Paul Hartnoll (born 19 May 1968) is one of two brothers (the other being Phil Hartnoll) who make up the electronic dance act Orbital.

History

Hartnoll played in a local band during the mid-1980s, Noddy and the Satellites, featuring clarinetist Duncan Walker. In 1987 Paul and his brother Phil began recording under the name Orbital with keyboards, a drum machine and a 4-track. Hartnoll's first brush with fame came when Orbital appeared on

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...

on 22 March 1990. Speaking to

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

in December 2013 he explained this was a long way from his Sevenoaks roots. "A week before I was saying to the boss in the pizza place I was working, 'Ah I've just seen next week's rota. I can't do Wednesday because I'm doing Top of the Pops' … It felt a bit like some kind of elfin quest. Leaving my safe little job was like leaving the shire." He made a guest appearance on '' ER'' in 2002, in the role of a DJ. Orbital split up in 2004, after producing seven albums and developing a reputation for the high quality of their live shows. Paul then worked towards the release of his first solo album, titled ''

The Ideal Condition ''The Ideal Condition'' is the first solo album from Paul Hartnoll who, along with his brother Phil, formed the electronic band Orbital. The album was released on May 28, 2007 and features vocals from Cure frontman Robert Smith ("Please"), Th ...

'', which was released on 28 May 2007. In 2009 Orbital reformed and began performing live again. Hartnoll, wishing to produce something different from Orbital's output, wrote ''The Ideal Condition'' with a more acoustic focus, in comparison to the electronic nature of most of his previous work. Arranger Chris Elliott helped Hartnoll to move the album in this direction, taking music that Orbital would have produced electronically, and having it played by a union-full orchestra. People who are featured collaborating on ''The Ideal Condition'' were Robert Smith,

Joseph Arthur Joseph Arthur (born September 28, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and artist from Akron, Ohio. He is best known for his solo material, and as a member of Fistful of Mercy and RNDM. Arthur has built his reputation over the years through ...

, Lianne Hall, and Akayzia Parker. In 2018, Hartnoll released Heartwork, a solo track recorded in collaboration with the

British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...

and British cycling retailer

Evans Cycles Evans Cycles is a British cycle retailer. It was opened in central London by a London cyclist, Frederick Evans, who won an award from Britain's largest cycling club for the best cycling invention of 1925. He left his shop to be run by his manager ...

. The experimental track used heartbeat data from UK cyclists, and was created to highlight the benefits that cycling to work can have on heart health. Hartnoll also used sounds from his own bicycle to record the track. He lives in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Hartnoll & Young

In 2021, Hartnoll teamed up with British poet Murray Lachlan Young for a lockdown inspired album called ''The Virus Diaries'' under the name Hartnoll & Young. In June 2021, the pair released a single from the album called "Garden Centre (Push the Trolley)" as a follow-up to "I Need a Haircut".

Discography

Solo albums

*''

'' (2007) * '' 8:58'' (2015) * ''Concrete Plans (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'' (2021)

Solo singles

* "Patchwork Guilt" / "Gloopy" (2006) * "Please" (2007) * "Gob Smack" (2008)

Orbital

Haunted House

Collaboration with

Lianne Hall Lianne Hall (Brighton) is an English folk/electronic singer. In the late nineties she was singer with punk band Witchknot. John Peel featured Hall in his ''Sounds of The Suburbs, Bradford'', and five Peel sessions, and described her as "one of ...

. * ''Brave the Woods'' (2014)

American Ultra

(2015) Film about capable but unwitting operatives (also stoners), defending themselves against a rogue chief. Paul Hartnoll contributed music.

Wipeout Pure ''Wipeout Pure'' (stylised as ''wipE′out pu″rE'') is a futuristic racing video game developed by Studio Liverpool and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in 2005 on 24 March for North Americ ...
Soundtrack

(2005) Video game where players race futuristic hover vehicles around a track. Paul Hartnoll contributed music. * "Boot Up" * "Ignition"

References

External links

* – official site * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hartnoll, Paul 1968 births Living people English electronic musicians People from Dartford People from Sevenoaks Musicians from Kent