Special to the The Times

"Pop" Music Review by Steve Baltin

DISNEY HALL PULLS AN ALL-NIGHTER WITH THE ORB

The Godfathers of the ambient electronic-music scene for nearly
two decades might seem an unlikely headliner for an L.A. Philharmonic
sponsored night at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  But any show that
runs from midnight to 6 a.m. Sunday and finds Patina serving
breakfast at 4:30 a.m. is no ordinary night at Disney Hall.

The venue kicked off it's two-week Minimalist Jukebox series
with a six-hour electronic-music event headlined by the Orb, the
brainchild of Alex Paterson.

Disney Hall's first all-night event featured sound and colorful
psychedelic art projections into every room.  Fans walked freely
throughout the space to experience a multimedia show that also
included sets by Dntel; Boom Bip, whose 45-minute display of
fleshed-out ambience and cross-genre mix of jazz, rock and dance
delivered on the promise that group architect Bryan Hollon has
shown on record; and John Tejada, a crowd-pleaser for his blend
of techno and industrial sounds.

During much of the early portion of the morning, the capacity
crowd milled about in the halls, gathering in common areas to
share in the projections and soundscapes.

When the Orb took the stage behind a setup of two turntables
and a laptop right at 3 a.m., fans spanning teens to folks in their
50's, with a heavy concentration in their 20's, filled nearly all
of the general admission seats.  

Much of the event's appeal was the novelty of seeing a hall
normally associated with classical music turned into an early-
morning dance club and art gallery.  Still, the Orb's enduring
place in the electronic would can't be underestimated, particularly
with Paterson sharing the stage during the show with frequent
collaborator Thomas Fehlmann.

They emerged to a serene lullaby-esque track punctuated by
bells that quickly segued into a heavy backbeat.  Within a few
moments, the entire front section of the audience was on its
feet, dancing to an enticing techno hook that flowed into a disco-y
beat.

Those wanting the more experimental side of the Orb were also
satiated with long ambient interludes that featured a melange
of sound play ranging from cymbals to spoken word and warm
synthesizer grooves befitting the sunrise that awaited those
who stuck it out to the end.