In Sides

On In Sides, Orbital stretch their writing past the point where most techno would resolve. 'The Box' and 'Out There Somewhere?' keep finding new sections after the expected ending, giving the album the shape of suites rather than extended club versions. A couple of passages sag, but the long forms usually justify the time they take.

The Hartnolls at their most compositional. The Box moves like a piece of music rather than a set, and Out There Somewhere closes the record the way a symphony closes. It sits below Orbital 2 because by 1996 it has started becoming something other than rave, which is an achievement and a departure at once.