Prince to Madonna, Blur to Beth Orton: William Orbit’s 12 greatest recordings

<p>The late producer’s gift for bringing in elements from dance music’s cutting edge drew all manner of music royalty – and he often made them sound better than ever before</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/07/william-orbit-pop-producer-madonna-all-saints-dies-aged-69">William Orbit, pop producer for Madonna, All Saints and more, dies aged 69</a></p><p>William Orbit’s first band were a curious business. Torch Song had one foot in the pop mainstream – their biggest success came about when one of their tracks was featured on the soundtrack of the Tom Hanks-starring sex comedy Bachelor Party – and one in the left field: they recorded at London’s anarchist hub Centro Iberico, famed for staging gigs by Crass and Throbbing Gristle; they covered the Velvet Underground’s Venus in Furs. Mothdoom Ecstasy is very much of its time – stuttering samples, booming drums – but in its hazy synth textures and ethereal female vocals, you can definitely hear intimations of Orbit’s future approach.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/07/william-orbit-greatest-recordings-prince-madonna-blur-beth-orton">Continue reading...</a>