William Orbit

William Orbit, born William Mark Wainwright on 15 December 1956 in Shoreditch, Hackney, is a British musician and producer.

He is best known for producing Ray of Light by Madonna, which won four Grammy Awards; he also co-produced several unreleased tracks by the singer that were originally recorded for other albums but never used.

A specialist in atmospheric electronica centered on keyboards, he also highlights accomplished guitar parts in much of his work. He recorded several largely instrumental solo albums under the name Strange Cargo, featuring vocals by artists such as Beth Orton, Laurie Mayer and Joe Frank.

He was the musical force behind Bassomatic in the early 1990s and formed the group Torch Song with Laurie Mayer and Rico Conning in the 1980s. He is one of the founders of the labels Guerilla Records and O Records.

As a producer he notably made the album 13 by Blur and remixed some of their tracks. His producing and remixing career led him to collaborate with many other artists such as Kraftwerk, Nitzer Ebb, The Cure, U2, P!nk and the pop trio Sugababes; his remixes, marked by his electronic sounds and techniques, are highly sought after by fans of his solo work.

His most recent work includes composing an orchestral piece performed by the BBC Philharmonic at the Manchester International Festival in July 2007, and the release of his album My Oracle Lives Uptown in June 2009.