Moby
Biography
Moby was one of the most controversial figures in techno music, alternately praised for bringing a face to the notoriously anonymous electronic genre, as well as being scorned by hordes of techno artists and fans for diluting and trivializing the form. In either case, Moby was one of the most important dance music figures of the early '90s, helping bring the music to a mainstream audience both in England and in America. Moby fused rapid disco beats with heavy distorted guitars, punk rhythms, and detailed productions that drew equally from pop, dance, and movie soundtracks. Not only did his music differ from both the cool surface textures of ambient music and the hedonistic world of house music, but so did his lifestyle; Moby was infamous for his devout, radical Christian beliefs, as well as his environmental and vegan activism. "Go" became a British Top Ten hit in 1991, establishing him as one of the premier techno producers. By the time he came to the attention of American record critics with 1995's Everything Is Wrong, his following from the early '90s had begun to erode, particularly in Britain. Nevertheless, he remained one of the most recognizable figures within techno; after he abandoned the music for guitar rock with 1996's Animal Rights, he returned to a heavy electronic base with 1997's I Like to Score and 1999's Play, the latter of which made him a genuine breakout pop star.
Born Richard Melville Hall, Moby received his nickname as a child; it derives from the fact that Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick, is his great-great grand uncle. Moby was raised in Darien, CT, where he played in a hardcore punk band called the Vatican Commandos as a teenager. Later, he briefly sang with Flipper, while their singer was serving time in jail. He briefly attended college, before he moved to New York City, where he began DJing in dance clubs. During the late '80s and 1990, he released a number of singles and EPs for the independent label Instinct. In 1991, he set the theme from David Lynch's television series Twin Peaks to an insistent, house-derived rhythm and titled the result "Go." The single became a surprise British hit single, climbing into the Top Ten. Following its success, Moby was invited to remix a number of mainstream and underground acts, including Michael Jackson, Pet Shop Boys, Brian Eno, Depeche Mode, Erasure, the B-52's, and Orbital.
Moby continued performing at dances and raves throughout 1991 and 1992, culminating in a set at 1992's Mixmag awards where he broke his keyboards at the end of his concert. Moby, his first full-length album, appeared in 1992. In 1993, he released the double A-side single "I Feel It" / "Thousand," which became a moderate U.K. hit. According to the Guinness Book of Records, "Thousand" is the fastest single ever, appropriately clocking in at 1000 beats a minutes. That same year, Moby signed a record contract with Mute and his first release was Ambient, which compiled unissued material recorded between 1988 and 1991. Later that year, The Story So Far, a collection of singles released on Instinct, appeared. In 1994, the single "Hymn" -- one of the first fusions of gospel, techno, and ambient music -- was released.
In 1994, Moby signed a major-label contract with Elektra Records in the U.S. Everything Is Wrong, his first album released under the deal, appeared in the spring of 1995 to uniformly excellent reviews, especially in the American press, which had previously ignored him. Despite the promotional push behind the album and his popular sets at the 1995 Lollapalooza festival, the album wasn't a commercial success. The following year, Moby suddenly abandoned techno to record heavy guitar rock for Animal Rights, which received mixed reviews. A partial return to electronica, 1997's I Like to Score, was followed by 1999's Play. Surpassing everyone's expectations, the album became a platinum hit and reached number one in the U.K., while Play's tracks were licensed by dozens of advertisers and compilers. His releases during the first decade of the 2000s -- 18 (2002), Hotel (2005), Last Night (2008), and Wait for Me (2009) -- weren't nearly as popular, but they maintained his devout following. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Wait For Me
2009

Last Night: Remixed
2008

Last Night
2008

Go: The Very Best Of Moby
2006

Raining Again (Single)
2005
Moby was nobody, then somebody, now nobody. Too bad Moby. Reshape yourself again and you'll be on top! (ish)
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the sequential story of my life...who knew I had a "soundtrack? " ...
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Moby blew his creative load on play. Since then he has had nothing but dog poo for inspiration and his work shows it.
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I don't give a s**t what everyone else says. I connect with Moby, and that means more to me than looking cool for a**holes who want to judge me on what I listen to rather than who I am. Don't let what other people say drive you away from what you like.
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Don't forget about his rock roots. He actually had some good stuff early on as well. He has expanded and is definately an innovator in the electronic music scene.
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INNOVATOR. Plain and simple. You are a legend. Thank you for being humble too. That is rare these days. Thanks Moby.
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F U C K I N G W E A K A S S S H I T "We're all made of stars." Thanks for "diluting" such a cool scientific fact with enough faggegty-fai r y - d u s t to block out the SUN.
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can't say i'm his biggest fan cause i never heard all of his music,
but some of his stuff i heard is pretty good. |
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I would tend to agree that he "diluted and trivialized" electronic music, but it works on some ambient tracks such as "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters".
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the first time i heard him collaboratin g with no doubt (south side) i was in love with the song.. very innovative .. he's so good at what he does and God bless him for that! talented artist
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Yet another artist that thrilled me at the tender age of 17....explor i n g and playing with the idea of being an adult feeling my tender sensuality. Cool summer nights driving around in my black honda civic antisipating just about anything exciting and taboo.
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Love his music. Tranquil, unique & addictive. I thoroughly enjoyed the imax of him years ago w/ other musical artists.
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I rather like his music. I think I might get one of his CDs from the local library, then if I like it maybe buy some more.
Just a quick note, if all you guys hate him so much, just walk away. We don't care if you don't like him, the only reason I can see to complain so much is to troll, and no one likes trolls. So stop being attention grabbers, plox? |
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I love most of his stuff when I am in the mood. If you hate his stuff so much, just move on to something else and ignore him. I saw him live a few years ago and thought he did a great job.
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if you like elevator music with a little pizazz-here it is...i personally cant stand it...
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i just became friends with Moby on myspace a few minutes ago. i told him Porcelain was my all time favorite song. and a minute later, it plays on my quick mix. thanks Pandora, thanks Syncronicity .
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"Go" and "Drop a Beat" will always be two of his best. They are total classics. I wish he would have stayed in that phase longer. He could have rocked raves for years in that flow. He has gotten watered-down and overblown in a lot of ways. I do like his cover of Mission To Burma's "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" and "Porcelain" is sad and interesting. Overall though he has lost his edge and draw for many people in the scene. On the otherhand he has blown up, but mostly in the mainstream wh
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he's a good artist and play is by far his best album...and sometimes he can be a very strange as is the case with 18 and everything is wrong....but even still he has talent
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who cares about his political or religious views. his music kicks a**, he always uses his drops so well that they convey the emotion of the songs perfectly and the subtle use of back beats and layers puts many other artists to shame.
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Great music, good messages in much of it, too. :) Plus, it's always nice to see a Christian who still knows how to have fun. ;)
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I think Moby is awesome. He will always be one of my top 10 favs. Go Moby!!!
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Wow there sure has been alot of moby hatin'. im not saying hes the best ive heard but by no means does he deserve the hate. not tellin you to stop just givin' my opinion.
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