group the Orb, released as a double album on 2 April 1991 by Big Life. It is a segued, progressive and psychedelic trip which draws from various genres and incorporates a huge number of samples and sound effects. Much of the album was recorded after founding member Jimmy Cauty left the group, leaving Alex Paterson as the central member, with additional contributions by Kris Weston, Andy Falconer and several others.
"Little Fluffy Clouds" is a single released by the British ambient house group the Orb. It was originally released in November 1990 on the record label Big Life and peaked at number 87 on the UK Singles Chart. The Orb also included it on their 1991 double album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. "Little Fluffy Clouds" was re-released several times with different B-sides, with its 1993 re-release reaching number 10 in the UK.
The Transit Kings are a British electronica band consisting of Alex Paterson, Guy Pratt, and Dom Beken. Jimmy Cauty, co-founder of the Orb with Paterson, was involved in initial recording sessions but does not take part in live sessions. He is currently on "extended leave". The band was named Custerd for a brief period.
Live 93 is a live album by English electronic music group the Orb, released in November 1993 through Island Records. Live 93 is a collection of highlights from the Orb's 1993 performances in Europe and Asia. It features the Orb's live performance crew of Alex Paterson, Kris Weston, producers Nick Burton and Simon Phillips, as well as audio engineer Andy Hughes, who had stepped in when Weston decided to stop touring. The album cover of a sheep over a power station is a parody of the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals, an album cover they had previously parodied on the cover of Aubrey Mixes: The Ultraworld Excursions. The album reached #23 on the UK Album Chart.
Alex Paterson is an English musician and co-founder of ambient house group the Orb, in which he has worked since its inception.
Cydonia is the fifth studio album by English electronic music duo the Orb. It was released on 27 February 2001 in the United Kingdom by Island Records and in the United States by MCA Records. Members Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann, along with usual collaborators Andy Hughes, Nick Burton, and Simon Phillips, wrote and produced the album for a planned 1999 release. Featured on the album are Robert Fripp, John Roome, and Fil Le Gonidec, who had previously only worked with the Orb in live performances.
Orbus Terrarum is a studio album by English electronic music group the Orb that was released on 20 March 1995 by Island Records. Member Kris Weston had begun work on the album before leaving the group. After he left, German producer Thomas Fehlmann joined as a full-time studio member, and the group, now consisting of Alex Paterson, Andy Hughes, and Fehlmann, completed the album. Unlike their previous efforts, Orbus Terrarum features more "earthbound", "organic" sounds in contrast to the psychedelic, science fiction-themed music they had previously written.
Pomme Fritz is a mini-album by the British electronic music group The Orb. It was released on 13 June 1994 through Island Records. Produced to sustain the group during a period of mismanagement, it was their first album with German producer Thomas Fehlmann.
"A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld" is the debut single by the ambient house group the Orb. It was originally released in October 1989 and made the UK Singles Chart in 1990, peaking at #78. The 'Peel Session' version was also voted into #10 place in John Peel's 1990 Festive Fifty. In April 1991, it was released on the debut album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. The title is taken from a sound effects track from Blake's 7 on BBC Sound Effects No. 26 - Sci-Fi Sound Effects titled "The Core, A Huge Evergrowing Pulsating Brain which Rules from the Centre of Ultraworld".
The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential 1991 debut album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld pioneered the UK's nascent ambient house movement, while its UK chart-topping follow-up U.F.Orb represented the group's commercial peak.
The discography of European electronic music group the Orb includes seventeen studio albums, one live album, six compilation albums, four remix albums, four mix albums, two video albums, ten extended plays, fifteen singles and twenty-two music videos. Founded by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty in 1988, the group's first release was the extended play Kiss EP, issued in May 1989. The single "A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld", which marked the group's first foray into the ambient house genre, was released in October 1989 on Adam Morris and Martin Glover's record label WAU! Mr. Modo Recordings. It was later re-issued by Big Life and peaked at number 78 in the United Kingdom despite sample clearance issues. Following Cauty's departure from the group, the Orb signed a long-term recording contract with Big Life and released their debut studio album The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld in April 1991. It peaked at number 29 in the United Kingdom and has since been recognized as a seminal album of the ambient house genre. "Little Fluffy Clouds" and "Perpetual Dawn" were released as singles from the album.
Metallic Spheres is the tenth studio album released by ambient techno group the Orb in October 2010 and features the Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and the Killing Joke bassist Youth. It spent three weeks on the UK charts, reaching number 12.
Moonbuilding 2703 AD is the thirteenth studio album from ambient house duo the Orb. It is the first album they released through the Kompakt label since the 2005 release of Okie Dokie It's The Orb on Kompakt. It was released on 22 June 2015.
Psydub is a fusion genre of electronic music that has its roots in psychedelic trance, ambient and dub music. Incorporated dub elements are melodic basslines, deep reggae roots and producing techniques like dynamically adding extensive echo, reverb, panoramic delay, and occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works. An incorporated ambient element is an emphasis on tone and atmosphere. Incorporated psytrance elements are low-bass frequencies and hypnotic melodies and the use of samples. Those samples mostly contain references to drugs, parapsychology, extraterrestrial life, existentialism, out of body experiences, dreams, science, time travel, spirituality and similar mysterious or unconventional topics. Psydub is also highly influenced by the music of India.
COW / Chill Out, World! is the fourteenth studio album by ambient house group the Orb. The album was released on 14 October 2016 via the Kompakt label.