Like It Always Does

Happy birthday to Richard Melville Hall aka Moby, born 11th September 1965.

Whether you're aware of Moby as a musician, vegan, Christian, baldie, animal rights campaigner or a complete and utter twonk, it's hard to think of another artist that has combined all of these elements so successfully.

I was a huge fan of Moby's music throughout the 1990s and enjoyed the twists and turns of his career. Yes, I was one of the 472 people who bought his thrash metal (kind of) album Animal Rights on release in 1996. And liked it.

I haven't followed every release since then, but I have enjoyed the occasional dip back into Moby's 21st century albums. I must revisit Innocents from 2013, which I recall as being pretty good. 

The last Moby album I acquired was Everything Was Beautiful, And Nothing Hurt in 2018 and, apart from the You & Me EP with Anfisa Letyago in 2024, I've pretty much no idea what he's released in this decade.

That said, I've still managed to come up with a (mostly) 21st century selection, ten songs moving from metal to machines and back again, also serving to showcase the vocal talents that Moby has collaborated with over the years. 

With the exception of Mark Lanegan, all female singers and likely ones that are undeservedly unfamiliar. Mindy Jones is a long-time musical partner of Moby, whilst others such as Rozz Morehead and Erin Marszalek made fleeting but significant appearances.

I've also thrown in a few remixes, courtesy of Torsten Stenzel, Photek and Moby himself.

Ten songs, all done and dusted in three quarters of an hour, just enough and not too much.

Have a good one, Moby.

1) E2D (Outtake From 'Play') (1999)

2) Don't Love Me (Album Version ft. Mindy Jones & Inyang Bassey) (2013)

3) Spiders (Album Version) (2005)

4) Porcelain (Torsten Stenzel's Edited Remix) (2000)

5) Move (Electro Mix By Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Carole Sylvan) (1993)

6) Extreme Ways (Single Version) (2002)

7) Ooh Yeah (Album Version ft. Erin Marszalek & Luci Butler) (2008)

8) Come On Baby (Single Edit)

9) You & Me (Extended Mix) (Moby x Anfisa Letyago) (2024)

10) The Lonely Night (Photek Remix ft. Mark Lanegan & Mindy Jones) (2013)

1993: Move - The Mixes EP: 5

1996: Come On Baby EP: 8

2000: Porcelain EP: 4

2002: Extreme Ways EP: 6

2003: 18 DVD: Outtakes & Bonus Songs: 1

2005: Hotel: 3

2008: Last Night: 7

2013: Innocents: 2

2013: The Lonely Night EP: 10

2024: You & Me EP: 9

Like It Always Does (46:05) (GD) (M)

As it's Moby's birthday, here's some more Dubhed selections from the archives:

Another Green World (1999 mixtape, posted Jan 2023)

Kaleidoscopic Mind (2000 gig setlist, posted Feb 2026)

Somewhere Around (random selection, posted July 2022)

Been Tryin' Hard Not To Get Into Trouble

Listening to 4 Hero's remix of Nuyorican Soul sidestepped me into Photek's remix of 4 Hero and so to today's selection. Rupert Parkes began releasing music under numerous aliases in the early 1990s, Photek emerging in 1994 and being the most enduring of these, still in use today. Part of the hideously named genre, intelligent drum and bass, like his contemporaries Roni Size, LTJ Bukem and Goldie, what really appealed to me was the complex rhythms and jazz inflections. As a nod to the latter, a track on Photek's debut album, KJZ, was an acronym for Kirk's Jazz. By the start of the 21st Century, Photek's sound had taken a turn into house and techno, though as this selection highlights, there is an identity and character linking all of Photek's music. I've lost track in the last few years, and I have read that Parkes has subsequently produced music for films, TV and games, his last album release being the soundtrack to EA Games' Need For Speed in 2016.

 

For this selection, I've focused solely on Photek's remixes for other artists. It's great to listen to these in one go, personal favourites being Loose by Therapy?, Destiny by Zero 7, I Miss You by Björk and the one that started this all, Star Chasers by 4 Hero. The remix of Paul Simon was a welcome return in 2018 and one of the few redeeming tracks on the otherwise questionable Graceland: The Remixes album. I hadn't heard Photek's remix of The Faint in 5 years and it struck how well it would sit in a mixtape next to songs from John Grant's latest album, Boy From Michigan, particularly The Rusty Bull or Your Portfolio. And how else to end but with Single by Everything But The Girl? The original version is sublime; Photek's remix provides a similar shiver down the spine. Twenty five years old and still sounding like it could be out right now.

1) The Lonely Night (Photek Remix): Moby ft. Mark Lanegan & Mindy Jones (2013)

2) Destiny (Photek Remix): Zero 7 ft. Sia & Sophie Barker (2001)

3) Alien (Photek Remix): Lamb (1999)

4) Total Job (Remixed By Photek): The Faint (2003)

5) Loose (Photek Remix): Therapy? (1995)

6) Ride (Photek B21 Edit): Lana Del Rey (2012)

7) Lie Down In Darkness (Photek Remix): Moby (2011)

8) All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints (Photek Remix): Paul Simon (2018)

9) I Miss You (Photek Mix): Björk (1996)

10) Star Chasers (Photek Remix): 4 Hero (1998)

11) Single (Photek Remix): Everything But The Girl (1996)

Been Tryin' Hard Not To Get Into Trouble (57:51)