Alex Paterson is an
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
musician and co-founder of the
ambientAmbient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
group
The OrbThroughout 1989, the Orb, along with Martin Glover, developed the musical genre of ambient house through the use of a diverse array of samples and recordings. The culmination of its musical work came toward the end of the year when the group recorded a session for John Peel on BBC Radio 1...
, in which he has worked since its inception.
Paterson's father died when he was eight years old. He attended
Kingham Hill SchoolKingham Hill School is a Christian school based on the Church of England denomination. It was founded by local Christian landowner Charles Edward Baring Young in 1886 as a school and home for deprived boys and was designed by the architect William Howard Seth-Smith...
in Oxfordshire between 1970 and 1979 at the same time as
Killing JokeKilling Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
producer "Youth" Martin Glover. Paterson later worked in the 80's as a roadie for
Killing JokeKilling Joke are an English post-punk band formed in October 1978 in Notting Hill, London, England; other sources report the band formed in early 1979.Related news articles: Founding members Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker have been the only constant members.A key influence on industrial rock,...
, before working in the
A&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
department of EG Records. In 1990, Paterson's collaborations with his fellow Orb co-founder
Jimmy CautyJames Francis Cauty is a British artist and musician born in Liverpool, England, in 1956...
ended, following Paterson's concerns about The Orb being perceived as a side-project of
The KLFThe KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
. Paterson retained The Orb name. More recently, Cauty and Paterson collaborated again, as
Transit KingsThe Transit Kings are a British electronic music group consisting of Alex Paterson, Guy Pratt and Dom Beken. Jimmy Cauty, co-founder of The Orb with Paterson, was involved in initial recording sessions but does not take part in live sessions. He is currently on "extended leave". The Transit Kings'...
. Paterson was also involved in FFWD, a collaboration with
Kris WestonKris Weston is a British electronic musician, record producer and remixer best known for his work as a member of The Orb....
,
Robert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
, and
Thomas FehlmannThomas Fehlmann , is a Swiss-born composer/producer who currently lives in Berlin, and has been active in electronic music as far back as the 1980s. He is currently active on the Kompakt record label based in Germany...
.
He played chill-out and experimental DJ sets at several
Return to the SourceReturn to the Source was a London-based Goa Trance club and off-shoot record label run by partners Chris Decker, Mark Allen, Janice Duncan and Phil Ross....
parties and in 1999 he released
Ambient MeditationsAmbient Meditations was a series of CDs released by the trance party Return to the Source.While the club was know primarily for its Goa Trance music and latterly Psychedelic Trance or Psy Trance, the parties always had a chill-out room...
2, on the
Return to the SourceReturn to the Source was a London-based Goa Trance club and off-shoot record label run by partners Chris Decker, Mark Allen, Janice Duncan and Phil Ross....
label.