10 iconic Moby moments

Few have experienced the music industry's madness quite like Moby. His life is a rollercoaster consisting of sex, drugs, raves, sobriety, veganism, animal rights, restaurants and an expansive catalogue of releases touching on the vast spectrum of musical genres from ambient and electronic to alternative rock. There's little he hasn't experienced and there are way too many moments to mention, but here Mixmag outlines iconic moments that defined his fabled career.

Early on he was a electronic music pioneer, innovating with technology to produce outsider techno and various other forms of music. There were brief moments of early success, but he blossomed once he released his fifth album and his career was launched into the mainstream.

Here are the moments that define Moby's career and reveal why he's the influential figure we know him to be today.

Arguably the most important moment of Moby’s long and storied career was his inaugural hit ‘Go’, released in 1990. Sampling ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ from Twin Peaks, he showcased his innovative talent, producing an iconic dance ballad by fusing the distinct melody with an infectious rhythm. The popular version people recognize today wasn’t even how Moby had originally intended the track to be. It was the b-side to his first release and after watching Twin Peaks he decided to remix the track and add the melody. ‘Go’ would later lead to his first appearance on Top Of The Pops and Moby’s career was launched into the spotlight.

After Moby drifted toward a variety of genres and musical styles in the mid-90s, a journey that lead to moderate success, he returned to true form in 1999 with the release of his album ‘Play’. The album received high praise from critics and the general public, not selling particularly well early on, but moving over 10 million records within the next year. The album featured timeless tracks like ‘Porcelain’, ‘South Side’, ‘Honey’ and ‘Natural Blues’. It was his first major mainstream success following stints within the dance music world and outsider circles.

Moby’s music has been used tirelessly in films since he first broke through in the mid-90s. So in 1997 he decided to put together an album titled ‘I Like To Score’ featuring his material that landed on the big screen. With Michael Mann’s legendary film Heat he contributed two tracks, a cover of ‘New Dawn Fades’ by Joy Division and an original titled ‘God Moving Over the Face of the Waters’. The album also featured Moby’s reworking of ‘The James Bond Theme’ which was used in Tomorrow Never Dies, as well as tracks in Scream and Cool World. But his contributions to film didn’t stop there, his track ‘Extreme Ways’ would become the official theme for The Bourne Identity and his track ‘Flower’ featured in Gone in 60 Seconds. He also supplied tunes to The Beach and Swing Vote.

In the early 2000s Moby was in the prime of his career. After the release of his first big commercial success with the album ‘Play’, he followed that up with another smash hit in ‘18’. Touring extensively around the release, ‘18’ went gold and platinum in 30 countries and peaked at #1 on charts in 10 countries including the UK. Although the album didn’t sell as well as ‘Play’, again his new music was featured heavily in TV shows, films, video games and other media.

It’s no secret that David Bowie is one of Moby’s heroes. So when Moby got to perform ‘Heroes’ and ‘Cactus’ with the legend in 2002 on Jay Leno it was a moment that proved he too was making a lasting mark on music culture. That year Moby also booked Bowie to play his Area2 festival and the two artists would become good friends. On their friendship, Moby said "They were my neighborhood pals. It started to seem normal but at the back of my mind I never forgot the fact that David Bowie was a demigod and a genius and the best musician who will ever live”.

Moby had previously performed at Glastonbury in the past, on the Other Stage in 2000 and the Dance tent in 1998, but when he landed on the main Pyramid Stage in 2003 it was a landmark moment of his career. He brought out a full band for his set, performing a plethora of hits from his catalogue and more. Standout moments include live renditions of 'Bring Back My Happiness', ‘Porcelain’ and a cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. The Glastonbury performance would also be released on his ‘18 B-Sides + DVD’ later that year.

In 2005 Moby linked with Pacha to record his album 'Hotel', released by Mute. Although he was affiliated with the world renowned clubbing brand, the album’s sound profile drifted away from his previous electronic works to take on a more rock-focused motif. It is a body of work that showcases his musicianship like never before, as all the instruments, besides the drums, were played by Moby himself, and no outside samples were involved. As one of the biggest critics of himself, he later referred to ‘Hotel ‘as his least favorite work due to his own instrumentation, but it was a major success that debuted on album charts at #1 and went gold and platinum once again.

Aside from Moby’s musical ability, his outspoken personality often takes the spotlight, so it’s little news to anyone that he’s a vegan and an advocate for animal rights. With this in mind, his restaurant Little Pine in Los Angeles is a landmark for his culinary and moral vision.The restaurant focuses on Mediterranean-style cuisine to craft organic and vegan dishes. To add to the all-encompassing animal rights establishment, all profits go directly to animal welfare organizations. Little Pine wasn’t Moby’s first venture into the culinary world, as he co-owned Teany in New York City, but it offered an intimate snapshot into his lifestyle like never before.

Although he took DJ gigs and performed acoustic sets, Moby’s live performances tailed off during the years following 2011’s album ‘Destroyed’. Then in 2013 a new album surfaced titled ‘Innocents’, and a subsequent three date tour was announced the following year. All three shows on the tour took place at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, with the first half of the set consisting of new music and the second half taking listeners on a journey through his extensive catalogue. This retrospective approach showcased scope of his influential career, and is one he would lean on in the years to come.

With a career spanning decades, multiple genres and motifs, Moby certainly has plenty of stories to tell. In 2016 he published many of these in his booked titled Porcelain: A Memoir, which featured various tales from the 90s. That said, it was a time before he truly reached mainstream success, so it revealed more regarding the formative years and his interactions with celebrities and other influential figures. The book was well received by the general public and critics due to its raw and revealing nature. Drugs, sex parties and raves were a big part of his life and he doesn’t hold back from sharing every detail. If there was any doubt that Moby isn’t a true badass, this book puts that to rest.