William Freaking Orbit – is that what WFO stands for? It should, as the man sometimes known as Billy Bubbles is back with a smashing new album.
A self-produced and self-released affair, WFO dropped on Bandcamp, instead of through one of the monopolies. It features artwork by Orbit, in his familiar fluoro style, and his new logo. Stylistically, it spans the gamut – from Strange Cargo to Pieces in a Modern Style. Instead of seeking out vocalists to collaborate with, as he did on 2022’s The Painter, Orbit has decided to let the music speak for itself.
The great thing about Orbit’s approach is that he dabs in delay and fills in the lines with epic electronics. He knows his way around a symphony, but also how to pull out the strings for the dancefloor. Orbit is as happy with plant-based dub (“Babel Fish”) as he is with four-to-the-floor bangers (“Concrete Butterfly”). The focus of WFO is on the staring-at-the-stars end of the scale, but there are tracks like “JD 800 ooo” that remind you this is an artist who can shake the walls and test the limits of the largest sound systems.
Orbit’s former home and studio, just around the corner from Cold War Night Life Towers, was in London’s Crouch End. It gets checked in “Crouch End Massive,” which sounds like an amped-up version of “Scorpion.” Left to his own devices, this is what ends up on Strange Cargo albums or gets lifted by major artists for their own glories.
There are musical hints and Easter eggs galore throughout the album. “Royal Flush” references two Orbit-produced Madonna tracks – “Ray of Light” and “Beautiful Stranger” – but there are more gems buried in the arrangements. “My Way” is in there, somewhere. And there is a message in that.