Search - William Orbit :: Strange Cargo

Proto-Ambient Classic.

D. Pfeiffer | Georgia, USA | 04/10/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most people hadn't even heard of 'ambient' when this album came out. I first bought it on vinyl when it came out on the IRS NoSpeak label which was dedicated to instrumental music (other releases included Billy Currie and Stewart Copeland). At the time it was a novel idea. Not many people were making instrumental music. Nor had the popularity of electronc music in general surged to the proportions it enjoys today. There are moments of sheer brilliance on this album. Orbit chose not to craft his sound as discreetly as Eno's but instead used the addition of electric guitar solos, drums and lots of keyboards. What you got was a sort of spaceman-crime fighter soundtrack. Don't forget, Miami Vice was still on TV when this bad boy came out and people thought Jan Hammer was a genius! The dance beats that permeated the later Strange Cargo releases didn't appear on this album because no one at the time had thought to mix the elements. Moby and the Orb still had yet to appear! Given that, this album made a great contribution to the thriving electronic scene we enjoy today. Pick it up now, enjoy and file under proto-ambient."

This is rather dull...

P. C. Van Dongen | Den Haag, Netherlands | 05/17/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After having heard Strange Cargo III, I thought I should try out the original Strange Cargo, but it is surprisingly mediocre. It makes good background music (i.e. elevator music). It's just too understated, not *out there* enough. Don't buy this if you're hoping for the more recent William Orbit sound."

Solid early electronica

Michael Strom | Chicago, IL USA | 02/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 1st Strange Cargo CD is a very satisfying varied mix of electronic styles, beats with some good old fashioned electric guitars (well, at least that's what they sound like). Some of it sounds like dramatic background music from a spy flick, some is slow, some is fast, the themes tend to develop in interesting lines. Despite what the Amazon reviewer says, this is not soulless machine music. If you are not fond of synths & sequencers, this won't work for you, but you don't have to be a tech-geek to like this stuff. I think it is easily the most interesting and varied of Orbit's Strange Cargo series, although all three have their own merits."