Category — Moby

Nadia Ali is one of the greatest natural voices on the dance floor scene.

Formerly of Iio (“Rapture”, “Is It Love?), the singer has since embarked on her own successful career as a solo artist. After a series of songs recorded with artists including Rosko and Armin van Buuren, Ali finally unveiled her long-awaited debut album Embers in September of 2009.

A stunning collection of heavenly trance music and ambient sound, the album showcases both Ali’s unique vocal delivery and her knack for scribing deeply personal, sophisticated electronica, proving why she’s since become such an overwhelmingly admired, oft-requested collaborator for producers and artists alike.

Last Friday, I had the honor of speaking to Nadia as she prepared for a trip to Brazil. She was amazingly kind and as sweet as expected, and she provided a lot of thoughtful, in-depth responses to my questions. Instead of drafting up a short feature, I thought her fans would instead appreciate the full-on Q&A. Below is the entire transcript. I hope you all enjoy!

[Read more →]

The contest has now ended. Thank you!

MuuMuse is excited to be giving away THREE pairs of tickets to see Russell Small and James Wiltshire–better known as production duo The Freemasons–LIVE at The Beach on Governors Island on September 20.

To enter, send an e-mail to freemasons@muumuse.com with the subject line “NYC.”

As you should all well know, The Freemasons are sort of like the UK’s dancefloor antidote to the names behind the hits currently saturating the airwaves, including Timbaland and Ryan Tedder.

They’ve produced some of our most beloved tracks here at MuuMuse, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Heartbreak (Make Me A Dancer)” and Kylie Minogue’s “The One,” as well as countless mixes for Beyonce, Moby, and Kelly Rowland.

One winner will be selected and notified each week (two tickets per winner). Keep in mind: It’s on an island, so you’ll need to take the five-minute ferry (click here for schedule) to get there.

And now for the full announcement:

Sunday, September 20
At The Beach at Governors Island:
THE FREEMASONS
Presented by The Saint at Large
Visit The Beach online for more info and up-to-date ferry schedules
Doors at 6:00pm, Show at 6:30pm
$25 adv, $40 at door
Box Office, Will Call, and ticket purchases will all happen on the island.
First Ferry Leaves at 5:30pm

Good luck!

God, I love this group.

Today marks the official release of the Sneaky Sound System’s fourth (and final?) single, “It’s Not My Problem.” The song is but one of the many terrific tracks off of Sneaky’s 2008 album 2, a devastatingly overlooked (referring to America, obviously) collection of dance-pop gems a la Cut Copy and The Presets.

Be sure to watch the video above, created by fan competition winner, Maik Hempel. It’s fun, it’s adorable…and even more impressively, it’s fan-made!

Poor little cartoon man…he’s like the friend that Moby’s Little Idiot never had.

Purchase “It’s Not My Problem” on iTunes Australia | MySpace | Official Website

Today is the official release of Moby’s ninth studio album, Wait For Me. You can pick up a 12″ or a physical CD at Moby’s store.

I don’t know if I’ll get around to ‘properly’ reviewing it, so just in case:

It is good–I’ve just not managed to listen the whole way through without falling asleep. Not a criticism–just a heavy sedative of an album. The title track, “Wait For Me,” is pretty stunning in its own right, however.

Click below to preview and purchase Wait For Me.

Sometimes I hear a voice in the back of my head pleading “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no air?” Well, really it’s more like “no ay-uh,” but I digress.

The point is I can breathe again.

Hot off the heels of the announcement made by Zero 7 and their comeback to the ‘music scene’ with a new album, French dream-pop duo Air has announced their own return with Love 2, due out on October 6 from Astralwerks.

According to the Pitchfork rehash of the press release I didn’t get in my inbox:

On October 6, Astralwerks will release Love 2, the fifth studio album from the Paris duo. This will be the first album that Air recorded at their own Atlas Studio, which I have to imagine is the most luxurious recording studio on the planet. Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin handle all the album’s vocals by themselves, and L.A. gun-for-hire drummer Joey Waronker sits in on the entire record.

“Do the Joy” will be available as a “viral single” on July 7, according to a press release. On August 25, they’ll drop the album’s first proper single, “Sing Sang Sung.”

This is excellent news, as I’m already wearing out Moby’s new record for my sleepy time playlist.

Click below to hear more from Air.

Here now is the video for Moby’s “first self-produced” single from his upcoming album Wait For Me, “Pale Horses.”

Spoiler Alert: If the song doesn’t make you want to kill yourself, the video surely will.

Click below to hear more from Moby.

And all of a sudden, Moby is back into the swing of things.

Yesterday, the artist let loose a torrent of information about the release of his next album, Wait For Me, due out on June 30.

It seems that Moby’s become a bit disenchanted with the industry. But really, who isn’t these days? As a result, he’s turned inward and created a record that pleases him for the sake of creativity, not because of sales. Translation? Expect moody atmospherica and weird, electronic sounds.

Tracklisting! GO:

division
pale horses
shot in the back of the head
study war
walk with me
stock radio
mistake
scream pilots
jltf 1
jltf
a seated night
wait for me
hope is gone
ghost return
slow light
isolate

Above is the video for Moby’s first single (an instrumental, judge this as you may), “Shot In The Back Of The Head,” directed by none other than David Lynch. Like the artwork for Wait For Me, the video is bleak–black and white and mournful all over.

Seems to be quite the sad robot these days, no?

Click here to visit his newly renovated website.

DL: Moby – Shot In The Back Of The Head

Click above to hear more from Moby NOW!

Yes Muusers, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s upcoming single “Zero” from It’s Blitz has just made its way into the audio stream.

“Zero” sounds a bit like The Killers, if fronted by Santogold and produced by…Moby.

“Zero” sounds nothing like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

No crashing drums or howls on high from Karen O to be found here; just cold, calculated New Wave-esque electronica and guitar riffs. Normally I’d be all about the production in a pop song, but for the YYY’s? …Not their strongest suit.

As one fan noted, “Zero” is a grower, not a shower. But for the “their old stuff was better” crew seeking the impossibly raw, blood-n-dirt energy of Fever To Tell, this simply may not bode well for the band.

Let’s just hope that “Zero” is but the launching pad of the album.

EDIT: Upon listening ten more times this morning, I think I may like this after all.

DL: Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Zero (Sharebee)

From Moby’s MySpace:

after a year of recording and writing, today’s the day i go into the
studio to begin the final mixing on my next record.if all goes well i’m
hoping to finish the album by the end of february, and to release it in
june.

if ‘last night’ was a saturday night 1 a.m dance record then this next album is more of a ‘9 a.m sunday morning lying in bed while it’s raining outside’ album.

I can’t believe how quick this turnaround is…Last Night came out less than one year ago, and the remix album only months ago!

The album with be mixed along with Ken Thomas (Sigur Rós, M83), and promises to be a more quiet, “melodic and more emotional record than the last few records.”

The artist goes on in his message to urge fans to give the album a proper, thorough listening upon first play, rather than skipping through to a few random tracks.

Shouldn’t pose much of a problem…It is a Moby album, after all.

DL: Moby – Raining Again (Steve Angello’s Vocal Mix) (Sharebee)

Click here to purchase “Raining Again (Steve Angello’s Vocal Mix)” from Moby’s Go: The Very Best of Moby NOW!

Obnoxious I know, considering that I’ve only just posted the Best Albums of 2008. But alas, it’s snowing…Hard. And when it’s snowing this hard, there’s only one thing to be done.

BLOG. IT. UP.

Somewhere after the top five single reviews, I wondered about how I would write up the remaining ten tracks (read: got lazy). Suddenly, I thought up the genius idea of making my reviews correspond to their song’s ranking in word quantity! And so, the idea has now been brought into fruition. And yes, I’m counting hyphenated words as one complete word.

I’ve had myself some fun. And now, I present…The Top 15 Tracks. Err, well…20.

I couldn’t resist!

Squeezing in…
20. Sia – Soon We’ll Be Found
19. Janet Jackson – Feedback
18. Will Young – Changes
17. Mylène Farmer – Degeneration
16. Madonna – Give It 2 Me

15. Hercules & Love Affair – Blind
Pitchfork proclaims it top dog, but the “coming out” corker merely sizzles beneath the surface.

14. Girls Aloud – The Promise
Slowing down the tempo, the Girls don’t always need Hi-NRG tracks…just some glitter.

13. Britney Spears – Womanizer
New Britney is on a mission, plaguing your dictionaries for years to come.

12. Sugababes – No Can Do
Fabulous track from a fabulous album, the Babes’ sassiest release in years.

11. Santogold – L.E.S. Artistes
Hipster’s delight, mashing genres and crunchy beats. Where’s my skull necklace?

10. Namie Amuro – WHAT A FEELING
Spine-tingling electro reinterpretation, still paving the way for J-Pop.

9. Danity Kane – Damaged
Do, do you, got a first aid kit handy?

8. Sam Sparro – Black & Gold
Slow burning electro gold, never truly grows old.

7. Radiohead – Reckoner
Chanting bliss, especially within the middle eight.

6. Moby – Disco Lies
Purest dance, shame about the video.

5. Kaskade – Move For Me

Easily the finest trance track of the year, Kaskade’s “Move For Me” remains as gorgeously ethereal as it did upon the very first play. Late night synth sounds elevate the track into intergalactic proportions, while breathy, world-weary vocals weave disillusionment in between the beats: “Where do we come from? / Do I know your name? / Doesn’t really matter / In this life, we’re all the same.” Luscious! To this day, my post about the track is still the most searched track of the entire blog…Now that’s saying something.

In five words: Crying at the discotheque.

4. Kylie Minogue – The One

“The One” is, without question, the highlight of Kylie Minogue’s 2007 album, X. A classic, timeless moment of New Wave warmth and echoey ooh’s and aah’s, the single is the epitome of electro-pop perfection. And despite initial disappointment upon learning the track had already been semi-formed in 2006 under a different artist, its initial impact remains unscathed. In the greatest pop injustice of 2008, “The One” saw a digital release in only a scattering of territories, a phoned-in kaleidoscopic video, and a scrapped-last-minute physical release, completely and utterly gutting the track’s full potential. It will remain one of Minogue’s greatest missed opportunities…We will never forget!

In four words: Love me, love me.

3. Lady Gaga – Just Dance

Prior to the release of the Girls Aloud and Britney albums, Gaga’s debut single was determined to remain my number one track for the year. As simple as it is instant, “Just Dance” was responsible for ushering in a torrent of artist requests for Lady Gaga’s writing skills and RedOne’s electro beats, “Just Dance” is a thoroughly crafted work of chiseled pop perfection. Through and through, the song is solid. I believe I’ve said it before, but “Just Dance” is the first track in years that has given me the “Since U Been Gone” effect–That instant vibe that a track is about to be colossal. Though its rather annoying that the song is only now climbing the Top 10 and gaining national attention (as it was originally released in April), it is a deserved amount of recognition nonetheless.

In three words: Dance all night.

2. Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind

In the Girls’ most tender track to date, this dream team collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys is truly the stuff of dreams (that glitter!). Five seconds short of being a four minute masterpiece, “The Loving Kind” is 2008’s “The One”: A timeless synth stomper intermixed with lyrics of longing. There are dozens of moments of brilliance interspersed throughout the track, though nothing will top Nicola’s show-stealing shouting bits in between the choruses. And sure, they can’t sing it live yet, but give the gals some time…After all, Perfection always takes some practice.

In two words: Love me.

1. Britney Spears – Circus

In her finest moment since 2004’s “Toxic,” Britney Spears takes back the reigns as the true ringmaster of this circus in this whip crackin’, adrenaline packin’, booty smacking stomp fest. “Circus” has already proved to be a massive smash, landing #3 on the singles charts despite establishing a formal release date. Seriously, this is a fully functioning performance piece, bursting with energy, sound, and movement. Was I influenced after having seen this go down live? Probably, but this isn’t getting old for me, and I sure don’t see it running its course anytime soon. Run that ship tight, bitch!

In one word: Perfection.

DL: Kaskade – Move For Me (Mediafire)
DL: Kylie Minogue – The One (Freemasons Vocal Club Mix) (Mediafire)
DL: Lady Gaga – Just Dance (Mediafire)
DL: Girls Aloud – The Loving Kind (Video Mix)
DL: Britney Spears – Circus (Junior Vasquez Remix Edit) (Mediafire)