Paterson had worked as a roadie for Killing Joke during the '80s, and began to be influenced by the explosion of Chicago house music in England during the mid-to-late-'80s. He joined the A&R department of [l=E.G. Records Ltd.] Records - the home of Brian Eno himself - and first recorded as the Orb with Jimmy Cauty. The duo's first release as the Orb, the failed acid-house anthem "Tripping on Sunshine", appeared on the 1988 compilation album [r=196216].
Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty had been recording an album during the turn of 1989-90, but the two split in April 1990 - a result of Paterson's fear that the Orb had become known more as a The KLF side-project than an original act. Cauty stripped Paterson's contribution to the recordings and released the eponymous album - credited simply as Space - later that year.
The Orb released several albums through the '90s, including [r=13265], [r=67736] (which were only available for one day but still managed to place in the Top 50) and [r=434489].