Richard Melville Hall, known to fans as Moby, is today a successful musician, DJ, and singer/songwriter. Born in Harlem, New York, Moby was a name actually given to the singer by his parents when he was young. According to the artist, it was because of the relationship back in family history to Herman Melville, the writer of Moby Dick.
The musical side of Moby first appeared when he was young. At age nine he was studying music theory, learning classical guitar, and would then go on to play the drums as well as the piano. Although Moby is known today for his success in Electronica music, his roots were in Hardcore Punk, starting out in a band called Vatican Commandos in the early to mid ’80s.
Over his musical career he has not only released music under the name “Moby,” but he has also released music with bands Gin Train, AWOL, Vatican Commandos, and Caeli Seoul. Other names he has used included Schaumgummi and Voodoo Child.
You’d probably mistake Moby for just another guy. His look doesn’t scream “music star.” In fact, even the music that he has released isn’t ear catching at first. Although he’s been nominated for Grammys in the past, many people are not familiar with the musician’s name, even though they have probably heard his music at some point in time.
Not only is the appearance of Moby quite vague, but his music is vague and indeterminate as well. His sound comes from a variety of influences, and although it is well crafted by the singer/songwriter, it is not really personal to those listening to it. It’s the type of music that is often heard in movies, on commercials, and in clubs. Its universality is what has helped Moby to sell millions of copies of his albums.
Moby has managed to turn himself, as well as his music, into a brand. His music has been sold for soundtracks and commercials, and even his likeness has been used by a lot of advertisers. Several of the songs on his hit album ‘Play’ have been used in television shows, movies, and commercials. All of this has contributed to his financial success.
Moby’s music has a cool vibe that is appealing to many, and that is what is behind his popularity for advertising. It’s not a unique sound that only appeals to certain groups of people, but cool electronica music that appeals to the masses. His music is safe; Moby has taken electronica, which used to be an edgy style, and turned it into a music all his own. It still has that edgy sound, yet is comfortable to listen too, which makes it so popular today.
Far from the Punk sound where Moby first started out, he has definitely attained success in the electronica realm. Going from a “in your face” style of music to music that is vague and impersonal, he has managed to reach success in a unique way.
