It was "Play” “ from 1999 that sketches the transformation from hard MOBY to tender MOBY. “I think ‘Play’ was the first album that I didn’t tackle aggressively. It was the first time that I made a record for people to love and have sex to”, MOBY aka Richard Melville later confided in an interview with German platform “Spiegel Online”. Inbetween all this love and sex people still seem to have found the time for a visit to the record store: “Play” sold more than 12 million copies, even though fans who expected a techno album were initially disappointed. The platinum-honoured LP is now re-issued on 180g vinyl and bears witness to MOBY’s talent as a musical chameleon: He combined folk and gospel sample with electronic sound and repeated those loops over and over again until they suck the listener in. Nine songs made it as singles and were licensed for movies, TV and ads so often that MOBY doesn’t need to worry about his pension.
“Hotel Ambient” from 2005 on the other hand, is re-issued as a 180g triple vinyl – with three additional tracks. MOBY himself told Billboard when asked about the immensely tender album: “It’s music that I listen to when I’m nervous or when I can’t sleep”. Nonetheless, he didn’t seem to expect much commercial success form the re-issue of this de-celerated album: He said he’s re-issuing it “for the ten people in this world that still buy records”.
We can smell the understatement from here. MOBY frequently underlines his lack of self-confidence. Staple statements would be: “I never expected my songs to sign a record deal and to have my songs played on the radio.” or “I can’t believe it. It’s all so surprising for a little light from Connecticut.”