Orbital have released the original track Smiley as part of their ’30 Something’ boxset.
The collection “reworks, remakes, remixes and re-imaginings of landmark Orbital tracks based on the duos unrivalled live show,” with artists such as Joris Voorn, Dusky, Jon Tejada, and Yotto contributing to the project.
On their latest track, the duo – starring brothers Phil and Paul Hartnoll – reminisce about the 1980s rave scene with a song named after the Smiley Face logo.
Marking the 50th anniversary of the symbol, it samples the ‘A Trip Round Acid House’ edition of ‘World In Action’ – the ITV documentary about the Acid House scene, with a 20-year-old Paul recalling being beaten up by police at a house party in Sevenoaks, Kent.
“We wanted to do something that represented where our heads are at now but wearing the clothes from back when we started,” he says on the tune.
“So to chronicle thirty years of Orbital you’ve got this track that chronicles the very start of dance music in Sevenoaks. It’s our origin story.”
Admitting the events would never happen today due to social media, he adds: “And to make the very important point that, in civil rights terms, basically we all got beaten up by the police for having a party.
“Could never happen now, everyone would film it on their phones. Instant police brutality case.”
It’s accompanied by a music video featuring “sock puppets, high-end CGI, background stock footage, specially filmed elements, stop-motion and stills photography.”
Director Luke Losey shares: “There was a moment in the late 1980s that bridged the gap between free festivals and big raves.
“These events had a strong DIY ethos that was a kindred spirit to punk. We would go and put great big metal sculptures in the woods or perhaps an abandoned railway station, hang a few lights and power up a sound system.
“That handmade DIY feel of the time was something we wanted to imbue into the film from the start, but also the sense of unity that existed amongst us despite Thatcher’s authoritarian desire to sew division, divide and conquer, with her foot soldiers in blue and her red-tops with their morally dubious claim to offer a better version of Britain than the one we could clearly see unravelling before our eyes.
“Hindsight has given us the opportunity to rectify past misdeeds with the happy ending we didn’t get at the time. No unicorns were hurt in the making of this film.”
’30 Something’ is available now.
