Orbital was ground-breaking in that they were one of the first techno acts to bridge the gap between the club and the arena. With a brand of techno that blends electronica and rock, Phil and Paul Hartnoll spent more than two decades breaking down barriers for the genre.

The two British-born brothers began creating music in the late 1980s, recording their first track, "Chimes," onto a cassette tape with little more than a four-track, keyboard and drum machine. They sent the tape into the show Jackin' Zone, which eventually resulted in its release on Oh-Zone records. In 1990, the tandem signed with ffrr Records and rereleased the single, adopting the name Orbital.

Upon its rerelease, "Chime" was a hit, climbing into the top 20 on the British charts. The singles "Omen" and "Satan" followed in the wake of the success of "Chime" and also garnered the duo substantial attention, as did an appearance on the television show Top of the Pops. They released their debut full-length in the form of an untitled compilation of all new tracks.

After a few EPs and another LP, Orbital truly began to break out of the club mold in 1993 with another untitled release. Often referred to as the "brown" album, the record was more of a full-length work in itself, departing from the cut-and-paste qualities of their previous efforts. They focused largely on concert performance and began getting noticed for their live shows.

As time progressed, the venues they played got larger and the stage more grand. The duo appeared on stage as would a rock band, something extremely uncommon amongst their techno colleagues. Orbital continued to release records throughout ‘90s and early 2000s before declaring that the 2004's back-to-the-basics Blue Album as their final record.