Q + A
MOBY
MOBY’S NEW ALBUM PUTS A CLASSICAL SPIN ON SOME OF HIS BIGGEST HITS. WE TALKED TO THE ELECTRONICA ICON ABOUT THE LACK OF NUANCE IN MODERN MUSIC, REMAINING INSPIRED, AND THE GENIUS OF DAVID BOWIE.
WILL “ILLWILL ”LAVIN
“I THINK OBJECTIVELY ‘HEROES’ IS ONE OF THE THREE OR FOUR GREATEST SONGS WRITTEN IN THE 20TH CENTURY. DAVID AND I HAD ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT DOING AN ACOUSTIC VERSION TOGETHER.”
Moby has never been afraid to try new things. Whether it’s playing in punk bands, making music to combat insomnia, or producing some of the biggest dance hits of the past 25 years. As long as he’s creating, he’s always open to new ideas.
More recently, Moby has been feeling there’s a distinct lack of nuance and vulnerability in modern music. “Don’t get me wrong, a lot of it is fun,” he says. “But sonically so much of it is very monolithic.” With that in mind, the 55-year-old wants to bridge the gap between young and old by pairing the vastness of contemporary music with the refinement often found in the songs of yesteryear. On his new album Reprise, Moby reworks some of his greatest hits into orchestral compositions, tapping into the classical proficiency that has long been a part of his family tree.