In the early 1990s, two genres melded together to create one of the trippiest music genres in the history of music genres.

In the clubs of London, electronic music guru Alex Paterson began to fuse ambient soundscapes with driving acid house beats to create a genre brilliantly referred to as “ambient house.” In 1991, he released an album as The Orb, titled The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld. It was instantly regarded as a seminal work of electronic music, a kaleidoscopic blend of BBC sound effects, sounds from the Apollo missions, samples from obscure films and driving, dub-influenced synthesized beats. Since then, The Orb has continued its exploration of trippy sonic landscapes through 12 studio albums—including collaboration albums with David Gilmour and Lee “Scratch” Perry. On Thursday, they’ll be bringing their years of electronica experience to the Majestic.

The Orb, Paterson explained in an interview with The Badger Herald, is named after the orgasmatron, a pod-like machine in Woody Allen’s 1973 film “Sleeper” that causes its users to experience a rapid onslaught of orgasms. It makes sense the group would be named after such a quirky and obscure fictional object, given the band members’ tendency to pull their sounds from obscure sources.

The Orb was born in the London nightclub Heaven, where Paul Oakenfold was a resident DJ. They would create complex melodies using multitrack technology. They combined the sounds of Brian Eno’s film soundtracks, BBC documentaries and dub reggae and fused them into repetitive, heady beats. What resulted was a patently chill sound, which became extremely popular at the club and would often provide the soundtrack for clubbers “coming down” from their highs. The first song on their first album, which also happens to be their most well-known, is trademark Orb: “Little Fluffy Clouds” fuses Steve Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint” with Spaghetti Western soundtracks, Harry Nilsson drum loops and a British radio personality saying, “Over the past few years to the traditional sounds of an English summer, the droning of lawnmowers, the smack of leather on willow, has been added a new noise.” This is the kind of music that induces sensations of floating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66P6IyOGE5g

The Orb’s Thursday show at the Majestic will likely pull material primarily from its first four studio albums, which are generally considered to be its best and most pioneering. He promises a loud, sonically-crisp show, with pounding bass.

I spoke with Paterson on the phone, hoping to ask him a few questions about his Madison stop. It was tremendously difficult to understand him because of our cell phones’ god-awful connection and because of his heavy British accent. But it didn’t matter. I was speaking to a genius, and through the warbled, crackly speakerphone, I heard the voice of a man happy to talk with a young college student. He asked me how the weather is in Madison. I told him it was rather brisk — sweater weather. He immediately understood.

“Ah, muffin season,” he said.

“Muffin season?” I asked.

“Yes, in the U.K. we call it muffin season,” he said.

So, if you read this, and you plan on going to The Orb’s show at the Majestic this Thursday, please bake some muffins and bring them to Paterson. The autumn weather is finally here, and he’s far away from his home, unable to experience the heart of the muffin season in London. So bring him some muffins, and ring in muffin season with the trippy sounds of The Orb.