Look up hinterland in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland^{[clarification needed]}, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for shipping elsewhere is that port's hinterland. The term is also used to refer to the area around a city or town.

Etymology and usage[link]

Hinterland was from German, where it means literally "the land behind" (a city, a port, or similar),^[1] with the English cognate hind land.^[2] In English, the term was first used in 1888 by George Chisholm in his work Handbook of Commercial Geography.^[3] In German this word sometimes also describes the part of a country where there are only a few people and where the infrastructure is underdeveloped; although Provinz (equal to "province") is more common. The direct analogy in English is "backcountry" or "the countryside". See also the Bush of Alaskan and the Outback of Australian usage.

Hinterland means a rural area surrounding the urban catchment of large cities or agglomerations. It is characterized by a less dense population and infrastructure. In shipping usage, a port's hinterland is the area that it serves, both for imports and for exports. The size of a hinterland can depend on geography, but also on the ease, speed, and cost of transportation between the port and the hinterland.^[4]

By analogy, it is the area surrounding a service from which customers are attracted, also called the market area.

Hinterland was applied also to the surrounding areas of former European colonies in Africa, which, although not part of the colony itself, were influenced by the colony.

A further sense in which the term is commonly applied, especially of British politicians, is in talking about an individual's depth and breadth of knowledge of other matters (or lack thereof), specifically of cultural, academic, artistic, literary and scientific pursuits. For instance, one could say, "X has a vast hinterland", or "Y has no hinterland". The spread of this usage is usually credited to Denis Healey (British Defence Secretary 1964-1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer 1974-1979) and his wife Edna Healey, initially in the context of the supposed lack of hinterland of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.^[5]

References[link]

Casey Dienel
Background information
Origin	Scituate, Massachusetts
Genres	Pop Indie pop Dream Pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, pianist, composer
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Dead Oceans, Hush Records
Associated acts	White Hinterland
Website	White Hinterland

Casey Dienel (born March 10, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. She released her debut album, Wind-Up Canary, in 2006 on Hush Records. Dienel presently performs and records as White Hinterland, whose first album, titled Phylactery Factory, was released on March 4, 2008, by the independent record label Dead Oceans.

Biography[link]

Casey Dienel spent the bulk of her young life living in Scituate, Massachusetts. She took her first piano lessons at age 4, and at age 14 began writing her own pop songs.^[1] While attending Scituate High School, Dienel formed a short-lived band named The Bong Loads.

After high school, Dienel moved to Boston to attend the New England Conservatory of Music, having turned down an offer of acceptance from Sarah Lawrence College. After one semester of studying classical vocals, she opted to switch her major to classical composition. During her two years at the conservatory, Dienel studied with many notable musicians, including jazz vocalist Dominique Eade and composer Lee Hyla, before taking an indefinite leave of absence to pursue her own music career.

While living in Boston during her Conservatory years, Dienel met Dylan Metrano of the band Tiger Saw, and was an occasional member of the band's rotating lineup. She currently lives in Portland, OR.^[2]

Wind-Up Canary[link]

During the winter of 2005, Dienel was offered the chance to record for free at an abandoned caretaker's house on a farm in Leominster, Massachusetts. With some Conservatory friends and a piano borrowed from the lobby of a local hotel, she recorded a number of her own songs without any intention of releasing them. Without Dienel's knowledge, a copy of these recordings made its way to Chad Crouch, the head of Hush Records, who contacted her about releasing an album.^[3] Dienel agreed and Hush released the recordings as Wind-Up Canary in March 2006.

Vessels[link]

On November 29, 2006, Casey Dienel announced that she was working with producer Djim Reynolds on recording an EP titled Vessels, and that she hoped to release it in early 2007. Dienel had this to say about the project:

I've had my head shoved in the books for several weeks now, attempting to finish a little EP for your ears that I'm calling Vessels. I can't talk too much about it, for you know how fickle I am when it comes to these things, but hopefully in the new year it will find its way to your hands with ribbons and brass, etc. I can tell you that some sounds are sprawling and some are still quite intimate, and it features a few of my favorite friends with me.^[4]

To date, Vessels remains unreleased—however, there are live recordings and lyrics for the song online.

White Hinterland[link]

On January 4, 2008, after a few months hinting at "change,"^[5] Dienel announced in her blog that "for the present and foreseeable future, there won’t be any more Casey Dienel."^[6] Her blog post coincided with Dead Oceans' announcement of the forthcoming release of White Hinterland's album Phylactery Factory:

2008 is here, and with the new year comes the influx of new albums. Dead Oceans is thrilled to partake in this ritual, and we are enthused to officially welcome White Hinterland to our label family. Led by the talented Casey Dienel, White Hinterland have crafted the mysterious Phylactery Factory, which will arrive in record stores worldwide on March 4, 2008.^[7]

In 2010, White Hinterland (consisting of the duo Dienel and artist/musician/collaborator Shawn Creeden) toured the US and Europe with their album Kairos. A song from this album, "Icarus", was selected by Revlon to be used in their 2010 commercial for Just Bitten Lip Stain, starring Jessica Biel and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Later the same year, "Icarus" was featured in an episode of the ABC Family drama "Pretty Little Liars," as well the fashion show of the winner of the Project Runway (Season 8) finale , Gretchen Jones. The song was also used in the 2010 film It's Kind of a Funny Story.

Discography[link]

As Casey Dienel:

• 2006 Wind-Up Canary (Hush Records)

As White Hinterland:

• 2008 Phylactery Factory (Dead Oceans)
• 2008 "Luniculaire" EP (Dead Oceans)
• 2010 "Kairos" (Dead Oceans)

References[link]

1. ^ Casey Dienel: Shining A Floodlight On The Humanness Of Strippers And At Least One Ladies Man
2. ^ http://wweek.com/editorial/3529/12604/
3. ^ Hush Records: Casey Dienel - "Wind-Up Canary"
4. ^ "Musings - my book report.". Casey Dienel. 2006. http://nonsequitortoise.blogspot.com/2006/11/my-book-report_29.html. Retrieved December 22, 2006. 
5. ^ Musings: Bleating Hearts
6. ^ Musings: Ends in the Beginnings.
7. ^ DeadOceans.com, 01/05/08

External links[link]

• WhiteHinterland.com: official website
• Myspace.com: Casey Dienel's artist page
• Musings: Casey Dienel's blog

Big Boi
Big Boi performing in 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Background information
Birth name	Antwan André Patton
Also known as	Daddy Fat Sax, General Patton, Sir Lucious L. Leftfoot, The Son of Chico Dusty, Sgt. Slaughter, Chief, Billy Ocean, Hot Tub Tony, Francis the Savannah Chitlin' Pimp
Born	(1975-02-01) February 1, 1975 (age 37) Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Genres	Southern hip hop
Instruments	Rapping, keyboards
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Def Jam
Associated acts	OutKast, André 3000, Dungeon Family, Purple Ribbon All-Stars, Mary J. Blige, Janelle Monae, Killer Mike, Pill, Sleepy Brown, Yelawolf
Website	bigboi.com

Antwan André Patton (born February 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Boi, is an American rapper, song-writer, record producer and actor, best known for being a member of American hip hop duo OutKast alongside André 3000. His work in the duo has produced six studio albums. During the duo's hiatus, he and André 3000 each announced plans to release a solo album. Big Boi's solo debut Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty was released in July 2010 to respectable sales and critical acclaim.

Early life[link]

Patton was born and spent the first half of his childhood in Savannah, Georgia, attending Herschel V. Jenkins High School ^[1] before moving to Atlanta with his Aunt Renne. Eventually he decided to pursue his interest in music at Tri-Cities High School, a Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School.

Career[link]

OutKast[link]

He had a strong interest in hip-hop music, and met André "3000" Benjamin while attending Tri Cities High School in the early-1990s. The two eventually joined forces as OutKast and signed with LaFace Records.^[2]

Patton has often used his lyrics to criticize the problems that plague both the African American community and the world. An example is 2003's "War", a scathing attack on the Bush administration and the War on Terror. Another example is 2008's "Sumthin's Gotta Give" with Mary J. Blige talking about the state of America and Barack Obama.

Solo work[link]

After four increasingly successful albums as a duo, the members of OutKast chose to make two solo albums, and release them as a double album under the OutKast name. André 3000 released The Love Below and Big Boi Speakerboxxx. The two albums were packaged together as Speakerboxxx/The Love Below in 2003. Speakerboxxx featured a style similar to OutKast's previous efforts, while The Love Below explored more offbeat territory, with André 3000 mainly singing rather than his usual rapping. One song from each album was released in September 2003 as a single.

Patton's choice was the single "The Way You Move", featuring Sleepy Brown. It was originally supported by urban radio, but then crossed over to pop charts and became almost as big a pop hit as Benjamin's "Hey Ya!". "The Way You Move" supplanted "Hey Ya!" as the #1 song on the US pop charts. The second single from Big Boi's side of the album was "Ghetto Musick", which featured both members of OutKast and a sample from Patti LaBelle's "Love, Need & Want You".

In 2007 after the sixth album under the OutKast name, Idlewild, Big Boi announced plans to release a full fledged solo album. While he had released a previous solo album in Speakerboxxx, it still was technically under the OutKast name. The album was to be titled Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. The album's first promotional single, "Royal Flush", was released in 2007, and featured Raekwon and André 3000. Over the next few years the album saw many delays, but multiple promotional and video singles were released such as "Shine Blockas" featuring Gucci Mane, "For Yo Sorrows" featuring George Clinton and Too $hort and "General Patton" featuring Big Rube. The first official single was "Shutterbugg" featuring Cutty and the second "Follow Us" featuring Vonnegutt. The album was released internationally on July 5. Guest artists include alternative urban songstress Janelle Monae; Big Boi's own new group Vonnegutt; plus established rappers T.I. and B.o.B.^[3] Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty received general acclaim from most music critics, earning praise for its inventive sound, varied musical style, and Big Boi's lyricism.^[4][5]

In a July 2010 interview for The Village Voice, Big Boi revealed that he is working on the follow-up album to Sir Lucious Left Foot, entitled Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, stating that he is "maybe about six songs into it".^[6][7] It is expected for a late-2012 release.^[8]

On February 27, 2011, it was announced that Big Boi is creating a joint album along with rappers Mike Bigga and Pill.^[9] Later that day, Big Boi posted on his Twitter account that he was mixing Mike Bigga's album entitled, "PL3DGE".^[10]

Big Boi announced on May 24, 2012 that he was about 80% complete with his solo album. He also revealed that both he and Andre 3000 would be releasing solo projects prior to any Outkast project. ^[11]

Side projects[link]

Patton and Benjamin star in Idlewild, a film about music during the Depression-era South. The film was released in August 2006. Patton also has plans in the works for a project partnering him with Sleepy Brown. He released a mixtape/compilation album, Got Purp? Vol 2, in conjunction with the Purple Ribbon All-Stars in November 2005 on Purple Ribbon Records; Aquemeni Records had become defunct after Benjamin left the company. The first single from the album was "Kryptonite", which cracked the Billboard Hot 100 and was a hit on hip-hop radio. Patton was also featured on the song "International Players Anthem (I Choose You)", which is the first single off of UGK's new album, Underground Kingz.

In 2006, Big Boi founded the Big Kidz Foundation a nonprofit organization to help youth in Atlanta.^[12] The Foundation's mission is to provide culturally diverse experiences in the field of humanities while helping create socially-conscious youth. In January 2010, Big Boi and the Executive Director, Jennifer Shephard Lester launched the Big Kidz Foundation in Savannah, Georgia.

In 2010, Big Boi launched his custom Chuck Taylor sneakers with Converse.^[13] The shoes feature the title of his Def Jam solo album debut: "Sir Lucious Left Foot" on the left, and "Son of Chico Dusty" on the right. His Big Boi logo is featured on the tongue of the shoe.

On April 28, 2011, Big Boi announced that he would be working with Modest Mouse on their new unnamed album.^[14]

Acting career[link]

Big Boi appeared on Nick Cannon's Wild 'n Out Season 3 as one of the many guest stars, as well as guest starring and appearing as a musical guest on Chappelle's Show performing his song "The Rooster". He is currently reaching more into acting, having appeared in T.I.'s film ATL, OutKast's film Idlewild and starring in the recently released Who's Your Caddy?.

Big Boi is a playable character in the Def Jam: Icon videogame.

He appeared in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Wildlife", which aired November 18, 2008. Big Boi played hip-hop artist "Got$ Money". ^[15]

Multidisciplinary collaborations[link]

In 2008, Big Boi began a collaboration on a new show with the Atlanta Ballet. The show, entitled big, premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, April 10–13, 2008.^[16] The show was performed by Atlanta Ballet dancers, local youth and talent, as choreographed by Lauri Stallings. Music may be performed live onstage during the performance,^[17] as it was when the ballet created a live music/dance collaboration with the Indigo Girls.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Patton is married to Sherlita Patton, with whom he has two children: daughter Jordan and son Cross. Another child, a son named Bamboo, is from a previous relationship. Numerous references to the Patton family are present in Big Boi's rhymes. His younger brother James raps under the name "Lil' Brotha", and is a member of hip-hop group Konkrete, while 'Uncle Donell' was 'locked up in prison' (as mentioned in the song ATLiens) but has now been released. His other brothers, Marcus and Jason, also make their way onto some songs as well.

His wife Sherlita Patton is also the co-owner of a clothing boutique in Atlanta, Georgia called PValentine. She co-owns the store with Tracy Valentine. The expensive brands carried by the store and the ties to Big Boi attract many music artists and other celebrities to the store. The store was featured on an episode of MTV's My Super Sweet 16 when R&B artist Chris Brown went for a birthday gift from Big Boi. He is also a registered pit bull breeder.

In August 2011, Patton was returning from a cruise when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement drug dog at the Port of Miami alerted officers. Patton was arrested and charged with illegal possession of controlled substances Viagra, ecstasy pills and MDMA powder. ^[19] Patton was released from the Miami-Dade County jail on a $16,000 bond.^[20][21]

Discography[link]

• 2010: Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
• 2012: Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors^[22]

Filmography[link]

• 2006: ATL – as Marcus
• 2006: Idlewild – as Rooster
• 2007: Who's Your Caddy?– as C-Note, Christopher Hawkins
• 2009: ^[23]
• 2010: Freaknik: The Musical - as the Preacher

Video games[link]

• 2007: Def Jam: Icon – Himself

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Big Boi

• Official website
• Big Boi at the Internet Movie Database

Rob Hall (14 January 1961 – 11 May 1996), a native of New Zealand, was a mountaineer best known for being head guide of a 1996 Mount Everest expedition in which he, a fellow guide, and two clients perished. A best-selling account of the expedition was given in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. At the time of his death, Hall had ascended Everest more times than any other non-Sherpa mountaineer.

Hall met his future wife, New Zealand medical doctor^[1][2] Jan Arnold, during his Everest summit attempt in 1990. Hall asked Arnold for a date on a climb to Mt. McKinley and later, the two married. In 1993, Rob Hall summited Everest along with Arnold^[1]. In the catastrophic 1996 season, Arnold would have accompanied Hall on his Everest expedition, but she was pregnant. Two months after Hall died on the descent from Everest she gave birth to Sarah, their daughter.

Mountaineering[link]

Hall grew up in New Zealand where he climbed extensively in the Southern Alps. In 1988, Rob Hall met Gary Ball, who would become his climbing partner and close friend. As with most other mountain climbers, Hall and Gary Ball sought corporate sponsorships to fund their expeditions. The partners decided to climb the Seven Summits, but upped the ante by summiting all seven in seven months. Starting with Everest in May, they climbed the last mountain, Antarctica's Vinson Massif, on 12 December 1990, hours before the deadline. After this success, they realized that, in order to retain their sponsorship, each successive climb would have to be more risky and spectacular. Eventually, they would have an accident. Hall and Ball decided to quit professional climbing and form a high-altitude guiding business.

Their company, Adventure Consultants, was incorporated in 1992, and quickly became a premier expedition guiding company. That year, they successfully guided six clients to the top of Everest. In October 1993, Ball died of cerebral edema^[3], leaving Hall to run Adventure Consultants on his own. By 1996, Hall had successfully guided thirty-nine climbers up to the top of Everest. Although the price of a guided summit attempt – $65,000 USD – was considerably more expensive than those offered by other expeditions, Hall's reputation for reliability and safety attracted clients from all over the world. Rob Hall was well known in the mountaineering world as the "mountain goat" or the "show".

1996 Everest disaster[link]

Adventure Consultants' 1996 Everest expedition consisted of eight clients and three guides (Hall, Mike Groom and Andy Harris). Among the clients was Jon Krakauer, a journalist on assignment from Outside magazine. Hall had brokered a deal with Outside for advertising space in exchange for a story about the growing popularity of commercial expeditions to Everest.

Shortly after midnight on 10 May 1996, the Adventure Consultants expedition began a summit attempt from Camp IV, atop the South Col. They were joined by climbers from Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness company, as well as expeditions sponsored by the governments of Taiwan and India.

The expeditions quickly encountered delays. Upon reaching the Hillary Step, the climbers discovered that no fixed line had been placed, and they were forced to wait for an hour while the guides installed the ropes (Rob nonetheless "fixed most of the mountain in 1996").^[4] Because some 33 climbers were attempting the summit on the same day, and Hall and Fischer had asked their climbers to stay within 150 m of each other, there were bottlenecks at the single fixed line at the Hillary Step. Many of the climbers had not yet reached the summit by 2:00 pm, the last safe time to turn around in order to reach Camp IV before nightfall.

Hall's Sardar, Ang Dorje Sherpa, and other climbing Sherpas waited at the summit for the clients. Near 3:00 pm, they began their descent. On the way down, Ang Dorje encountered client Doug Hansen above the Hillary Step, and ordered him to descend. Hansen refused.^[5] When Hall arrived at the scene, he sent the Sherpas down to assist the other clients, and stated that he would remain to help Hansen, who had run out of supplementary oxygen.

At 5:00 pm, a blizzard struck the Southwest Face of Everest, diminishing visibility and obliterating the trail back to Camp IV. Shortly afterward, Hall radioed for help, saying that Hansen had fallen unconscious but was still alive. Adventure Consultants guide Andy Harris began climbing to the Hillary Step at 5:30 pm with supplementary oxygen and water.

On 11 May, at 4:43am, Hall radioed down and said that he was on the South Summit. He reported that Harris had reached the two men, but that Hansen had died sometime during the night and that Harris was missing as well. Hall was not breathing bottled oxygen, because his regulator was too choked with ice. By 9:00 am, Hall had fixed his oxygen mask, but indicated that his frostbitten hands and feet were making it difficult to traverse the fixed ropes. Later in the afternoon, he radioed to Base Camp, asking them to call his wife, Jan Arnold, on the satellite phone. During this last communication, he reassured her that he was reasonably comfortable and told her, "Sleep well my sweetheart. Please don't worry too much." Shortly thereafter, he died, and his body was found on 23 May by mountaineers from the IMAX expedition.

Media coverage[link]

Jon Krakauer published an article in Outside and a book called Into Thin Air shortly after the disaster. In both, he speculated that the delays caused by the fixed ropes, as well as the guides' decision not to enforce the 2:00 pm turnaround time, were responsible for the deaths.

Into Thin Air: Death on Everest, a TV movie on the 1996 Everest disaster, starred Nathaniel Parker as Rob Hall.

The Neil Finn song "The Climber" was inspired by Rob Hall's death.

Another documentary directed by David Breashears, who was on Everest in 1996, "Storm Over Everest" aired on PBS-Frontline in 2008.

List of major climbs[link]

• 1990 – Seven Summits (the Bass list)
• 1992 – K2 (Scott Fischer, Ed Viesturs, and Charley Mace helped Hall save his partner Gary Ball from edema)
• 1992 – Mount Everest
• 1993 – Dhaulagiri (uncertain if summited or not – Hall's partner Gary Ball died on mountain)
• 1993 – Mount Everest (with his wife, Jan Arnold^[1])
• 1994 – Mount Everest
• 1994 – Lhotse
• 1994 – Cho Oyu
• 1994 – Makalu
• 1995 – Cho Oyu
• 1996 – Mount Everest (Died on descent)

See also[link]

• List of people who died climbing Mount Everest

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rob Hall Biography
• Rob Hall Biography
• Rob Hall Biography at 7summits.com
• Adventure Consultants

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2011)

William Orbit (born William Mark Wainwright, 15 December 1956) is an English musician, composer and record producer, perhaps best known to most for his work on Madonna's album Ray of Light. He has won three Grammy Awards for his work with Madonna. He produced 13 by Blur and remixed some of the songs on the album.

Biography[link]

1956–1980: Early life & first work[link]

William Orbit was born William Wainwright in London's East End in 1956. His mother, of Italian and Swedish descent, and his father, from Yorkshire, were both schoolteachers.

He does not have a formal education, having left school at 15 and being entirely self taught. Aged 16, and living in a squat in Norwich and working as a strawberry picker in the summer, he started to devote himself to guitar playing.

Living in squats around Europe and working at various jobs, hotel kitchen worker, motorbike messenger, at a ladies shoes factory, as an accounts clerk (in the days before computers), a night shift worker at the old Heineken Brewery in Amsterdam, junior draftsman at a North Sea oil rig design company (he was 'creative' with his CV') and so on.

In these early years he was creatively frustrated, with no means to bring his ideas to life. But an opportunity to work as an assistant at Basing Street Studios just off the Portobello Road in West London gave him a first glimpse into the world of recording.

Aged 23, he met Laurie Mayer who had just moved into his squat in an abandoned primary school in Paddington. This semi-derelict Victorian edifice was the perfect environment for live music to flourish, with bands such as Throbbing Gristle frequently performing there. Laurie and William held mini-festivals in the deserted classrooms and workshops of the old school. The building was also home to the Spanish Anarchist collective Centro Iberico.

It was around that time, in 1980, that William was asked to model clothes for the designer Takeo Kikuchi in Tokyo and this experience opened his eyes to the world of fashion and the visual arts. On that same trip was also the young Hamish Bowles, now International Editor at Large for Vogue magazine.

1981–1993: Torch Song, production & remix work[link]

Laurie Mayer and William Orbit formed the band Torch Song. An experiment in audio cassette soundscapes that also included the graphic designer Neville Brody. Laurie and William have been close friends and creative collaborators ever since, with Laurie this year writing the melodic top line for Madonna's track "Falling Free" from the album 'MDNA'.

Encouraged by Laurie's creative zeal, he went on to build a commercially viable recording studio in Little Venice called Guerilla Studios (later situated in Crouch End, North London) A variety of clients booked the facility, including: The Cocteau Twins, Colour Box,Stewart Copeland, Belinda Carlisle, Etienne Daho, Howard Devoto, Erasure, The Fall, The Frank Chickens, Goldie and Metalheadz, Martin Gore, Kemistry and Storm, Laibach, Lords of the New Church, Daniel Miller ^{[disambiguation needed ]}, S'Express, Gary Numan, Renegade Soundwave, Les Rita Mitsouko, Sting, The Swans, 23 Skidoo, The Waterboys, Jah Wobble, World Party / Karl Wallinger

He began to create remixes for a long list of artists. At first for free, then later on, as word spread, for considerable sums. Remixed artists include: Prince, The Cure, Seal, Nitzer Ebb, Peter Gabriel, Depeche Mode, Seal & The Human League

1990–1992: Guerilla & Bassomatic[link]

William founded Guerilla Records at the beginning of the 90s, releasing vinyl discs from artists such as Leftfield, Underworld, Felix Da Housecat and DJ Pierre in the then-new genre of 'Progressive House', and hosting illegal rave parties in disused warehouses in Central London, before forming the band Bassomatic, Fascinating Rhythm being their biggest hit.

1993 onwards: Strange Cargo III & Madonna[link]

He then moved to California, living in the surfer haven of Hermosa Beach, and had a radio program on the Southern Californian radio station KCRW (he had always had a fascination for radio in all its forms) and in this pioneering station he found a true voice)

He also began recording his album Strange Cargo III, from which the track 'Water From A Vine Leaf', written with his ex-girlfriend Beth Orton, became an underground classic.

After traveling the world, and encountering different cultures and worldviews, he met Madonna in New York in 1997 and they recorded the multi Grammy Award winning album 'Ray of Light'. The two have remained friends since, and created tracks such as 'Beautiful Stranger' (circa 2000) and this year William co-wrote and co-produced six tracks for her album 'MDNA'.

He has said on many occasions that he remains truly grateful to Madonna for seeing what nobody else saw at the time, and giving him a global platform for his work.

Since then he has written and recorded with a wide range of artists, from Andreas Scholl in the classical world, to Beck, Pink, The Cure, Kraftwerk (a project with Ralf Hütter), Blur (the album '13'), All Saints ('Pure Shores' 'Black Coffee' and other songs), Katie Melua, Robbie Williams, Sugababes, Ricky Martin and the late Malcolm Mclaren.

He lived at the Leonard Hotel just behind Oxford Street in London for three years where he recorded most of Bono's vocals for 'Electrical Storm'. A track that he produced and performed on for U2

He has created a series of classical renditions 'Pieces in a Modern Style', from which came the club classic 'Adagio For Strings, Ferry Corsten mix'

In 2007 Orbit composed an orchestral suite for full orchestra. and choir. In nine movements. It debuted on 8 July 2007 with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester.

DJ & Radio[link]

William deejays occasionally, with a hardcore techno set, in various locations around the world such as Paris, Tokyo, Thailand and Novosibirsk, Siberia, He has described his mission as 'to get everyone on their feet, despite what they usually listen to'.

He also conducts lectures and masterclasses. And appears on BBC Radio and the BBC Worldservice discussing his work and guest editing music and arts programmes.

Recent work[link]

After a recent first-time trip to Hong Kong, as part of a cultural festival with his friend Sir V S Naipaul, Pharrell Williams and screenwriter Paul Shrader, he is currently in discussions about a regular club event in Hong Kong

He has recently been in the studio, writing and producing with Kid Cudi, Mika, St. Vincent, Kreayshawn, Roger Taylor from Queen & Anoushka Shankar

And has recently co-written and co-produced a track with Chris Brown, 'Don't Wake Me Up', for his forthcoming album 'Fortune'.

He has just completed the fifth album in the 'Strange Cargo' series, which is due for release later in 2012.

He is currently half way through his first (autobiographical) book

Location & Interests[link]

He primarily records in London, Los Angeles and at The Palms Casino's in-house studio in Las Vegas.

Orbit now lives in North London and Los Angeles and has his office and studio at Hoxton Square, London.

His interests in addition to composing and producing music are: photography and design, Cinema and the dramatic arts, Collecting rare books, Performance art and audio visual installations, Radio controlled helicopters, Unorthodox deejay events.

Discography[link]

More details and information about his discography can be found when exploring external links

Torch Song[link]

Bassomatic[link]

Solo[link]

Studio albums

Compilation albums

• The Best of Strange Cargos (1996, I.R.S.) — A compilation from Orbit's first three Strange Cargo albums, highlighted by two versions of "Water From A Vine Leaf", another collaboration with Beth Orton
• Strange Cargo Vol.1-3 (2000, EMI Records) — 3 CD Box Set
• William / Orbit (2002, Universal) — U.S. two-disc publishing CD set to support William Orbit's publishing catalogue ^[5]

Singles

Other Online, Production & Live Performances[link]

He often DJs at various locations. Additional information concerning the dates and places of his live performances appears^[7] on his webpage.

• William Orbit Odyssey^[8] by Ministry of Sound

‘Odyssey’ is a compilation of 42 tracks, including some of William Orbit’s own exclusives. The album was released in January 2010 and is divided into 3 discs; Discs 1 and 2 are unmixed, with many tracks reinterpreted to a greater or lesser extent, while Disc 3 is a continuous DJ mix by William Orbit.

• Orbit Streamcast

Orbit has recently enabled an internet radio (streamcast) which allow listeners to hear more than 10 hours of his music, completely for free. In the playlist are variations of his well-known tracks, as well as released material. In addition, and what's more appreciated by fans, unreleased and rare material can also be found in this streamcast.^[9]

• Latest productions

He produced Katie Melua's fourth album, called The House. It was released on 24 May 2010 and had a remarkable chart performance (Gold in Germany^[10] and United Kingdom,^[11] as well as Platinum in Poland^[12]).

He also produced a track on Nadine Coyle's debut solo album "Insatiable" released on 8 November 2010.

In September 2011 it was confirmed that Orbit will collaborate on Madonna's 12th studio album MDNA. On 3 February 2012 Orbit confirmed on his Twitter account that he produced six tracks - "Gang Bang", "Some Girls", "I'm a Sinner", "Masterpiece", "Falling Free" and "Love Spent".^{[citation needed]}

• Solo career

In August 2010 Orbit released Pieces in a Modern Style 2, on Decca, which is follow-up a to the successful Pieces in a Modern Style. The two CD version containing some notable remixes of interpretations of Vaughan Williams Violin Concerto - Lark Ascending.

Orbit is working as part of the art collective Luxor, with former English National Ballet dancer Anna-Mi Fredriksson and the artist Pauline Amos.

Miscellaneous[link]

• Stereo Odyssey — 4-CDR set of KCRW radio show William produced circa 1996
• Rare Orbit Vol.1 — A 3-CDR collection of rare & unreleased material & productions. 2008, source unknown. Contained unreleased sessions with Madonna, and some new material.
• Essential Mix — 2-CDR set of UK BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, 6 February 2000
• XFM 2003 — 30 minute CDR of UK XFM Radio 'Superchunk', a mix/mashup collection of special rare and unreleased material, 17 August 2003
• XFM 2006 — 30 minute CDR of UK XFM Radio 'Superchunk', another mix/mashup collection, 12 March 2006
• World Odyssey Mix — 25 minute CDR of UK BBC Asia Network Radio 'Pathaans Musical Rickshaw', a diversified mix/mashup collection, 17 May 2009
• KCRW 2009 — 40 minute CDR of Los Angeles KCRW Radio Station show 'Morning Becomes Eclectic', a two piece live session with Laurie Mayer and interviews with Jason Bentley - 2 July 2009
• In 2010, some of the rare tracks were made public on www.orbitstreamcast.com.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website