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Optical Delusion SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio + xPropaganda slipcase

#6 in the SDE Surround Series •  5.1 and two stereo mixes • Ships with SDE Surround Series Collectors' Slipcase Dolby Atmos,

*This bundle includes the SLIPCASE (only) for #2 in the SDE Surround Series (xPropaganda)

Optical Delusion, the newly announced studio album from legendary electronic duo Orbital, will be issued exclusively via SDE on the blu-ray audio format.

The album includes the new single 'Dirty Rat' which sees Orbital (brothers Paul and Phil Hartnoll) collaborate with Sleaford Mods. Described as "a comic, brutal, bass-driven harangue against our rulers and the voters who put them there" it features a typically searing Jason Williamson vocal over Orbital and Andrew Fearn’s kinetic, driving beats.

Astonishing though 'Dirty Rat' is, the album is less 'in your face' with some wonderful instrumental and vocal tracks including the nearly eight-minute long atmospheric soundscapes of 'Are You Alive' (which features Penelope Isles), the layered hypnotic brilliance of 'Frequency' (featuring some satisfyingly old-school house piano) and the dramatic beats and textures of 'What A Surprise'.

All of this music is taken to the next level by an astonishingly good Dolby Atmos Mix created by musician and composer Mark Ayres of the Radiophonic Workshop.

Mark knows what he's doing. He has been creating surround sound mixes for 20 years and used to write music for Doctor Who in the 1980s! He was commission by Paul Hartnoll to create the spatial audio mix and speaking to SDE about his work on it, Ayres said: "I wanted to push it with the Atmos Mix. I don't see any point in doing something like this and then not having a bit of fun with it. Luckily, Paul agreed. We said: "Let's go to town on it and let's make it exciting. Let's make it different”. I spent a quite a few days mixing it, and then Paul came down for a day and we went through it all and tweaked it".

The blu-ray is the only place the Atmos Mix is available physically, and this disc is actually most generous in the series to date and features four audio streams:

• Dolby Atmos Mix
• HD Master Audio 5.1 Mix
• Hi-Res Stereo Mix (96/24)
• Hi-Res Alternative Stereo Mix (Flat Transfer) (96/24)
• Instrumental versions of vocal tracks in Atmos, 5.1 and stereo

This is the only way to enjoy the Dolby Atmos mix of the album via a physical product. Unlike on streaming, the Atmos Mix is not compressed and you own the product, you are not renting it from a digital service provider! Don't miss out.

This Optical Delusion SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio will be released on 17 February 2023. Click the circular 'Pre-order' button at the top of this page to secure your copy. This comes with a collectible numbered SDE slipcase!

TECHNICAL NOTES: This blu-ray audio requires a blu-ray player. Decoding the Dolby Atmos mix requires a Dolby Atmos-certified soundbar or a Dolby Atmos-compatible AV Receiver/Amp. The Dolby Atmos mix will 'fold down' to 5.1 or stereo if a Dolby Atmos decoder is not detected.  

Dolby Atmos, HD-Master Audio 5.1, Hi-Res Stereo (96/24) and Hi-Res Alternative Stereo (96/24) Mixes + instrumentals

1. Ringa Ringa (The Old Pandemic Folk Song) (feat. The Mediaeval Baebes)
2. Day One (feat. Dina Ipavic
3. Are You Alive? (feat. Penelope Isles)
4. You Are The Frequency (feat. The Little Pest)
5. The New Abnormal
6. Home (feat. Anna B Savage)
7. Dirty Rat – With Sleaford Mods
8. Requiem For The Pre Apocalypse
9. What A Surprise (feat. The Little Pest)
10. Moon Princess (feat. Coppe)

Bonus tracks

1. The Crane (feat. Dina Ipavic) 
2. Year Of The Bat
3. Lost In Time