In 1990, The Orb sampled a woman recounting her childhood watching clouds in Arizona. They were little, and fluffy, apparently, and the skies went on forever.

The woman, it turned out, was American vocalist Rickie Lee Jones, who promptly proceeded to sue. But in Little Fluffy Clouds the duo had already created the most successful ambient release of all time, ensuring that an Orb record would become as staple an accoutrement for the Nineties student as amphetamine jitters.

Named after the "Intoxication Orb" in Woody Allen's Sleeper (for some reason they rejected the Orgasmatron), The Orb formed in 1988 and swiftly set about creating the trippiest sounds of the electronic music revolution.

In DJ slots at Heaven, former roadie Alex Paterson would spice up Brian Eno tracks with samples from BBC nature recordings and NASA space broadcasts, and in 1991 he and partner Jimmy Cauty brought their galactic hum to living rooms with debut album Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld.

Working in various partnerships over the years (the latest is with German Thomas Fehlman), Paterson has often been hailed as the originator of chillout and ambient house.

But in the age of "essential" bargain bin collections, this sounds like more of an accusation than an accolade.

Closer to the mark are those who identify him as "a millenial Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear", taking into account the random noises, techno tricks and absurd titles (including a 20-minute single called A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld) which distinguish The Orb's records.

Paterson and Fehlman share a love of Brian Eno, the bargain bin and German electronics, and, if the press releases of committed psychedelicists are to be believed, together they walked the Great Wall Of China and witnessed the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Last autumn saw the release of The Orb's 13th album, this time on the German label Kompakt Records. Entitled Okie Doki It's The Orb On Kompakt, it brings a slightly sterner focus to the practice of being completely off the wall.

  • Starts 8pm, tickets £13. Call 01273 673311.