Artists A-Z # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Genres: Electronica  
Styles: Techno  House  Trance  

BIO

Date Of Birth:09/11/1965 Place Of Birth:New York, USA Years Active:80’s, 90’s, 00’s Genre(s):Electronica  Style(s):Techno House Trance  Instrument(s):Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Bass, Drums Associated Projects:Vatican Commandos Website:http://www.moby.com

Future musician and social activist Richard Melville Hall was born in Harlem, New York. He grew up in Darien, Connecticut. Since his early childhood he was nicknamed Moby – in the honor of the novel Moby Dick of American Classic Henry Melville, who was an ancestor of the artist. Having learned to play several instruments, Moby became a member of the hardcore punk command Vatican Commandos. Since 1985, he was also well-known as a DJ. Moby signed to Instinct Records after he got the degree in sociology. In the beginning of 90's, the singer got famous for his progressive track Go, which used the musical theme of Laura Palmer from the cult series Twin Pix. In 1991, his first album The Story So Far, also known as Moby, was released. In 1993, Moby toured with such stars of electronica as The Prodigy, Aphex Twin and Orbital.

In 1995, the disc Everything Is Wrong saw light. It received high critical acclaim. In 1996, the musician released the double issue of remixes called Everything Is Wrong: Mixed and Remixed. Soon after it label Instinct Records published the collection of Moby's unpublished tracks Rare: The Collected B-Sides 1989-1993.One of the songs from this compilation, Thousand, entered the Guinness Record Book as the fastest composition to date – its speed exceeds one thousand beats per minute. In 1996, Moby also turned to electronic rock with the Animal Rights full-length. The release of Moby's collection of music, contributed to films - I Like to Score – was darkened by his than label’s refusal to work with the artist because of lack of financial success. However, in 1999, the singer made a forceful breakthrough with his creation Play. It came into history as the first disc to have all of its tracks licensed.

The next full-length 18 was noticed for its cosmic dance composition We Are All Made of Stars. In 2001, Moby became the founder of rock festival Area: One Festival. Around the same time, Moby got into confrontation with rapper Eminem. It resulted in a quarrel of the artists at the MTV Music Awards 2002 ceremony. The musician also cooperated with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Britney Spears and Public Enemy. His Hotel album of 2005 amused the listeners with the absence of samples – Moby wrote all the material himself and contributed vocals with Laura Dawn. Above the fact that Moby played an important role in the electronic music popularization, he is known for his activism in different movements in the defense of animals. In 2006, he released the best songs collection Go: The Very Best Of Moby with the dynamical single New York, New York, decorated with Debbie Harry’s vocals. In April 2008, Moby presented the listeners with his new disc Last Night. Wonderful singles Alice and Disco Lies demonstrate Moby's admiration for the dance music of New York City. In 2009, the celebrated artist made an unexpected move towards the music of his earliest period and released an album called Wait For Me. This record’s music was completely different from the later effort by Moby and is designated to open a new chapter in his rich biography.