Little fluffy thanks to The Orb's Alex Paterson

Actually, big fluffy thanks goes out to The Orb's Alex Paterson. Alex has very kindly taken the time out to write a great little piece for my book. As with so many DJs and electronic musicians he recognises the genius of E2-E4 and the importance it has had on the genre to which his music belongs.

To have Dr. Alex contribute to the book is very special for me. Being of a tender(ish) age my first experiences of listening to ambient music came not from Brian Eno, but from listening to the The Orb's UFOrb album, back in my student digs in 1993 (coincidentally I was also listening to Gong's Angel's Egg during the same period - thanks, Steve Hillage). Anyway, I can still remember listening to UFOrb's opening track, O.O.B.E. at dusk in my room, my Doc Marten boots rested on my desk, as I grappled with what was a new musical vocabulary for me. At first I was a tad puzzled. There was no discernable tune in a conventional sense but I knew there was something more than intriguing....patterns and textures that kept me coming back for more. In the end I got to know every twist and turn of the album and then moved on to Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld and was similarly absorbed. Memories, memories.......

I've followed The Orb's music through the years and their latest project, C Batter C, is a CD/DVD package, contained in mini-hardback book format. The music and visuals are based around footage of Alex's father, captured on camera by his aunt Lil on a journey from Battersea to Greenwich and back in 1956. A sort of meditation on the fragility of memories, this is moving stuff.

Thanks, Alex for your words towards the book. As with Steve Hillage's contribution this means a great deal to me.