William Orbit – SIDE-LINE

Electronic producer William Orbit dies at 69

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:40:01 +0000

British electronic musician and producer William Orbit has died at the age of 69. His family confirmed he died at home on July 23, 2026. Orbit, born William Mark Wainwright on December 15, 1956, in Enfield, north London, is best known for producing Madonna’s 1998 album “Ray of Light” and for a series of remixes for artists across pop, rock and electronic music during the 1990s.

Orbit’s family announced his death in a statement posted on social media: “William passed away at home on 23rd July, 2026. We are deeply saddened by his passing. He will be greatly missed by us and by so many whose lives he touched through his music, friendship, and kindness.” A cause of death has not been made public.

Madonna paid tribute to Orbit on Instagram, writing: “He pressed a magic button inside of me and I fell into a galaxy of unrealized dreams. Your music gave me a magic carpet to fly on. You were my Ray of Light – as was my daughter Lola who was born around this time.”

Among William Orbit’s many remix credits is his 1993 rework of Depeche Mode‘s “Walking in My Shoes”, released as the “Random Carpet Mix” and issued as part of the single’s release campaign for “Songs of Faith and Devotion”.

About William Orbit

William Orbit began his career in 1980 as a founding member of the ambient trio Torch Song, alongside Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert. He went on to score the 1986 film “Youngblood” and recorded as part of the dance act Bassomatic before establishing himself as a solo artist and in-demand remixer through the 1990s, working with artists including Madonna, U2, Kraftwerk, Nitzer Ebb and Blur.

Orbit produced Madonna’s “Ray of Light” (1998), which won three Grammy Awards, and went on to work with her again on “Music” (2000) and “MDNA” (2012). He also produced Blur’s 1999 album “13” and delivered two UK number-one singles for All Saints, “Pure Shores” and “Black Coffee”. His solo output includes the long-running “Strange Cargo” series and the classical-crossover project “Pieces in a Modern Style”. His most recent solo album, “The Painter”, was released in 2022.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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Laibach announce ‘Opus Dei Revisited’ + share ‘Geburt einer Nation’ remix by Rico Conning – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 09:16:21 +0000

(Photo courtesy of Laibach) Laibach are further celebrating their classic 1987 album “Opus Dei” with “Opus Dei Revisited” which holds new versions of the source material. “Opus Dei Revisited” is set for release on Mute on December 13, 2024 on double vinyl and double CD.

“Opus Dei” was the band’s first album for Mute for the Slovenian collective. The first disc of the Double LP / CD is a reworking by Laibach themselves which was initially crafted, and then refined, for their current Opus Dei Revisited Tour. They for instance reimagined Opus’ “Live Is Life” (as “Opus Dei”) and Queen’s “One Vision” ( as “Geburt einer Nation”).

For the second disc they invited Rico Conning (Wire, Pere Ubu, Swans, Front 242, William Orbit), who produced and mixed the 1987 version, to also revisit the material. Conning was given an open brief to explore new territories with what was on the original master tapes. To coincide with the announcement of Opus Dei Revisited they have shared a taster track from the album, “Geburt einer Nation” (Rico Conning’s Inner Ear RMX 2024).

Tracklist “Opus Dei Revisited“

Opus Dei Revisited (Disc 1)

A1. Leben heißt Leben RE
A2. Geburt einer Nation RE
A3. Leben-Tod RE
A4. F.I.A.T. RE
B1. Transnational RE
B2. How the West Was Won RE
B3. The Great Seal RE
B4. Opus Dei RE

Rico Conning’s Inner Ear RMX 2024 (Disc 2)

C1. Leben heißt Leben RMX
C2. Geburt einer Nation RMX
C3. Leben-Tod RMX
C4. F.I.A.T. RMX
D1. Opus Dei RMX
D2. Transnational RMX
D3. How the West Was Won RMX
D4. The Great Seal RMX

Laibach Opus Dei Tour

2024:

9/14/2024 – Portorož, Avditorij, SI
10/4/2024 – Split, Club Porat, HR
10/5/2024 – Zagreb, Boogaloo, HR
10/10/2024 – Mežica, ND Mežica, Big Hall, SI
10/11/2024- Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
10/12/2024 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, DE
10/13/2024 – Prague, Roxy, CZ
10/15/2024 – Dordrecht, Bibelot, NL
10/16/2024 – Arnhem, Luxor, NL
10/17/2024 – Vauréal, Le Forum 2, FR
10/18/2024 – Toulouse, Le Metronum, FR
10/19/2024 – Wavre, La Sucrerie, BE
10/20/2024 – Bochum, Christuskirche, DE
10/22/2024 – Hannover, Music Pavillion, DE

2025:

2/16/2025 – Krakow, Kwadrat, PL
2/18/2025- Ostrava, Barrak, CZ
2/19/2025 – Vienna, Arena, AT
2/20/2025 – Jena, F-Haus, DE
2/21/2025 – Sittard, Poppodium Volt, NL
2/22/2025 – London, Islington Assembly Hall, UK
2/23/2025 – Manchester, Ritz, UK
2/24/2025 – Southampton, The 1865, UK
2/25/2025 – Bristol, Trinity Centre, UK
2/27/2025 – Lausanne, Les Docks, CH
2/28/2025 – Bologna, Link, IT
3/4/2025 – Skopje, Macedonian Philharmonic, MK
3/5/2025 – Athens, Gazarte, GR
3/6/2025 – Sofia, Pirotska 5, BG
3/7/2025 – Bucharest, Quantic Club, RO
3/8/2025 – Beograd, Dom Omladine, RS

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Opus Dei Revisited’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Laibach launches 2-track single ‘Opus Dei Live 1987-1989 PT. 1’ – Out now

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 05:07:31 +0000

Laibach has released the two-track single, “Opus Dei Live 1987 – 1989 pt.1”, featuring two unreleased live recordings: “Leben heisst Leben (Opus Dei)” live from London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987 and “F.I.A.T. (Let It Be)” live from Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992.

Both tracks are taken from the expanded edition of their 1987 album, “Opus Dei”, which is set to be released digitally on Mute on May 10, 2024 and on vinyl and as a 2CD box set on May 24, 2024. Additionally, the CD features 16 unreleased live tracks from 1987-1989 and 3 bonus tracks (which includes two that were previously unreleased).

The two-track single is accompanied by the below video of “Opus Dei (Life is Life)”, cut from live footage of Goran Gajić’s 1988 film “Pobeda pod suncem”, filmed in Belgrade, Münich, and Ljubljana.

“Opus Dei” was the band’s first album for Mute, and was mixed by Rico Conning (Wire, Pere Ubu, Swans, William Orbit) and opened up opportunities for the Slovenian collective to launch a first world tour. The re-release comes with a redesigned cover plus an extensive booklet with photographs, artwork inspired by the German anti-fascist visual artist John Heartfield, and new sleeve notes by the cultural theorist and author Alexei Monroe.

Laibach’s “Opus Dei (Remastered)” is out on Mute on vinyl (with 16-page booklet), 2CD box set (with 28-page booklet) on May 24, 2024 and digitally on May 10, 2024.

Bonus tracks on CD1

Geburt einer Nation (Eine Richtung und ein Volk Version)
Leben heisst Leben (Marche Funèbre Version)
Geburt einer Nation (3. Oktober – Kraftbach – Version)

CD2

Leben heisst Leben (London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Leben-Tod (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
F.I.A.T. (Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992)
Transnational (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
How the West Was Won (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Opus Dei (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Leben heisst Leben (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Leben – Tod (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
How the West Was Won (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Vienna, Messepalast, Kaiser Franz Josef Reitschule, 1988)
Leben – Tod (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
Transnational (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
How the West Was Won (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
Opus Dei (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)

Laibach – Opus Dei Tour

5/14/2024 – Winterthur, Gaswerk Kulturzentrum, CH
5/15/2024 – Frankfurt, Batschkapp, DE
5/16/2024 – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt, DE
5/17/2024 – Copenhagen, Pumpehuset, DK
5/18/2024 – Gothenburg, Pustervik, SE
5/19/2024 – Stockholm, Nya Cirkus, SE
5/21/2024 – Helsinki, Savoy Theatre, FI
5/23/2024 – Oslo, Vulkan, NO
5/25/2024 – Cologne, Essigfabrik, DE
5/26/2024 – Dresden, Kultur Zentrum Strasse E, DE
5/27/2024 – Torun, CKK Jordanki, PL
5/28/2024 – Lublin, Radio Lublin, PL
5/29/2024 – Graz, Orpheum Big Hall, AT
7/3/2024 – Munich, Muffathalle, DE
7/4/2024 – Schorndorf, Manufaktur, DE
7/6/2024 – Halle, East Side Festival, DE
8/9/2024 – Jaromer, Brutal Assault Festival, CZ
10/5/2024 – Zagreb, Boogaloo, HR
10/11/2024- Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
10/12/2024 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, DE
10/13/2024 – Prague, Roxy, CZ
10/15/2024 – Dordrecht, Bibelot, NL
10/16/2024 – Arnhem, Luxor, NL
10/17/2024 – Vauréal, Le Forum 2, FR
10/18/2024 – Toulouse, Le Rex, FR
10/19/2024 – Wavre, La Sucrerie, BE
10/20/2024 – Bochum, Christuskirche, DE
10/22/2024 – Hannover, Music Pavillion, DE

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Opus Dei Revisited’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Laibach offers remastered edition 1987 album ‘Opus Dei’ + plans concert in… Iran of all places

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 14:08:25 +0000

(Photo by Andy Catlin – Ljubljana) Laibach has announced a remastered and redesigned edition of their 1987 album, “Opus Dei”, scheduled for release on Mute on May 10, 2024. This edition will be available on vinyl and as a 2CD box set. It includes 16 previously unreleased live tracks from 1987-1989 and three bonus tracks.

A new video has been released, featuring edits from “Victory Under the Sun” (Pobeda pod suncem), directed by Goran Gajić in 1988, for the remastered version of “The Great Seal”. Watch it below.

“Opus Dei”, Laibach’s debut album with Mute, was originally mixed by Rico Conning, known for his work with Wire, Pere Ubu, Swans, and William Orbit. The album includes Laibach’s interpretations of Opus’ “Live Is Life” (rendered in English as “Opus Dei” and in German as “Leben heisst Leben”) and Queen’s “One Vision” (reimagined as “Geburt Einer Nation”), propelling the band into the limelight with support from MTV and ITV’s The Chart Show. The mainstream exposure and memorable music press features led to their first world tour, with performances from London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, San Francisco, Berlin, Paris, and various locations across Europe included on the second CD of this expanded edition.

The remastered edition boasts a redesigned cover that enhances the original artwork, an extensive booklet filled with photographs and artwork inspired by German anti-fascist artist John Heartfield, and new sleeve notes by cultural theorist Alexei Monroe.

Formed in the year of Yugoslavian founding father Tito’s death, the band faced censorship and bans in Yugoslavia before releasing “Opus Dei”. They embarked on the Occupied Europe Tour, appeared in Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket”, recorded a Peel Session for the BBC, and performed in Michael Clark’s dance production “No Fire Escape from Hell”.

The band have also recently announced ongoing diplomatic negotiations for a performance in Tehran of “Alamut”, a collaborative symphonic work with Iranian composers and performers. A very weird choice given the geopolitical tensions, just like their concert in North Korea.

In April 2024, Laibach will perform their score for a new theatrical production of Bertolt Brecht’s “Saint Joan of the Stockyards” by ErosAntEros, with performances in Bologna and Ravenna.

“Opus Dei (Remastered)” by Laibach will be available on Mute in various formats, including vinyl with a 16-page booklet, a 2CD box set with a 28-page booklet, and digitally, on May 10, 2024.

Tracklist of the CD:

CD1

Leben heisst Leben (Opus Dei)
Geburt einer Nation (One Vision)
Leben – Tod
F.I.A.T. (Let It Be)
Transnational
How the West Was Won
Opus Dei (Life is Life)
The Great Seal

Bonus tracks:

Geburt einer Nation (Eine Richtung und ein Volk Version)
Leben heisst Leben (Marche Funèbre Version)
Geburt einer Nation (3. Oktober – Kraftbach – Version)

CD2

Leben heisst Leben (London, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Leben-Tod (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
F.I.A.T. (Paris, Espace Ornano, 1992)
Transnational (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
How the West Was Won (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Opus Dei (Somewhere in Europe/US, 1987-1989)
Leben heisst Leben (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Leben – Tod (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
How the West Was Won (Berlin, Quartier Latin, 1987)
Geburt einer Nation (Vienna, Messepalast, Kaiser Franz Josef Reitschule, 1988)
Leben – Tod (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
Transnational (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
How the West Was Won (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)
Opus Dei (San Francisco, The I Beam, 1989)

Laibach ‘Opus Dei’ Tour

14 May – Winterthur, Gaswerk Kulturzentrum, CH
15 May – Frankfurt, Batschkapp, DE
16 May – Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt, DE
17 May – Copenhagen, Pumpehuset, DK
18 May – Gothenburg, Pustervik, SE
19 May – Stockholm, Nya Cirkus, SE
21 May – Helsinki, Savoy Theatre, FI
23 May – Oslo, Vulkan, NO
25 May – Cologne, Essigfabrik, DE
26 May – Dresden, Kultur Zentrum Strasse E, DE
27 May – Torun, CKK Jordanki, PL
28 May – Lublin, Radio Lublin, PL
29 May – Graz, Orpheum Big Hall, AT
03 July – Munich, Muffathalle, DE
04 July – Schorndorf, Manufaktur, DE
06 July – Halle, East Side Festival, DE
09 Aug – Jaromer, Brutal Assault Festival, CZ
05 Oct – Zagreb, Boogaloo, HR
11 Oct – Budapest, Dürer Kert, HU
12 Oct – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, DE
13 Oct – Prague, Roxy, CZ
15 Oct – Dordrecht, Bibelot, NL
16 Oct – Arnhem, Luxor, NL
17 Oct – Vauréal, Le Forum 2, FR
18 Oct – Toulouse, Le Rex, FR
19 Oct – Wavre, La Sucrerie, BE
20 Oct – Bochum, Christuskirche, DE
22 Oct – Hannover, Music Pavillion, DE

Side-Line also covered Laibach’s ‘Opus Dei Live 1987-1989 PT. 1’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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William Orbit returns with first solo release in seven years

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:29:24 +0000

(Photo by Rankin) William Orbit makes a return with a new EP, “Starbeam”, out now via Anjunadeep. The EP holds 6 tracks, 4 songs and 2 remixes. The last solo release by Orbit already dates from 2014 when he released “Orbit Symphonic” and “Strange Cargo 5 “.

The label releasing the new material is Anjunadeep, a record label based in London which was founded in 2005 by Above & Beyond and their manager James Grant. Anjunadeep has introduced artists like Dusky, Yotto, Lane 8 and Cubicolor, and has released albums from Moon Boots, Way Out West, Dusky and Michael Cassette.

Below is the video for “Starbeam” in an extended mix by Shocklee.

You can check out the complete release below.

Starbeam EP by William Orbit

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset spanning 28 year long career including exclusive bonus tracks

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 06:39:09 +0000

Out later in October, but already available for pre-ordering right here, is the massive Nitzer Ebb vinyl boxset “1982-2010” holding 10 LPs. It’s the first time that all five of the band’s albums for Geffen/Mute have been collected in one complete box set.

The box set features expanded double black vinyl, of each album, with several bonus tracks and rare 12” mixes. The original album artwork comes expanded into gatefold sleeves, with embossing and spot UV finish. The set also contains a large size 28-page booklet with liner notes by Douglas McCarthy and Bon Harris and unseen photos, flyers and artwork, detailing their entire career in chronological order from Essex to Los Angeles.

Note that the box also includes space to insert the band’s first self released album from 1983 and their last release from 2010 as these titles have been in print in recent years. Which is frankly speaking a bit odd if you serve a career spanning boxset.

The box set contains the following albums:

That Total Age Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Murderous (Instrumental)”, “Fitness to Purpose (Mix Two)”, “Join In The Chant (Burn! 12” Mix)”, “Let Your Body Learn (12” Mix)”, “Join In The Chant (Metal Mix)”
Belief Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Control I’m Here (Command Control Confront Mix)”, “Shame (Mix no 2 William Orbit)”, “K.I.A. (PK Mix)”, “Captivate (William Orbit Mix)”, “Hearts & Minds (Mix Subsonic)”, “Backlash (William Orbit Mix)”
Showtime Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Lightning Man (The Industry Vs. The Ebb Remix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Long Mix George Clinton)”, “Getting Closer (The Kitchen Mix)”, “Fun To Be Had (Dust Brothers Master Mix)”, “Lightning Man (RSW Mix)”, “Getting Closer (The Trance Mix)”
Ebbhead Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Family Man (Jaz Coleman Mix)”, “Come Alive (Alan Wilder Mix)”, “Lovesick (Flood Mix)”, “Higher (Barry Adamson Mix)”, “Ascend (Vince Clarke Anonymous Mix)”, “I Give To You (Pestilence Mix)”, “Godhead (Remix)”
Big Hit Double Vinyl LP (2018 Remaster) with the bonus tracks “Friend (Brittle Mix)”, “Beats Me”, “Kick It (Adrian Sherwood Compulsion Edit)”, “Kick It (Popular Music Mix)”, “I Thought (Final Sin)”

The complete boxset is available now for ordering right here.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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Back in time with Lederman / De Meyer : ‘Working at Front 242 early 90’s’

Bernard - Side-Line Staff — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 17:30:37 +0000

The recently released “Eleven Grinding Songs”, the debut album by Lederman / De Meyer is one of the best EBM releases which have been released this year so far. Lederman / De Meyer is the brand new project between 2 electronic music legends Jean-Marc Lederman and Jean-Luc De Meyer.

“Eleven Grinding Songs” is released in 4 versions. Besides the regular CD album (available here), there is also the 2CD set (with an 11-track bonus disc with 4 exclusive additional songs plus 7 remixes or alternative versions) (available here) and a deluxe download (available here) plus also a black vinyl edition (including a carton sleeve CD edition with the same track-list) (available here).

Side-Line decided to go to the roots of the project together with Jean-Marc Lederman. In today’s article we talk with Jean-Marc Lederman how he got involved with Front 242 in the early 90’s.

Jean-Marc: “I was working at Play It Again Sam at the time (1990) and Front 242 approached me to become their office manager. They had set up their basis of operation in a villa in Aarschot, near Leuven, and needed someone to coordinate most non-creative things like handling communication with the label, acting as a smooth connecting rod with their touring agent and being a helping hand with whatever they were doing at the time.

Front 242 has always been very self-depending and they were doing a lot by themselves with Daniel handling most of the artwork with an Amiga or later on a (back then) very expensive Apple Quadra 800 for the covers of the Tyranny era.

Front 242 was signed on Sony USA at the time and things were very busy with the American label manager and the US representative of PIAS. Things were happening all the time and the pressure was strong (when you are successful, everyone wants a part of you) but the band was very focused.

One of the most ambitious thing we did at the time was the decor for the 1991 Tyranny Tour: it was going to be a large structure designed on two levels, a cross between a submarine deck and an industrial tower, painted by Jean-Luc De Meyer’s brother Marc. It wasn’t easy to transport but it was spectacular.

One of the aspect of the work was also to coordinate the remixes asked to outside bands and it was always a pleasure to get in touch with these remixers and hear them say how much they liked Front’s work: The Prodigy were especially enthusiast. One who wasn’t at all was William Orbit who refused several time to remix a track.

One moment was quite embarassing for me: Front was playing at Pukkelpop and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) was going to play guitar on one song but somehow I didn’t know which song it would be and Tom was besides me on the side and was looking at me for the cue, cue that I couldn’t give to him as I didn’t know what song he had to play: that went on for quite a few songs and Tom started to be wary… Eventually Richard looked at us and gave Tom the signal to come on…”

And this is the decor as it was used.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

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