Into Orbit are an instrumental rock duo from Wellington, notable for their heavy use of a guitar loop-pedal and their widely varying song dynamics including soundscapes, creeping build-ups, elaborate rhythms, and heavy, energetic crescendos.

Into Orbit was formed in February 2013 by guitarist Paul Stewart and drummer Ian Moir. Utilising a loop-pedal, multiple amps and effects pedals to create a thick ‘multi-guitar’ sound, they soon decided not to seek any further members.

In the short time since their conception, Into Orbit have performed a handful of very well-received shows in and around Wellington, have recently released a rehearsal video Corridors… Caverns, and have begun recording for a full length album expected to be released in November 2013. Ian answered the following questions for muzic.net.nz:

What sets you apart from other bands?

A variety of bold and subtle differences set us apart from most other bands and make for quite an unusual package. People are usually surprised to hear a 'full band sound' being produced by a duo, that's probably the first thing an audience member will notice. The manner in which our songs play out is also unique (partly due to our use of a guitar loop pedal). The songs tend to have a hypnotic atmosphere, building up gradually and eventually boiling over into huge heavy crescendos. We also try to blur the lines between individual songs to keep the audience immersed in the music from the beginning of a performance to the end, so it's not a normal 'rock show' vibe, there is definitely something else to it.

Tell us about Into Orbit’s next release.

We have just started recording our debut album which is coming along very nicely. We invested in some quality recording equipment earlier this year, so we're doing the recording process ourselves. We have a clear picture of what we want and how we like to approach things. We will continue recording and considering options for mixing & mastering over the next couple of months and the album should hopefully hit shelves around November this year.

What is Into Orbit’s long term goal?

Generally speaking, our long-term goals are probably very similar to the goals of most serious artists, such as releasing albums, doing tours and having a lot of people enjoy our music. It's the usual success criteria for any ambitious musical act, but with our own approach, style and flavor.

What can we expect to see from Into Orbit over the next year?

Probably a few quiet months while we continue to work on our debut album, followed by performances around New Zealand. Things seem to be moving forward very quickly, so by this time next year we could have recorded a second album. This might all sound a bit vague, but that's partly because we are keeping a few surprises up our sleeves!

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Be reliable, professional, friendly and humble. Work your ass off day and night and don't complain if you don't get what you want immediately. It might take 10 years of hard work and sacrifice before you start getting to where you want to be. Also, although it is important to work hard on your music, don't neglect the other aspects of your presentation, they are all very important as to how you will be received as a band or artist.

Do you have any plans for future collaborations with other musicians? Who would they be?

We both are part of an ongoing collaboration project called Riverside Sessions, which is a week-long, 10 to 15 person writing/recording session held each January at a bush retreat in Otaki. We will be taking part in the next event in 2014. It's always an amazing experience, and includes some very talented and diverse New Zealand musicians. Other people might spend their holidays relaxing on beaches with martinis, this is what we do instead. As far as our stuff is concerned, we have no intentions to collaborate with anyone on Into Orbit material, but wouldn't be entirely closed to the idea if the right situation presented itself.

Who are your role models in the NZ music industry?

Two NZ acts that stand out for us are Cairo Knife Fight and Liam Finn. It was seeing live performances from them acts that opened our eyes to what is possible with just two members by using loop & effects pedals, multiple amplifiers and multiple instruments. We wouldn't have been so confident in the idea of working the way we do if it weren't for seeing those acts, they have both definitely been an inspiration to us.

What inspired you to start Into Orbit?

Well we were never like "hey, lets start a band", but it had kinda been developing in the background while we were playing in a (short-lived) rock band together in 2011. Neither of us were contributing much material to that band, but at times when it was just the two of us in the practice room we would jam stuff out together. There was one particular song that developed during those sneaky sessions. Earlier this year (shortly after collaborating on some songs at Riverside Sessions in January 2013) we decided to get together to record a demo of that song, and to free-form jam using Paul's new loop pedal. By the end of that first session a whole set-list of material had emerged and it was pretty clear that this would be a new band! It all pretty much just fell into place. The set-list we play now and most of the material for our debut album emerged during that session, before we'd even talked about forming a band. We think that the 'naturally occurring' vibe really comes across in the music, it doesn't sound meticulously designed, it has a very 'organic' quality to it.

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  The Phoenix Foundation @ Meow Nui, Wellington - 14/12/2024

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