see also: Etymology of Moby

Moby , of its true name Richard Melville Hall (September 11th, 1965), is an American artist of Electronic music . Multi- Instrumentalist, Moby plays of the Guitare, the keyboards and the low . He hates over all, to intend to say that its compositions only consist of samples.

The artist approaches, through the electronic music, a multiplicity of musical genres where it as well draws his inspiration in the Techno, as in the Blues or the Rock.

Before to have acquired its current notoriety, Moby produced its music under various pseudonyms such as Voodoo Child , Barracuda , UHF , The Brotherhood , Schaumgummi , DJ Cake , Lopez , Brainstorm & Mindstorm or The Pork Guys .

Richard Melville Hall born in the district of Harlem with New York, wire of James Hall, professor of Chemistry, and Elizabeth McBride Warner, medical secretary. It is it which calls it Moby, in homage to his/her back-back-large-uncle Hermann Melville, the author of the famous novel Moby Dick .

Dans the months which follow its birth, Moby lives with his/her parents in an apartment of New York with a bitch (Jamie), a cat and three rats of laboratory… It is hardly two years old when his/her father dies in a road accident. In 1969, after a passage in San Francisco hippie of the summer of the Love, Richard and his mother move in at the grandparents, Myron Warner and Jeanette McBride Warner, in a house cossue of Darien (Connecticut).

In 1973, the boy attends Royal Grammar School and his/her best friend, at that time, is Robert Downey Jr., today movie actor. They is two years later, in 1975, that the young person Richard Hall starts to play of the guitar: it is ten years old. It improves and goes up in 1979 its first group which can play only “Money” of the Pink Floyd and “Birthday” of the Beatles. Choosing a radical musical genre, Moby forms its first group Punk, the the Vatican Commandos, in 1980.

Tout by keeping the aggressiveness of the beginnings, it opens towards other styles of music and receives in 1983 its first recorder 4 tracks which it installs in the cellar of his mother. This same year, it enters to the university of Connecticut of which it arises quickly, since 1984, to settle like DJ with Happy, Port Chester in the state of the New York.
Begin one painful period: in 1986, Moby moves of Darien to Greenwich, Connecticut and squatte initially in a vast hangar, then in Stamford, Connecticut, in a factory abandoned half and without running water all while being essential like DJ resident on the club MARCH of New York. In 1989, Moby wakes up finally the interest of a new New Yorkean label, Instinct Records. The musician ends up moving in a dark and dirty apartment of New York, with the crossing of the 14th Street and 3rd Avenue. The same year, he is the first success of regard with the group Ultra Vivid Scene, which the album leaves on the label 4AD.

Moby serious its first disc, “Time' S Up” within the combo The Brotherhood in 1990. But these are the scenic performances which contribute to its increasing fame. In 1991, leaves the fourth individual one, “Go”, an anthem techno whose base line is a sample topic of the televised series of David Lynch, Mystères in Twin Peaks . Success is immediate: more than one million specimens sold to date.
In 1991 also, Moby remixe Chorus , a tube of the English group Erasure. Is its version reproduced only on the limited edition of Cd-individual of Erasure Am I right? .

Moby falls down then in a relative anonymity and leaves many individual “electro” under its name or pseudonyms as varied as Voodoo Child, Barracuda, UHF, DJ Cake, Lopez and Brainstorm/Mindstorm. In spite of its undeniable qualities, its album “Ambient” (1993) remains inaperçu.
The following album, the first for Elektra Records is entitled Everything Is Wrong . Left in 1995, it hardly has more success than the precedent, in spite of a favorable reception of the critique.
Moby connects then with the album Animal Rights in 1996, preceded by individual discussed That' S when I reach for my revolver . The return to the punk rock'n'roll completely disorientates the fans who await an album of music “ambient”.
After a necessary handing-over in question, Moby returns to electro with I Like to Score , a compilation of compositions of which some are taken again on film original soundtracks, like the atmospheric piece “God Moving Over the Face off the Waters”, which illustrates the final scene of the film Heat of Michael Mann, or a survitaminée version of the topic of James Bond. A few years after, in 1998, his/her mother dies of a cancer.

Also let us note that its electro headline was " HYMN". A true artistic demonstration whose DJs tear off the vinyl at price of or.

En 1999, Moby leaves Elektra Records and signs at V2 Records. As of June, the album Play leaves, which becomes a planetary success in 2000 with more than 9 million sold specimens. It is the first album of the history of the music of which the entirety of the pieces are under license commerciale.
In 2001, Moby carries out one of its dreams while playing on scene with its hero of youth, David Bowie. The September 11th, day of its birthday, it attends tetanized the Attentats of the World Trade Center, since the roof of sound immeuble.
A few months later, it is also in the center of a polemic with the rappor Eminem after having treated its music of Misogyne and Homophobe. Eminem makes fun of him in “Without Me”, affirming in particular that “nobody listens to techno”. The quarrel continues with the MTV Video Music Awards of 2002 although Moby clamp high and strong which it respects the musical talents of Eminem.

February 24th, 2002, the artist takes part in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics of Salt Lake City. May 14th of the same year, it publishes very awaited “18” (which off contains in particular the tubes “We Are All Made Stars” and “in This World”) then is devoted to more confidential projects, as the album “Monkey Baby” which it leaves under the pseudonym Voodoo Child. After being itself invested in the countryside anti Bush of 2004, Moby returns to its keyboards with a new album, “Hotel” left on March 14th, 2005.

On its official site which it nourishes in particular of its daily newspaper and its photographs, Moby does not hide its political commitments (Démocrate Idéaliste, it supported actively John Kerry at the time of presidential American of November 2004), monk (it is a Christian nonconformist, it was made tattoo a cross in the Nuque) or in favor of the animals (it is a acitivist Vegan, it takes part in many actions and signed the original soundtrack of Earthlings).
It is also the emblematic figure of the defense of the neutrality of the american companies on Internet and enthusiastic opponent of an evolution of Internet towards increasingly restricted services for the Net surfers less aisés.
The musician has resided for more than ten years in New York beside at David Bowie and founded with one of his friends small a Salon of the végétalien, TeaNy (in English tiny means small and the says tea ), in which it goes fréquemment.

In 2006, at the time of the exit of sound best off, Moby and Mylène Farmer record a Duo a Reprise again version new wave of Slipping Away . The title gives place, on the same album, with a titrated Spanish version Escapar , interpreted in duet with the Spanish artist Amaral.

Moby makes also short passages in emissions of TV in France where he always says not to know what to make of all its money, he saw same manner as people of his district and known as of him: “ people do not recognize me because I am equipped most of the time like a Clochard ”.