(Jan 2003, Chris Johnson)
'Orisha are a new Melbourne threesome with a unique slant on drum'n'bass and breakbeat. Their debut is a dark offering, to be sure - the track 'Slipping' verges on the industrial - but the key, and the light, comes with singer Emah Fox. The way her lush, emotive voice works within the dense and tricky tech-beat soundscapes here is nothing short of joyous. For reference, think of the Melbourne electronica Mafia - Frontside, NuBreed, EK - imbued with a rich sense of melody and drama.'

Perth's Zebra - Hype (Jon Smith)
'Opening with a low, ethereal murmur, the first sounds on this album come towards you like a figure out of the fog. 45 minutes later, it's with a tinge of sadness that you watch Orisha leave the same way it came. And then you hit 'repeat'.The alarm bells always sound when a gushy (or is it lazy?) reviewer compares some Melbourne band you've never heard of to Portishead or Tricky, but in this case it's justified. Orisha have their roots in electronica, yet the pithy, breathy songcraft of Emah Fox and moody, caustic beats of Shane Kavanagh and Dean Lusher send branches out into the worlds far beyond. Let's throw journalistic caution to the wind and name-check former 4AD glories such as the Cocteau Twins, or Throwing Muses, restructured for a new millenium. Orisha is darkly beauiful, organic, sincere, haunting - everything that's missing from so much modern music, in both the dance and rock scenes. It's love at first listen.'

Sydney's Revolver (17/10/2, Zolton Zavos)
CD OF THE WEEK
'This is ambient electronica at its finest. Orisha are an Australian act who seem to take their inspiration from cutting-edge European producers such as Jon Brooks, Scott Herron and Brian Eno. They create mysterious soundscapes with seriously dark and twisted undertones, ensuring an eclectic and challenging listen in which programmed instruments jut in and out at strange angles, vocals wail forlornly in the background while a heavily distorted drumloop steadily motors through the thick wall of ambient noise. This self-titled album combines the abstract collage technique of an artist such as Microstoria with the more melodic intent of a Gorodisch, all with a beat and a serious groove. The second track, Slipping is the standout, but the entire album is somewhat of a revelation, suggesting that world-class electronica truly can emanate from these dusty shores.'

Ministry of Sound Magazine (Feb 2003, Stu Hitchings)
Atmospheric Local Electronica
'Once in a while an album seems to come out of nowhere and knock you sideways. This is actually outta Melbourne, but as Orisha don't play live their profile isn't very high, despite some radio play. So it would be easy for this album to be overlooked - and a huge pity if it was. This is a richly textured collection of tracks with an admirable emphasis on 'proper' songwriting and Emah Fox's emotive vocals and fine lyrics are but the icing on an already well tasty cake.'

Lucky (Nov 2002 George H)
'Melbourne cinematic/industrial/electro outfit Orisha lay down dense, deep and thoroughly engaging electronica on what is their first LP on the fledgling Sounds For Space label. With rhythms ranging from the mechanically propulsive 'Looking The Wrong Way' through to the downbeat, dub vibes of 'Taken', Orisha reunite disparate electronic genres with ease, precision and taste. It's obvious that a great deal of time and effort has been taken to ensure each sound used here is original and unique in character, making this release stand out miles. It's great to see home grown talent willing to take a few risks, ignore a few staid conventions and ultimately come up with music that is indeed their own. '

Oz Music Project (ozmusicproject.net, Paris)
Drum Media (14/1/3, Paris)
'Melbourne's darkly orchestrated electronics trio, Orisha got their self-titled album around the traps late last year via the AMRAP program, impressing a number of people who took the time to saunter a while amongst the well produced alleyways and shadows of the collected sounds. Distributed via MGM for buyers and sometimes stalking the darker edges of vocal beats, Orisha's music never quite triggers industrial led lights, but they do inject enugh energy, fuzz and emotional venom to make the electronics growl. This howling at the moon oscillates with undulating moodiness and is juxtaposed with gorgeously fagile tracks like the stndout, stripped-back melody 'A Week Is Too Long' where the precariously beautiful state of Lamb is recalled. Orisha's vocalist Emah Fox becomes the band's calling card over the 12 tracks included, dramatically hovering like a dark angel and then embodying wholeheartedly the fraught and pressurised programming of Shane Kavanagh and Dean Lusher - whose previous incarnation MPI (Modified Perception Industries) released an LP for France's Omnisonus/BMG in 1997.'

B News (27/2/3, Matt Coleman)
'Melbourne act Orisha make an immediate impression with their debut album. Essentially, this is local electronica at its finest, with lush production, gorgeous vocals from the enigmatically named Emah and some very memorable melodies. Check out the band's site at www.orisha.com.au (*www.orishamusic.com), but if you see this album around, make sure you support local talent.'

COMPILATIONS/COLLABORATIONS
'Various Artists - Nocturnal Emissions' (featuring 'Diversion') (from inthemix.com.au, elie9) ' - With a standout vocal delivery that is stripped down, haunting, dark and shiver-stricken, Orisha-Diversion is another successful and fresh take on drum'n'bass. A masterpiece to say the least, that's more than worthy of a high rotation star. I love being surprised with music, and this track is a golden example of that. - '

'Various Artists - 52nd Sydney Film Festival - Music For Film' (featuring 'A Week Is Too Long')
(from compilation's press release)
' - Though this series generally shies away from vocal tracks (preferring music to tell the story), Orisha's aching tune from The King Of Hearts works as wonderfully here as it does on screen.'

'Dan Brodie & The Broken Arrows - Empty Arms, Broken Hearts' (Guest Vocalist Emah Fox)
(from Rhythms, Tony Hillier)
' - The real discovery here is Emah Fox, an engineer's assistant at Melbourne's Sing Sing studios, who was promoted to vocal duties on four tracks, most notably for a duet on the sign-off 'For Me And You'. Sign her up pronto! - '

(from Inpress 31/7/2002 Glenn Cartledge)
' - Fell From The Sky is a really well-crafted tune featuring the lovely addition of Emah Fox's swoonsome vocal harmonies - '

'Various Artists - Palace Lounge Presents Cafe d'Afrique' (featuring 'Better Without You' (Secret Service feat. Emah Fox)
(from entertainment.iafrica.com 25/8/4, Nils van der Linden)
' - Equally upbeat, and no less sultry, is the instantly recognisable 'Better Without You' from Secret Service - big on electronic effects and Emah Fox's icy voice.'

RADIO AIRPLAY
Australia & New Zealand:
JJJ ('Rotation', Nat), Radio National (Nat), Radio Australia (Asia Pacific), SBS (Nat), 3RRR, 3PBS, 2SER, 6RTR, 4ZZZ, 5UV, 2RES, 3CR, TUNE FM (Nat. Synd), 2XX (Nat. Synd), 4NSA, 8CCC, 2RRR, 2AAA, 2CBD, 2ARM, 2NCE, 2MIA, 2TLC, 2OCB, Highland FM, WAR FM, 3MBR, 3MGB, 3OCR, 5TCB, Dusty FM, Tasman FM, RDU FM (Christchurch, NZ), 95b FM (Auckland, NZ), Radioactive FM (Wellington, NZ)

Europe:
RadioLounge (Gottingen, GERMANY), RTT La Radio (Trento, ITALY), Radio TRS (Milan, ITALY), Playstudio (Bologna, ITALY), Radio Studio 54 (Florence, ITALY), Radio AUT (Umbria, ITALY), TRT Radio (Tremoli, ITALY), Radio Smile (Sicily, ITALY), Kanal K (Zofingen, SWITZERLAND)

USA:
KRCB (Rohnert Park, CA), KZSU (Berkeley, CA), KDHX (St Louis, MO), KVRX (Austin, TX), KUCI (Irvine, CA), WKPS (State College, PA), WJUL (Lowell, MA), KXCI (Tucson, AZ), WMUC (College Park, MD), WNYU (New York, NY), WEAA (Baltimore, MD), WRMC (Middlebury, VT), WRUV (Burlington, VT), WORT (Madison, WI), WKNC (Raleigh, NC)

RADIO INTERVIEWS
PBS (Melb, VIC), TUNE FM (Armidale, NSW Nat. Syndication), 3CR (Melb, VIC), 2SER (Syd, NSW), RadioLounge (Gottingen, GERMANY), KZSU (Berkeley, CALIFORNIA), 2RES (Syd, NSW), Kanal K (Zofingen, SWITZERLAND)

PRESS REVIEWS
'Ministry' (of Sound) Magazine (Nat)
'Rolling Stone' Magazine (Nat)
'B. News' (Perth Street Press)
'Lucky' Magazine (Nat & NZ Street Press)
'Zinc' Magazine (Nat Street Press)
'Drum Media' (Sydney Street Press)
'Melbourne Times' (Melb Street Press)
'Big Issue' (Nat Street Press)
'Zebra Hype' (Perth Street Press)
'Revolver' Dance CD of the Week(Sydney Street Press)

PRESS INTERVIEWS
'Ministry' (of Sound) Magazine (Nat)
'3D World' (Syd Street Press)
'STU' Magazine (Nat Street Press)

MUSIC VIDEO PLAYS/SCREENINGS
A Week Is Too Long'Video Clip:
RAGE - TV (Nat)
Triple J 'Framebreaks' Competition (National Online Finalist)
St Kilda International Film Festival (Melb)
AUSFEST International Film Festival (Brisbane)

'Slipping' Video Clip:
RAGE - TV (Nat)
St Kilda International Film Festival (Melb)
AUSFEST International Film Festival (Brisbane)

ALBUM ARTWORK
Winner of 'Sound/Scene' exhibition Audience Choice Award - Sydney Opera House, Sydney

FILM SOUNDTRACKS
'Sounds For Space Collective' short film 'King of Hearts'
(Soundtrack by Orisha & Biddy Connor)
Winner of 'Best Soundtrack' - Kaleidoscope Film Festival (Sydney)
Winner of 'Best Emerging Artist Award' - RMIT Student Film Festival (Melb)
Winner of 'Audience Choice Award' - Love Your Work Film Festival (Melb)
Winner of 'Best Cinematography' - Film Eclectic Film Festival (Melb)

COMPILATIONS
'A Week Is Too Long' on 52nd Sydney Film Festival - Music For Film (Groovescooter/Sonic Arcana)
'Diversion' on 'Nocturnal Emissions' (Silent Recordings)
J Trooper remix of 'Slipping' on PBS FM's 'Ausultation' subscriber comp
'Taken' on AIR Dance/Pop comp
Emah Fox featured vocalist on 'Better Without You' (Secret Service) on Palace Lounge presents Cafe d'Afrique (South Africa's ..1 Best-selling dance music compilation
Emah Fox guest vocalist on 'Empty Arms, Broken Hearts'(Dan Brodie & The Broken Arrows)