Hear more from 'Innocents': http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpllqzgq8wPZfpXX4dHK9zI_8oC7p-sHz
Moby on 'Saints':
"'Saints' was supposed to be a song with vocals -- a big New York 1984 almost freestyle type song. Originally it was just drums, bassline, and synths; it kind of reminded me of something you would've heard at Danceteria in '84 -'85, pre house music. But I was never able to write good vocals for it. By the end, I kept adding more strings, more orchestral elements, more drums, so I ended up with an instrumental that was so filled, there just wasn't room for real vocals on it. I like music with vocals, but having an instrumental on a record provides a moment where the listener doesn't have to be as engaged, so you can kind of take a little break; the parts of your brain that are engaged by people singing can quiet down for a minute and you can just relax.
Spike said 'Saints" reminded him of 'Slave to the Rhythm' and 'Unfinished Sympathy': when he told me that, I listened to them, and was like, 'Oh, yeah -- you're right!' It wasn't intentional, and I wasn't aware of it when I was working on it, but afterwards I was like, "Yeah, I hear it." If you listen to records enough, eventually they are going to infect how you make your own music. The fact that "Unfinished Sympathy" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and "Slave to the Rhythm" is such an inspirational piece of music, it's not surprising that some of those elements would come through in what I do."
'Saints' by Moby, taken from the album 'Innocents' out now.
Buy 'Innocents':
Deluxe CD: http://smarturl.it/innocents2cd?IQid=youtube.description
iTunes LP: http://smarturl.it/innocentsitunes?IQid=youtube.description
Double Gatefold LP + CD: http://smarturl.it/innocentslp?IQid=youtube.description
Hear more from 'Innocents':
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpllqzgq8wPZfpXX4dHK9zI_8oC7p-sHz
Moby on 'Saints':
"'Saints' was supposed to be a song with vocals -- a big New York 1984 almost freestyle type song. Originally it was just drums, bassline, and synths;
it kind of reminded me of something you would've heard at Danceteria in '84 -'85, pre house music. But I was never able to write good vocals for it. By the end, I kept adding more strings, more orchestral elements, more drums, so I ended up with an instrumental that was so filled, there just wasn't room for real vocals on it.
I like music with vocals, but having an instrumental on a record provides a moment where the listener doesn't have to be as engaged, so you can kind of take a little break; the parts of your brain that are engaged by people singing can quiet down for a minute and you can just relax.
Spike said 'Saints" reminded him of 'Slave to the Rhythm' and 'Unfinished Sympathy': when he told me that, I listened to them, and was like, 'Oh, yeah -- you're right!' It wasn't intentional, and I wasn't aware of it when I was working on it, but afterwards I was like, "Yeah, I hear it." If you listen to records enough, eventually they are going to infect how you make your own music. The fact that "Unfinished Sympathy" is one of my favorite songs of all time, and "Slave to the Rhythm" is such an inspirational piece of music, it's not surprising that some of those elements would come through in what I do."