When I first discovered Moby, I wasn’t quite ready for his music. I picked up Everything is Wrong (1995) after seeing it on SPIN magazine’s year-end list and loved most of it, but with reservations….
I mean, it didn’t quite fit into my alt-rock ethos. I wasn’t used to that techno kind of stuff being something I really liked whole-heartedly. Back in the ‘80s, synths were the enemy. The underground music aesthetic I grew to love didn’t go for that smoothed-out, lush sound that synths brought to the table. So even though I played the album a ton and loved most of it—especially the first few tracks and the last several—I couldn’t embrace it fully.
But by the time Play (1999) came out, I’d caught up. I’d grown to appreciate a lot of electronic music, and Play was spectacular, a revelation. By placing old blues and folk samples over the top of his synths, he created a mournful, soulful, spiritual masterpiece.
Here are a couple tastes of the best of Moby.
Playlist 1
Playlist One presents highlights from Play, plus a few like-minded tracks from the follow-up 18 (2002). Brilliant stuff. The best place to start your Moby listening experience.
Playlist 2
Playlist Two focuses mostly on Everything is Wrong, with a few scattered goodies from the first decade-or-so of Moby’s career.
Bonus: Sources
Here’s a short playlist that shows some of the most prominent sources for the samples on Playlist One.
Playlist Note: I could not find the Caravans’ “Walk Around Heaven All Day,” sampled in “One of These Mornings.”
Cover Art:
- Play: Source, Discogs.com, Fair use.
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