Hotel Ambient by Moby (CD, 2014)

Mute

5024545714227

15050177804

Moby

CD

2014

Hotel Ambient

Techno, Electronic

Ten thousand early CD copies of Moby's 2005 album Hotel were packaged with a bonus disc, Hotel: Ambient -- an assemblage of restrained, atmospheric, and predominantly beatless tracks. Moby obtained the rights to that extra set and, in late 2014, wisely gave it a separate release as a digital download with three bonus tracks. A triple-vinyl edition was released a few months after that. The material, heavily inspired by Brian Eno's early ambient releases -- certain parts of Music for Airports and On Land, for instance -- is among the producer's best and most nuanced work. It evokes a mix of comfort and slight alienation, and is pleasurable whether placed in the background or heard through total immersion. The bonus cuts, including the gently swarming "May 4 Two" and a 16-minute version of the weightless and elegiac "Live Forever" are enhancements rather than completist lures. ~ Andy Kellman

1

USA