Some of Moby’s recent work had left him so personally unfulfilled that he actually referred to his 2005 CD “Hotel” as “anodyne and compromised” due to what he considers the record’s slick and soulless production style. So for his new CD “Wait For Me,” out now, he eschewed a big recording studio for his Lower East Side bedroom, and exchanged commercial styles for a simple, soulful and spiritual path inspired by filmmaker David Lynch. Moby called The Post from a tour date in Croatia to explain.
How did David Lynch inspire your new CD?
He gave a talk about how creative expression should be judged not by revenue, but by the integrity of the artist and how the [music] affects the listener. Having success and living in New York, I found myself unfortunately influenced by people at major labels who only valued music that generated a lot of money. What David Lynch reminded me is that art should be more important than how much money it makes.
Once you made that decision, how did the creative process flow?
It made the process a lot easier, because I wasn’t trying to make people at a major label happy, or trying to appeal to commercial radio or sell millions of copies. I was just trying to make something that I loved, and my hope was that other people might like it as well.
But you’ve also said that this record might not be easy to like. Why?
It’s not a fun pop record, and not immediately gratifying. It’s not a record someone should play in a bar or at a party, because it’s quiet and fairly mournful.
You also took inspiration from older music and technology. Is that a subconscious commentary on what’s happening in music today?
Yeah. I found myself, over the last few years, responding less and less to records that were perfectly produced. With modern technology, it’s easy to make a flawless, perfectly produced record. But the records that mean the most to me are filled with flaws. So in making this record, if I made mistakes, I wanted to include them — maybe to give it a sense of humility and vulnerability.
What will this album mean for your work going forward?
I wish I knew. I’d like to continue making music in stranger, more idiosyncratic ways. I certainly don’t want to find myself gunning for Top 40 records and MTV play. I think it would be tragic for a 43-year-old middle-aged guy to be trying to compete with 20-year-old pop stars.