Blur’s Graham Coxon Remembers William Orbit: ‘This Genius Tinged With Madness’
Blur guitarist Graham Coxon has paid tribute to producer William Orbit, who died last week at the age of 69, recalling him as a "genius tinged with madness" who transformed the band's sound on their 1999 album "13". Orbit, best known for his work with Madonna on "Ray of Light", first worked with Blur on a 1997 remix before being brought in to produce "13", the experimental record that saw the band abandon their established Britpop style in favour of electronic and noise influences.
Coxon told Rolling Stone that Blur spent the summer and autumn of 1998 recording with Orbit in London and Reykjavík, their first time working with a producer other than Stephen Street, who had produced the band's previous five albums. The sessions involved long, loose improvisations that Orbit would then stay up overnight structuring into songs, a process Coxon likened to "listening to songs that magically appeared". The album produced hits "Tender" and "Coffee & TV" and was Coxon's final record as a full-time member until 2015's "The Magic Whip".
- Producer William Orbit died last week aged 69.
- Graham Coxon recalls Orbit's role shaping Blur's 1999 album "13".
- Orbit's unconventional studio methods produced hits "Tender" and "Coffee & TV".
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William Orbit was a British record producer and musician who worked with major pop and rock acts over several decades, most famously producing Madonna's 1998 album "Ray of Light". He died last week aged 69. Graham Coxon is the guitarist in Blur, the English rock band best known as one of the leading groups of the 1990s Britpop era, alongside Damon Albarn on vocals.
Orbit's connection to Blur centres on their 1999 album "13", a record that marked a deliberate change of direction for the band away from the guitar-pop sound that had made them famous. Until then, Blur had worked exclusively with producer Stephen Street across five albums, so bringing in Orbit for "13" was a notable break with their usual way of working, reflecting the band's wish to experiment with more electronic and unconventional sounds.
The album, recorded in London and Reykjavík in 1998, went on to include well-known singles such as "Tender" and "Coffee & TV" and is regarded as a turning point in Blur's sound. It was also the last album Coxon played on as a full-time band member for well over a decade, making his recollections of working with Orbit a reflection on a significant chapter of the band's history as well as a tribute to the producer.