News

Orbital’s ‘Optical Delusion’ is #6 in the SDE Surround Series

Dolby Atmos Mix on SDE-exclusive blu-ray

By Paul Sinclair

Comments

132

(Quick link to pre-order)

Optical Delusion, the newly announced studio album from legendary electronic duo Orbital, will be issued exclusively via SDE on the blu-ray audio format. Following some high profile releases in 2022, including Tears For Fears and Brian Eno, this is #6 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series.

The album includes the first single ‘Dirty Rat’ which sees Orbital (brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll) collaborate with Sleaford Mods. Described as “a comic, brutal, bass-driven harangue against our rulers and the voters who put them there” it features a typically searing Jason Williamson vocal over Orbital and Andrew Fearn’s kinetic, driving beats.

Astonishing though ‘Dirty Rat’ is, the album is less ‘in your face’ with some wonderful instrumental and vocal tracks including the nearly eight-minute long atmospheric soundscapes of ‘Are You Alive’ (which features Penelope Isles), the layered hypnotic brilliance of ‘Frequency’ (featuring some satisfyingly old-school house piano) and the dramatic beats and textures of ‘What A Surprise’.

All of this music is taken to the next level by an astonishing Dolby Atmos Mix created by composer and sound designer Mark Ayres of the Radiophonic Workshop.

Paul Hartnoll and I said ‘Let’s go to town on the Atmos Mix and let’s make it exciting and different”

Mark Ayres

Mark has been creating surround sound mixes for 20 years and used to write music for Doctor Who in the 1980s! He was commission by Paul Hartnoll to create the spatial audio mix and speaking to SDE about his work on it, Ayres said: “I wanted to push it with the Atmos Mix. I don’t see any point in doing something like this and then not having a bit of fun with it. Luckily, Paul agreed. We said: “Let’s go to town on it and let’s make it exciting. Let’s make it different”. I spent a quite a few days mixing it, and then Paul came down for a day and we went through it all and tweaked it”.

The blu-ray is the only way to enjoy the Atmos Mix on a physical product, and this disc is actually most generous in the series so far and features four audio streams and bonus instrumentals!

  • Dolby Atmos Mix
  • HD-Master Audio 5.1 Mix
  • Hi-res Stereo Mix (96/24)
  • Hi-res Alternative Stereo Mix (Flat Transfer) (96/24)
  • Instrumental versions of vocal tracks in Atmos, 5.1 and stereo

That ‘Alternative Stereo Mix’ is actually the Atmos Mix folded down to stereo. In Mark Ayres words, this mix is “a little bit different” because it derives from the Atmos.

Also, while Optical Delusion is a 10-track album, there is a special 13-track CD edition, with three bonus tracks, that is exclusive to Amazon in the UK. However, the blu-ray features all three of these bonus tracks (‘The Crane (feat. Dina Ipavic)’, ‘Year Of The Bat’ and ‘Lost In Time’) in full Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and both stereo mixes! I have to say, these tracks are all fantastic; there is zero drop in quality and I agree with Mark Ayres when he said to me “They should have been on the main album!”. ‘Lost in Time’ in particular is rather moving. It has a lovely ‘music-box’ intro before the syncopated rhythm comes in with vocal samples. It’s a lovely end to proceedings

Streaming Atmos is okay, but it’s very heavily compressed

Mark Ayres

Chatting to Mark Ayres about this release (there should be some notes from him the blu-ray booklet) he was pleased his Atmos Mix was being issued physically: “I’m delighted the Atmos Mix is being released on Blu-ray. Streaming Atmos is okay, but it’s very heavily compressed. Apple are certainly doing their best with it, but the compression, certainly to my ears, is obvious. However, Blu-rays sound absolutely great, because you know that is true HD”.

The cover art for Optical Delusion

Speaking of the benefits of blu-ray, here’s the now traditional reminder as to why this product is highly recommended:

  • It’s the only way to enjoy the Dolby Atmos mix of the album via a physical product
  • You don’t need to sign-up to a streaming service such as Tidal or Apple Music to hear the spatial audio mix
  • The Atmos Mix on the blu-ray is not compressed, whereas it is on streaming due to bandwidth restrictions
  • You own the product, you are not renting it from a digital service provider
  • The blu-ray audio is an excellent format for music and you don’t want to see it die off
  • Supporting SDE with these initiatives leads to similar collaborations with labels/artists and we are keen to bring your more in the near future

The pre-order window for this limited edition blu-ray audio opens today and will close in 14 days’ time on 4 November 2022. Numbers manufactured will be published at a later date, so you will know just how limited this physical product is. Additionally, this blu-ray will ship with an SDE Surround Series collectors’ slipcase.

Optical Delusion on SDE-exclusive blu-ray will be released on 17 February 2023 in collaboration with London Records. Pre-order the blu-ray by using this link to the SDE shop or the button below. We have given you an option to order Orbital with the slipcase for xPropaganda (at no extra cost). For more spatial audio on the SDE shop, go here.

Customer reviews for previous releases in the SDE Surround Series

“Quite amazing”, “Hauntingly beautiful” – Brian Eno’s FOREVERANDEVERNOMORE

“Absolutely sublime” – xPropaganda’s The Heart Is Strange

“The best way to hear this album” – Shakespears Sister’s Hormonally Yours

“Outstanding. Totally immersive” – Tears For Fears’ The Tipping Point

TECHNICAL NOTES: This blu-ray audio requires a blu-ray player. Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp. The Dolby Atmos mix will ‘fold down’ to 5.1 or stereo if a Dolby Atmos decoder is not detected.
EU SHIPPING NOTES: If you are ordering from the EU please be aware that that goods may be subject to import VAT when they arrive from the UK. The prices the SDE shop charge you do not include VAT

Tracklisting

Optical Delusion Orbital /

    • Dolby Atmos, HD-Master Audio 5.1, Hi-Res Stereo (96/24), Alternative Stereo Mix (Flat Transfer) (96/24)
      1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (feat. The Mediaeval Baebes)
      2. Day One (feat. Dina Ipavic
      3. Are You Alive? (feat. Penelope Isles)
      4. You Are The Frequency (feat. The Little Pest)
      5. The New Abnormal
      6. Home (feat. Anna B Savage)
      7. Dirty Rat – With Sleaford Mods
      8. Requiem For The Pre Apocalypse
      9. What A Surprise (feat. The Little Pest)
      10. Moon Princess (feat. Coppe)

      Bonus tracks

      1. The Crane (feat. Dina Ipavic)
      2. Year Of The Bat
      3. Lost In Time

The SDE Surround Series is an ongoing collaboration between SuperDeluxeEdition.com and likeminded artists and record labels, where we deliver spatial audio via physical product. The products are available exclusively via theSDEshop.com and the programme started in January this year

SuperDeluxeEdition.com helps fans around the world discover physical music and discuss releases. To keep the site free, SDE participates in various affiliate programs, including Amazon and earns from qualifying purchases.

Related Content

132 Comments

132 thoughts on “Orbital’s ‘Optical Delusion’ is #6 in the SDE Surround Series”

  1. Just a warning– you might want to adjust your center channel before playing this release back. It helped a lot to make this album sound as great as it should! I love the fact this was mixed in Atmos… but one of the issues other 5.1 and Atmos releases have solved crops up in this one for me. Since movies are mixed so often with low dialogue, my home system (like many others) is set up for a boosted center channel to account for that low dialogue– so a lot of the vocals on this album were really loud. I had to go back into the speaker setup to adjust just for this album (I wish my receiver had a simpler adjustment for this… but that’s a whole other problem). A lot of other releases such as the Pink Floyd Immersion series and the new Animals release seem to account for this by mixing center as a “phantom” center… a combination of the front Left and Right channels so the vocals sit well in the mix. Something to consider in future mixes? Thanks though. Love the album and the sound once I got my speakers set correctly for it.

  2. Hi, I have just received my copy of Optical Delusions. Thanks for the opportunity to be able to purchase new albums with Dolby Atmos mixes on blu-ray audio. The SDE shop is gradually becoming the only place where those are still available.

    One technical comment about this London Records release: just as the Shakespears Sister one, this blu-ray offers a highly compressed stereo track that doesn’t take advantage of the format. Audio quality can be compared to CD. That’s not what hi-res is meant to deliver…

  3. Wow, loving this release. Plenty of options on the sound selection, plus the bonus of the instrumental album! What a fabulous start to Saturday evening!

  4. The blu-ray arrived this morning and just got around to giving it a spin. In Atmos it sounds fantastic and for me it’s the best release of the series so far from a surround sound perspective. There’s sounds coming from all over the place. Bravo Paul, keep ’em coming

  5. My Orbital blu-ray dropped through the letterbox this morning and i am now having my first listen, one word… WOW!!
    It’s a real good album and definitely one of there best, and such a joy to listen to in high resolution surround sound. I still vividly remember buying the (FFRR) cassette single of ‘Chime’ way back in 1990 and from that moment on I never looked back with Orbital.

    Thanks to all involved for making this happen

  9. Oh well, gone, I was just on my cruise the past few days & just got off on US soil in LA, CA today…no way of ordering while at sea or out of the country, in Mexico…hopefully some copies will pop up in the future…please don’t blame me for not ordering in the window of time allotted, the timing was terrible for me cuz of this trip, which as a music festival, was as brilliant as any Glastonbury, but it was on a cruise ship, a floating hotel…

  10. I’m torn between this exclusive and the 2 disc signed CD on Townsend.
    Does anyone know what’s on the second CD which is touted as a CD single?

    2. 2-1 Dirty Rat (Instrumental) 5:17
      2-2 Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (Instrumental) 4:10
      2-3 Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (Breakage Remix) 3:05
      2-4 Oxygène (Extended Version) [Featuring Clou]* 7:34

      *this is basically the track “Are You Alive?” with French lyrics sung by a French singer

  11. Just Pre-ordered and delighted to see that this is the next release in the SDE surround series. It will be great to experience the Hartnoll brothers first foray into surround sound for 22 years after the 2001 5.1 mix of “The Altogether” was released on dvd.
    For any other SDE members who are remotely interested in surround sound and electronic music I can highly recommend the 5.1 mixes of Greedy Baby by Plaid, Everything everything live by Underworld and the entire 5.1 dts cd output by the late Pete Namlook (both as a solo artist and in collaboration with others!) on Namlooks own Fax records label.

  12. I’m curious, what Orbital creates this time. Ordered the Blu-ray, couldn’t resist the Atmos Mix. Do you know whether the “Alternative Stereo Mix” will be tuned for speakers or headphones? Were any HRTFs used?

  13. I listened to some Orbital last night as I couldn’t recall anything of theirs. I wasn’t too keen on what I heard so will probably give this release a miss.

    Will there be enough slipcases for Tears for Fears and Propaganda available so I could add them to a future purchase as i’m in Australia and would prefer to bundle them with something that has tracked shipping?

    2. I don’t think I have anything by Orbital in my huge collection, but have one album by Paul Hartnoll which has some tracks I really adore… So I also listened to some more Orbital and it didn’t force me to say yes – some very fine soundscapes are there but some distracting vocals (to me), too – especially the one new track, where the “vocals” make me want to never hear it again.
      But the album contained as purely instrumental album will be in this package, so I’m left indecicive with this one, as I really like the idea of being surrounded in music…

  14. So happy that I will be able to order this on Payday – after paying for the special edition of The Miracle box set the rest of this month might be a bit tight. Much appreciated.

  16. Paul,

    In another post someone mentioned setting up a SDE Surround Series subscription service. As a slight add to that idea (although I’m sure it might be a logistical headache) if you could offer bundles of, say #6, 7, & 8 that weren’t shipped until #8 was announced and ready to go, with a single shipping cost for all 3, you might get some more people purchasing these. I see some others saying the shipping puts the price at a point where they can’t afford it. For me the shipping cost is more than half the cost of each disc, and I’m on the fence about the Orbital one as electronic music has never really grabbed me – but I am intrigued as to how it would sound in a surround environment. As you are doing a great job ensuring that each album is top quality and worthy of a surround mix, I would gladly blind (i.e. without knowing what the artists are going to be for #7 or 8) pre-purchase a bundle – this release along with some future ones in the series – with a single shipping cost and future shipping date. Unlike some, I am not concerned if I get something on/near release date, as long as I know it I have a guaranteed purchase. Just an idea.

    On another note, you mentioned the INXS one that never worked out. Have there been any other artists that haven’t worked out that you can now mention?

    1. Where do you live? There’s only a few places where shipping is £12 and that’s Australia, Japan etc.

      Also now that these aren’t limited by number and people have two weeks to pre-order I don’t see the point of a subscription model. How does it benefit the customer?

      1. Thanks for the reply. I live in NZ. Yes, I understand the subscription service idea is now moot – my suggestion was more toward lowering shipping costs for some purchasers, but I understand the idea could be problematic.

      2. Hi Paul,

        i totally get Ryk.’s point…and i’m not in NZ but in the EU.

        So far i’ve ordered 4 of the 5 releases in the surround series.

        Two of them were standalone items ordered, where the item cost was £22.

        Add £8 for shipping, £5,70 for German VAT and about £5 for handling fee of DHL and you end up on a whopping £40,70 for the whole experience.

        When you regard that the original item price already included UK VAT less than half of the total sum ends up on your counter and with that i have a problem.

        As you write when you ask us to rate new releases: It doesn’t have to be inexpensive but is it worth the money.
        I clearly struggle to give a positive answer to that question with said orders because as glad as i support YOUR work that doesn’t naturally extend to the services of two countries and two postal services.

        So i was really in doubt after ordering the first two installments of the series if i should continue buying the releases of the series and left out No. 3 and 4 because i’m not that much into Gilbert O’Sullivan and have the album by Shakespears Sister twice already on cd.

        When you announced that No. 5 would be Brian Eno’s new album i was fighting with myself as i’m a big fan of Eno’s special soundscapes but in the end i decided against ordering it because of the cost.

        I changed my mind virtually the last minute before the order window closed after noticing that the Shakespears Sister album was (to my surprise) still available and it also helped that this would come with the slipcase for No. 1 of the series.

        This time the calculation is as follows:
        £44 for two br-a and one slipcase plus £10 for shipping plus £10,26 for German VAT plus about £5 handling fee, summing up to £69,26 which is still expensive but at least this time regarding British VAT a bit more than half of it should end up on your doorstep (to be clear, i’m quite aware that this is not your gain because you clearly have to pay for the product yourself too).

        Now with No. 6 i’ve the same problem as with No. 3 before. I’m just not that much into Orbital to paying more than £40 for their new record without a chance of listening to it first.

        But then again, it comes with the slipcase of No. 2 which i ordered…

        I sure don’t want to rain on your parade Paul as i really appreciate everything you’re doing in support of physical music-related releases, i just had the impression that you’re not quite getting the criticism that Ryk. and before him others if not so detailed have uttered.

        I hope you can understand our POV a bit better now.

        1. I have spent a lifetime buying music from America and Japan and getting charged expensive shipping charges and having to pay import duty etc. I’m not writing letters to the retailers complaining about it because it is what it is.

          The SDE shipping charges are very reasonable. An £8 tracked service to America is great value I feel (tracked shipping to Europe is also £8, you only paid £10 because you ordered two and costs are based on weight). I also think the price of the product is good for what you are getting. We are giving away the slipcases for free. The only pain in the arse, which I acknowledge, is the post-Brexit charges. The systems, resources and time required to change this are not really an option for a small set-up like SDE and the level of European sales don’t justify it. Obviously it pains me when people say ‘I won’t be buying’ due to the charges etc. but I understand. I decided not to buy the coloured vinyl Duran Duran reissues because shipping from Rough Trade in the USA was £100 (just shipping). There would probably be another £50-60 worth of import duty. I didn’t want to pay £250 for 4 records. Someone in America can buy all four for around £125, half of what I’d have to pay. That’s how it goes.

          1. Being in the UK, I have to agree with Paul. It’s the same the other way round as well. There’s lots of non-UK material especially Japanese, I would like to order but have to balance between need and cost. It would be true to say these are not limited like SDE’s releases but will sell out over time.
            As a record collector I knew Brexit would be bad for me but it seems it has also impacted the rest of the world with trade deals. On top of that, the Corona virus has also impacted delivery options from Japan.
            VAT seems to be a law to itself, it seems we’re having to pay twice since Brexit.
            As for handling charges by the courier company for paying import taxes, it isn’t so bad if you’ve purchased something expensive and expect it. A few years ago I got charged £1 import tax but the Royal Mail handling fee at the time was £12, what a con!
            I’m fortunate that I have a friend in the USA that I can mail all my US purchases to and pick them up once a year.

          2. In the Halcyon days before COVID and the Trump disruption of the UPU and Amazon, I could buy CDs and have them shipped to the US from Amazon UK cheaper then they could be acquired from Amazon UK by people in the UK. All because Amazon UK took off VAT (18%?) which was more then the postage (£3.08). So a £12 CD cost less than £12. The UD doesn’t put import duty on items under $400. Post COVID etc., the cost of a CD to me from Amazon UK has almost doubled. While VAT is removed, they add US sales tax to both the cost of item and shipping which has been raised to £10.97. So the final cost for a £12 CD is around £21.70.

            This dramatic cost increase is why I don’t by just CDs anymore. I buy CD or higher resolution downloads so I can save money to pay for boxed sets and multi-channel releases. SDE’s Atmos Blu-rays are special and paying£30 for one is acceptable, IMO. I am just glad I don’t have to pay import duty or US sales tax on top of UK VAT for them.

        2. It works both ways though, as a big fan of various European synth/industrial bands obtaining latest releases via shipping to the UK more often than not doubles the cost of any item. Sometimes they are available via Amazon UK but again at a higher price than bigger/established artists. The same applies for Bandcamp where pretty much anything that isn’t shipped from the UK is a higher postage cost than the actual release.

          You also have to factor in the cost of living crisis in all parts of the world, the dreaded B word let alone various governments making a total hash of everything…

  17. I suspect many people play their discs in their home theatre set-up, as I do. I have a suggestion for authoring the discs: it would be an improvement, if the discs defaulted to the Dolby Atmos track, from the top menu, upon starting the disc. If this is the case, I don’t have to start my projector every time I insert a blu-ray audio disc, in order to navigate through the menus and start playback. A few blu-ray audio discs are authored in this fashion and it is really appreciated by me!

  18. Brilliant, Paul! I’m really enjoying the Brian Eno, which arrived just two days ago and I have now preordered the Orbital. I’ll bet this will shake the foundations as much as the Dolby Atmos mix on Yello’s Point did. Fantastic that you have a diverse selection of music coming out on this series. And a big thumbs up for bonus tracks too – the bonus tracks on Yello’s Point blu-ray were even better than the album list.

    It’s taken a very long while for multichannel music to be discovered again – I started collecting multichannel SACDs in 2000 but everything multichannel died until the short-lived blu-ray pure audio series in 2014 (where most blu-rays released did not have multichannel options). For the last twenty years, the listening experience of music has just got worse and worse, with compression and brick-walling making music miserable for anyone with a decent set-up. I’ve pretty much stopped purchasing any new music on CD’s, because they invariably sound so horrible. I’m reluctant to purchase huge box-sets, containing vinyl, books and what-not, simply to get hold of a multi-channel disc. I simply don’t have shelf-space available, after 40 years of purchasing physical media. Congratulations for releasing stand-alone blu-rays, without lots of paraphernalia!

    So, thanks again for starting this and I hope it will be very successful for you, as more and more people discover the joys of uncompressed, multichannel music. You are getting a lot of well-deserved praise, over at Quadrophonicquad.com, where I see you now post.

  20. After listening to Dirty Rat I decided I need this album. It took a couple of days but finally the signed discs as well as bundles including them were made available outside the UK through their own store (which has different bundles than Townsend, even though it’s the same store). Last time I saw this practice was with the last Steps offering. Not sure if Orbital had the same reason behind it, but the error message was it wasn’t available (then again nothing about that on the actual item page!). I also purchased the SDE BluRay :)
    I think the last Orbital album I purchased was In Sides and the Satan Live singles.
    Not really into the vocals of Dirty Rat but the music makes up for it, so I hope the rest is as good or even better.

  21. Well, although I had heard *of* Orbital, I hadn’t really heard them, so I pulled upp some samples on Spotify, and said, my god, how did I miss this?
    Simply magnificent.
    So obviously a blind order, despite the Eno one getting hit by Swedish customs costing me quite a bit more, but still worth it, of course.
    I just love these releases, and your quest and fight for physical media, and I will support it, no matter the cost.

    So thanks Paul, for a great site, and your work for physical, multi channel sound.

  23. Looks like it’s another London Recordings release after Shakespears Sister. Sounds like a very interesting proposition, but I am not totally enthusiastic. The Hormonally Yours blu-ray had a quite Lo-Fi sounding stereo track (mega compressed) that nobody seems to have noticed (of course we normally buy those blu-ray audio discs for the Atmos or 5.1 mixes). But the stereo track is just as important for me, and I’m afraid that the stereo mix on this Orbital blu-ray is going to be as “neglected” as the Shakespears Sister stereo mix was. But as we are dealing with different engineers and as this is a new album and not a remastered one, the end result might be very different. I hope so…

  24. Just out of ignorance (I’d really love this Bluray) if I don’t have the “set up” for surround sound etc and just play this via a normal TV/Bluray player set up, would I hear any noticeable difference to just a regular CD??

    1. Not if it’s coming out of TV speakers. You’d need at least a soundbar I think. There is the hi-res, instrumentals and bonus tracks to enjoy even without Atmos and 5.1

  25. Not a band that I am over familiar with at all, I have 30 Something and that’s it. Am absolutely loving Dirty Rat though, could be a lost Prodigy track from around Firestarter/Breathe period, has similar attitude and confrontational lyrics. Will be very interested to hear this album. Any recommendations for other Orbital CDs from SDE fans please. Love your commitment to these releases Paul, long may they continue, need someone to support this format of releases. Unfortunately I don’t have the equipment to enjoy these, so happy to leave for those that will benefit and applaud the hardwork you put into getting them released.

    1. Thoroughly recommend In Sides, probably Orbitals most cinematic work and still fresh sounding today. The DVD version of The Altogether is quite fun too with multiple angles, hidden tracks and little behind the scenes segments. The Glastonbury live CD/DVD set is a good intro to their live repertoire. Hope that helps!

  26. Another great SDE Blu-Ray Surround physical release. Will go nicely with my Tears for Fears, xPropaganda and Brian Eno Blu-Rays. Quite surprised that despite a lot of recordings being mixed or re-mixed for surround be it 5:1 or Atmos, most are exclusive to the streaming platforms. Yet, as described byMark Ayres in the atricle above, streaming would tend to be heavily compressed so a physical release is likely to be one of the few ways that a reliable Hi Res surround playback can be enjoyed. As such these limited SDE releases are to be applauded.
    One thing that I was really surprised at, as mentioned elsewhere on this site, was the decision not to include a surround/Atmos Blu-ray in The Beatles Revolver boxset despite previous boxset releases of other Beatles albums including such. Yet you will be able to stream the Revolver Atmos mix. I hear the arguments that commentators may have of some boxsets that include Vinyl with CD’s, “but I don’t have a turntable and I don’t want it” ……etc. The same could also be said with including a surround/Atmos disc in such a package. But in such scenarios, much like SDE are demonstrating here, why can’t there be a limited physical release for those that would want it? In fact Paul, could you have a word ‘Mr Apple’ and possibly release Revolver as part of the SDEBlu-Ray Surround program? I’m sure it would be most appreciated and quite popular!!!

    1. Mr Apple was paid a lot of money to make the Revolver Atmos streaming exclusive.
      Neither the best technical way to present it or the wishes of fans were a consideration.
      BTW Neil Young said this week there will be a surround of Harvest released at the same time as the 50th anniversary sets but once again it will be streaming exclusive because that was the deal Reprise negotiated.

  27. Was hoping this series was going to focus on classic albums from the 80/90s that have stood the test if time, primarily classics from groups who for one reason or another didn’t have a sustained career but did have releases worthy of such treatment, so deserve attention other labels wouldn’t give them.
    New albums, unheard by the time you want preorders confirmed, in my humble opinion just don’t make sense for such early treatment, unless of course were talking big names who are of course tied up. So classics by ABC, TTD, even your mate Paul Young would form a timeless collection, given their albums have stood the test of time and have made a big impact on many of our lives. My opinion of course.

    1. There is a flaw in your assessment – the opportunity has to exist. Record labels aren’t opening up their archives and saying “sure Paul, pick what you want and we’ll do it”. Even when there is a clear opportunity – like for George Michael’s ‘Older’ – I could not get Sony interested. They are not obliged to give me a reason, but of course it’s frustrating as I knew that would be very successful (as it turned out, Sony and team GM missed out on a UK number one album because of it). If you can persuade Sony to a) remix No Parlez in Atmos and b) Give SDE an exclusive physical edition then I’m all ears.

      Also, new albums are sometimes future classics. I’d say that is the case for both Tears For Fears and xPropaganda and this new Orbital album is superb (I’m not going to release something I haven’t heard).

    2. The chances are older bands (particularly from the eighties) will have already released various deluxe editions in one format or another. I mean how many versions does anyone really need of Lexicon of Love for example…

    4. The Atmos mix of ABC’s “Lexicon of Love” (Steven Wilson btw) has a tentative release date of Spring 2023. A bit late for the 40th anniversary, but better late than never they say.

  29. This series is the biggest no-brainer I have seen on this site. This particular release even has the instrumentals in Atmos! Very well done Paul! Keep ‘‘em coming. I ordered the slipcase too so I think I got all the slipcases now. I’m not too familiar with Orbital but I love electronic music, this will be great!

  31. I’ve always thought that great Electronic music should be enjoyed in surround sound. And Orbital are great!!!

    Thanks Paul. Keep ’em coming.

  34. Though I lost touch with Orbital after Snivilisation, I love it when Atmos mixes use the whole system, Yello’s – Point being a wonderful example. And with all the extras on this one – bonus tracks and instrumentals, all in stereo, 5.1, and Atmos, this is what a surround blu-ray should always be. So not much of a reach to want this. And to get the xPropaganda slip cover too. Yippee!

    I see someone already has the Gilbert O’Sullivan Blu-ray on eBay for $90 :-(

  39. Does anyone know how the 3 bonus tracks and instrumentals on this Blu-ray compare to the mysterious bonus CD content in that artist-direct-and-horrendously-priced-with-exorbitant-shipping-costs bundle?

    I have to say, this SDE Surround series has been an absolute joy for me to see in its concept and execution. Keep ’em coming, Paul! Let me know if you ever need suggestions for the next one (mainstream or eclectic). You know, electronic artist Plaid has a new album coming out…

  41. Hi everybody! Instant order! Received Eno the other day but not heard yet. Ordered the bundle with Propaganda slipcase. Can the Tears slipcase be added please? Many thanks Paul!!!

  42. Was very excited to see Mark Ayres (or MArk, as he writes it) did the mix on this! He has also been doing all the audio remixing and Stereo updates for the fantastic classic Dr. Who Blu Ray sets that have been sneaking out about 3-4 a year for a few years now. They have all been stellar so I can confidentially feel this will be, too! I have had the pleasure to meet him a couple of times and he is an extremely friendly and good fellow.

  43. Clearly an excellent product, but the overall package/bundle situation for the release is an absolute pain. People buying bundles from the official store get a bonus CD, although the contents aren’t finalised yet. But there’s currently no option to buy the two CDs together, meaning to get the bonus disc you have to buy the 2LP version as well. Not much use for me as I won’t play it, and also very pricey for those of us having to watch our wallets at the moment. Anyone wanting the three bonus tracks will then have to go to Amazon to purchase a second version of the album anyway. And now there’s a BluRay version with instrumental mixes on, which might not be available elsewhere. I bought Paul’s 8:58 album as a deluxe 2CD and mostly listen to the second disc because I prefer the instrumentals to the vocal versions, and I was hoping that would be a possibility here. However, listening to BluRay isn’t a possibility for me at any point in the foreseeable future, meaning there’s a chance I’ll be missing out on versions of the tracks I might prefer.
    I know that with physical sales in their current state, bundles and store exclusives are simply a part of the industry these days, but for me it’s particularly difficult this time as I’ll need to end up buying at least three versions of the album to get all of the tracks, one of which I won’t even really be able to play. Orbital were the first band I ever bought a CD by with my own money (‘The Box’ when I was 11), so they hold a special place in my heart, but it looks like this time around I’ll end up having to not own some of their music, for the first time since 1996.

    1. just to be clear – there is an option on the official site to buy a signed cd and the bonus cd for just £15.
      Not that you shouldn’t buy the bluray as well….

      1. Thanks Simon – yes, this was added after my comment. Should keep the cost down, although it still means I’ll have to buy the Amazon version to get the bonus tracks, which is still a bit of a ludicrous situation to my mind. Be nice if there was just one package to tie everything up.
        As I said, BluRay isn’t really an option for me.

  44. Oooh, really want this but the timing sucks for me because of my upcoming vacation & cruise out of LA…this kinda cuts into my vacay budget…flying out there on Halloween, departing on November 3 for Mexico & back on US soil on November 8…only if the window is closed after the 8th, I’d be good…may have to squeeze it a little bit next week before my flight… don’t want to miss on this because of timing…if you can hold one aside for me Paul for when I get back, that would be ideal, but I know you can’t do that…I do get paid from my job on November 4, but I will not have access cuz I will be out to sea…have to make this work somehow…and yes I want that xPropaganda slipcase, knew it wasn’t being packaged with the Eno (which arrived, great & cool spot varnished booklet too)…and good to know about the Gilbert O’Sullivan, looking forward to getting that…maybe you can send the xPropaganda slipcase with the Gilbert?? As not sure 100% if I will make it with the Orbital, as much as I want to…on a side note, always confuse Orbital with The Orb, I dig both…

  45. Ordered. Hey Paul, with all the Elvis stuff at the shop, it would be such a nice Christmas present to announce a surround mix of Imperial Bedroom :) — just dreaming! Thanks again for all this amazing work–Tim

  47. This is blooming brilliant (insert a Rik Mayall impersonation here). The art work is reminiscent of In Sides and Monsters Exist.

    Can’t wait. I’m going to tally some of my mates and see how many also want this!
    Genius move Paul!

  48. Paul, when I received my Shakespears Sister BD there was also a Tears For Fears slipcase, although I didn’t buy the latter. Was I meant to get the xPropaganda instead, which I did purchase from you?
    I am not sure I want to buy this Orbital release, but if that is the only way I will get the slipcase I might, after all you never promised or mentioned a slipcase when those were put up for pre-order.

      1. Top customer service for not charging.

        Hopefully momentum will build behind the series and will lead to more attention from record companies and lead to more releases of streaming only content in to the series e.g. Seal.

  49. Just ordered, would also be good if their classic album “In Sides” got the same treatment. Paul, I just read that Jean Michel Jarre’s new album Oxymore, out today, has a Dolby Atmos mix (and binaural mix as download only) but the Atmos mix is only available via streaming, no physical product. That would make a great one for the release series (as would a lot of his classic albums).

    1. Just ordered, would also be good if their classic album “In Sides” got the same treatment.

      I am 100% with you on this one. Paul – In Sides is definitely my favorite album of theirs, and I’d be ecstatic to see a new release with the HD stereo mixes but also surround treatment. It’d be really great to see the whole Orbital catalog receive this treatment, for that matter.

  51. Asking for a friend, are the discs region coded? I have 4 of the first 5 Surround Series and can’t see any region coding, so assuming it’s like 4K BluRays with their lack of any region blocking.

  53. My Brian Eno arrived on Monday and am very happy with it (you were right Paul wasn’t expecting spot varnishing in the booklet.)

    Will order this without xPropaganda slipcase as I don’t have the BD.

    Paul, have you missed a trick by not charging £10 for the slipcases just like Bowies empty box :)

  54. Never heard of Orbital. Still not received Gilbert and I pay 39 % VAT on this. Still ordered without hesitation. Fantastic series and it is essential to support SDE !

    2. For anyone wanting to investigate further into Gilbert’s excellent back catalogue, there is a new 3CD set, The Best Of, out on Union Square on the 18th November. This collection takes the listener from 1971’s ‘Himself’ right up to, including, this years’ ‘Driven’.

  55. Orbital? Instant purchase! One of my all time favorites, saw them twice in the 90s; they autographed my Snivilisation CD cover, and seemed like very nice people. Sleaford Mods? Instant purchase! Love the band, saw them earlier this year. Love this track, listened to it multiple times yesterday. I’m sure it’s a bit of a one-off, but much of Orbital‘s recent output has been quite excellent regardless, and all the bonus tracks, too? Ticking every single box. Cannot WAIT for the Atmos, excellent choice, Paul.

    (Incidentally, they did a 5.1 mix for The Altogether – would love to see that resurrected someday.)

  60. Was wondering only yesterday about xPropaganda slipcases, and then this marvellous notification popped up. Thanks @pauls another great choice and order placed

  61. Orbital on blu-ray… instant purchase! I love the variety of the SDE Surround Series.

    Special mention for Sleaford Mods. This track should be played *LOUD* 24/7 outside of parliament.

  62. Another no brainer. Ordered. Really good to have the instrumentals and bonus tracks included too. Have to say that so far the atmos and 5.1 mixes in the SDE Surround series have been excellent. The atmos format really lends itself to electronic music so perfect for a band like Orbital. Listened to the Brian Eno atmos mix on the blu-ray for the first time yesterday. That was almost surreal. I felt like Brian Eno was hovering above my head! – great work on obtaining these exclusives Paul. Can’t wait to hear what the next spatial release will be!

  64. Loving your work here Paul to bring us Atmos mixes on physical media and the ones I have purchased so far have been brilliant. I was rather excited about this one until I heard the Sleaford Mods contribution. I appreciate that you mention the rest of the album has less “in your face” tracks so I will try and listen to some more of the tracks before pre-ordering. Dirty Rat is, in my opinion, difficult to listen to though.

    1. Thanks for your comments and interest. Not sure if any other music will become available in the pre-order window, that’s the only thing. Nothing else on the album is really anything like ‘Dirty Rat’.

    2. I agree. Love Orbital (not so much ‘The Mods’) so I’m glad an instrumental version of Dirty Rat is available on the disc. Back in the days of physical singles, I could see an Orbital mix (i.e. instrumental) being an additional track, just glad it’s here.

  65. It really is refreshing to see a bit of vitriol/venom being aimed at our (mis)rulers.
    Something clearly lacking in music at the moment despite being needed.

    1. Agreed most in the biz only speak out against the public like blaming us for the planet ‘warming’. Only 0.1% own all the assets, not us the public, no need for us to argue against eah other.

  66. Ordered and many thanks for adding the xpropaganda slipcase free, so looking forward to hearing this one and great that there’s extra tracks and instrumentals, great work.

Leave a Reply