William Orbit is to release ‘The Painter’, his first brand new album in over eight years. With a sound that is beautiful and unmistakably Orbit, it is released on 26 August through Warner Records and is available to pre-order now or pre-save on streaming sites.
The album’s debut single ‘Colours Colliding (feat. Polly Scattergood)’, epitomises the angelic sound of the entire album – wistful, dreamy and all carried along with a delicate piano hook… listen to it now.
The long awaited follow up to his 2014 self-released ‘Orbit Symphonic’, ‘The Painter’ is William at his captivating best. Bringing together his quintessential and distinctive electro pop production and songwriting, combined with a plethora of vocal collaborations, including those he has previously worked with including Katie Melua and Beth Orton, as well as working with artists from around the world including the like-minded-electro-pop artist Polly Scattergood, Mercury Award nominee and pioneering synth-pop innovator Georgia, trip-hop sensation from Colorado Natalie Walker, vocalist and songwriter of Hot Natured and Infinity Ink’s Ali Love, Columbia eclectic and pioneering Lido Pimienta, the multi-talented Ghanian producer, song-writer vocalist Gloria Kaba, American born composer and songwriter Laurie Mayer and the sampled vocal from the incredible Tanzanian musician Hukwe Zawose.
The album is an emotional outpouring of art for Orbit who also designed and painted all of the record’s artwork. On making the record Obit says, “I had been away from music making for some years, holed up in a beach town in California, painting, and writing about my life and reflecting on general observations. Then, back in London, inspiration struck with a vengeance. I was feeling the same spirit as I had in the mid 90s.
“It was a blessing to have the exquisite contributions from the artists who appear on the album. And a thrill to explore new technologies. It is one of my very best, with the difference being gaining an understanding of a totally new landscape of means to present it to people’s ears”
William Orbit is one of the most successful and accomplished record producers in the world. With a career that spans six decades, accounts for over 200 million record sales and multiple Grammy and Ivor Novello Award wins, his return to music with ‘The Painter’ has been with the same passion, inventiveness and creative desire as his first.
After an extraordinary and challenging period of inactivity (more in 2022 biog here), William was ready to make new music: “I felt as on fire as I last did in about 1996” he exclaims – a time when he was unquestionably THE worlds producer-of-choice and worked with U2, Blur, Madonna, All Saints and countless others.
His twelfth studio album, is named ‘The Painter’ after he chanced upon a flyer for ‘vino and Van Gogh’ (adult art classes) – “you turn up, get drunk and mess around with cheap acrylics. I fell in love with it!” – it influenced the making of this album, realising whilst making it it was… “a very painty kind of album”!
William has ambitious plans for ‘The Painter’. “I want people to hear this,” he states. “I’m going to do some amazing versions of the songs, and I’m going to tour it. I’ll work this album really hard! And then, after all this, I’ll go and produce for other artists again and become a pop tart. Because…” He pauses, and with a mix of amazement and relief, he adds: “…I like making music again!”
