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LP
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BTR 137LP
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Hill Collective strike out with Fire In Orbit, their first release for Batov Records and the Brighton ensemble's most focused and expansive studio statement to date. Rooted in spiritual jazz but unafraid of the natural looseness, humor and raw edges that arise when imaginative musicians collaborate, Fire In Orbit captures a band working collectively, instinctively and with space to breathe. Hill Collective have become a central presence within Brighton's small but fertile jazz-adjacent scene. They have appeared at Love Supreme Festival and The Great Escape, supported Etuk Ubong, and built a reputation for live performances that balance structure with volatility. Their 2024 studio album Tonal Prophecy, released via Germany's Fin Du Monde, introduced them to the wider jazz press, earning praise as "a soulful, avant-garde addition to the bustling UK jazz landscape" (UK Vibe), while Jazz Journal noted that "the spirit of Ra is close." If that record marked their arrival, Fire In Orbit feels like consolidation rather than expansion, leaner in sound, clearer in intent and more assured in delivery. Led by alto saxophonist and composer Pete Piskov, Hill Collective emerged after his previous trio dissolved, featuring founding members of the Ancient Infinity Orchestra, moved to Leeds. Drawing on Brighton's close-knit network, the group expanded into a flexible, often double-digit ensemble, at times doubling up on instrumentation, its spiritually inclined ethos linking the South Coast to a broader UK conversation. Fire In Orbit was recorded over three relaxed days at Sea Breeze Studios by members of the band themselves. The influence of Sun Ra runs deeper than aesthetic reference, philosophical as much as musical. There are also traces of Ornette Coleman's freedom, the structural fire of Charles Mingus, the angular lyricism of Eric Dolphy and the collective consciousness of Art Ensemble of Chicago. Elements of Latin rhythm, Arabic modality and open-ended improvisation surface naturally, absorbed rather than quoted. Brighton's receptive atmosphere and sense of creative space are audible throughout. Many of the musicians were friends before the band formed; others became family through it. That ease translates into music that feels communal rather than performative. At its core, Fire In Orbit is an allegory for creative community, bodies in motion, held by invisible forces, generating warmth and illumination together. Structured yet searching, raw but intentional, it captures Hill Collective at a point where freedom and form feel fully aligned.
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