Moby talks new album “Resound NYC,” using old vocal samples, and his famous great-uncle Herman Melville

The “old voices” very often come from recordings made by Alan Lomax in the 1930’s and 1940’s in the Southern States for the Library of Congress. In churches and in fields or in backyards. Fascinating documents that have reached an audience of millions through you…

Yes, they are indeed very special. And they’re not gone, the recordings are still there. But now, 20 years later, with new arrangements and vocals. And some of these new voices have fascinating stories too…

For example?

There are so many, I don’t even know where to start…Like Run On. There’s this wonderful soul singer in Buffalo, New York, her name is Danielle Ponder, who I begged to sing this song. Before she came to the studio, she was in the hospital with her old dad. And she told him she’s going to sing this song. And her 89-year-old father, who was really unwell, his eyes lit up and he told her he used to sing this song when he was a little boy. In the deep south in the early 20th century, from a time whose living conditions we can hardly imagine today. Danielle recorded it on her phone when he finally sang the song to her. And she brought the recording to the studio with her.

And could you use that?

Yes, I threw away all the instrumental tracks that we already had because they were produced far too powerfully for the voice of an 89-year-old. We re-recorded everything and so Danielle sings an intimate duet with her father. And those are completely new magical moments that I’m glad to be part of.

In addition to stars and genre greats like Danielle Ponder, you will also find a completely unknown name in the credits. How did that happen?

Ah, you mean Paul Banks, right? It was actually an incredible coincidence. We just couldn’t find the right singer for “When it’s cold I’d like to die”. We had recorded some well-known and really good people, but somehow it didn’t feel right in either version. Our sound engineer happened to be at a wedding party in Texas and there was a band playing popular covers for entertainment. And how their singer Paul Banks did it fascinated him, so he invited him to the studio to try this song – and boom, that was it! So what all the other well-known musicians couldn’t do, a wedding singer from Texas did, that’s amazing…

How is it that their most successful songs are mostly sung by guest musicians?

When I was a teenager I wanted to be the best singer in the world. Admired and in the spotlight and with everything that goes with it. But I quickly had to realize that the best I could do was average. That frustrated me, of course, because I wanted to be this super great frontman. But then again, there was a good side to it too. Because it made me want to work with other musicians, other singers. If I could sing like Bono or David Bowie, I never would have had to learn to listen to other voices! But so I was forced to find and record with exceptional singers. And that’s actually the absolutely great thing about the fact that my teenage dream failed: that I can play my songs with exceptional talents like Gregory Porter.

But you actually come from punk, is that right?

Musically I started with punk, that’s true. But the borders weren’t that strict back then. For example, when I was hanging out in nightclubs in New York in the early 80’s, you would see a punk band like the Bad Brains, but before that there was a reggae DJ and after the concert they played new wave. It was a fantastic time of musical diversity – and
it still affects everyone who grew up during this time, like Rick Rubin or the Beastie Boys.

And which genre originally influenced you?

As a kid I was a classic rock fan. Somehow. But the music in the 1970s was just very eclectic. On my mom’s car radio I heard Aerosmith, followed by the Bee Gees, then Elton John, followed by Kiss – and then James Taylor. This process made perfect sense to me, I didn’t question it. The first three concerts I saw were Yes, Fear and Depeche Mode. Classic rock, punk and synth pop.

What music do you personally listen to today?

When I get my top 10 list from Spotify at the end of the year, i.e. the songs I have listened to most, I have to laugh because it is so absolutely chaotic. Last year it was Ultravox, Black Flag, Nick Drake, Lightening Hopkins, Pantera and early 14th century music. I don’t know much about contemporary pop. He’s so good, so adjusted. Traditionally, parents have been upset with their children’s music because it was too aggressive. But today? I wish the kids would hear SOMETHING that challenges the world! A friend wants to rewrite the Ramones movie Rock ‘n’ Roll High School. In his version, the kids are incredibly conservative and the teachers are freaky punks. I think that would suit the current situation very well.

Many of your songs radiate an almost meditative power. What is the meaning of music for you personally?

I started collaborating with the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function 20 years ago. Research is being conducted into how music affects the brain. How it promotes neurogenesis in the hippocampus. It’s fascinating how music changes people physiologically. And that gets even more exciting when you consider that music is the only art form that doesn’t physically exist. You can attack a sculptor’s work – but music is just moving air, molecules that oscillate for a certain period of time. And THAT makes someone cry or laugh, it soothes or upsets! Music can include anything from the profane to the sacred. In fact, music is something like a prayer.

Moby: „Resound NYC“ (German Grammophon)

You have also caused a literary stir. Her autobiographies inspired critics and also authors like Salman Rushdie. When are you writing again?

I would really like to write a third volume of memoirs. But: Since I’ve been “dry”, my life has become really boring. At least for outsiders. It’s almost monastic. I’m into spiritual things, quantum mechanics, neuroscience. Maybe in 10, 15 years I can say something that contains a little bit of wisdom. Because there are already a lot of words in the world. So when I add mine to those, I want them to mean something too

An unavoidable question, while we’re on the subject of literature: How many times have you read “Moby Dick”, the famous novel by your great-great-great-uncle Herman Melville?

Honestly? I started it when I was 13 and haven’t finished reading it to this day. I’ve tried again and again, I’m actually an almost excessive reader. But maybe I have a problem with the “romantic” literature of the 19th century in general, I’m not really enthusiastic about Hawthorne or Tolstoy either. I love the allegorical and existential aspects of Moby Dick, but the middle section reads like someone was being paid per word. Sorry Uncle Herman. I’ll finish it when the time is right, but I’m sure of it. Because I’m a bit ashamed that I haven’t made it until now.

Herman Melville was a great adventurer and killed a few animals himself. A family tradition I don’t think they’re going to carry on…

No, I am active in animal welfare. And vegans. For many reasons, health, environmental, but ultimately mostly because I can’t bear the thought of animals being hurt. It’s different in nature: a wolf kills because it has to. But we humans don’t have to do that.