Editing Moby (section)

{{short description|American musician (born 1965)}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Moby 12 17 2018 -16 (31743191557).jpg
| alt               = Moby playing his guitar in 2018
| caption           = Moby performing in 2018
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1965|9|11}}
| birth_place       = [[New York City]], U.S.
| birth_name        = Richard Melville Hall
| occupation        = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|producer|DJ|activist}}
| years_active      = 1983–present
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Electronica]]|[[trip hop]]|[[house music|house]]|[[downtempo]]|[[ambient music|ambient]]|[[alternative rock]]|[[techno]]|[[punk rock]]|[[chill-out]]|[[electronic rock]]}}
| label             = {{flatlist|
* [[Instinct Records|Instinct]]
* [[Elektra Records|Elektra]]
* [[Mute Records|Mute]]
* Little Idiot/[[Fontana Records|Fontana]]
* [[V2 Records|V2]]/[[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]]
* [[Virgin Records|Virgin]]/[[EMI]]
* [[Because Music|Because]]
* [[Deutsche Grammophon]]/{{zwsp}}[[Universal Classics]]
}}
| instruments       = {{flatlist|
*Vocals
*guitar
*bass
*keyboards
*drums
}}
| website           = {{URL|moby.com}}
| module            = {{Infobox person|embed=yes
 | signature       = Signature of Moby.svg
 | signature_size  = 100px
 }}
}}

'''Richard Melville Hall''' (September 11, 1965), known professionally as '''Moby''', is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, [[disc jockey]], and [[animal rights]] activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. [[AllMusic]] considers him to be "among the most important [[electronic dance music|dance music]] figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United States and the United Kingdom".<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13697 | title = Moby | author = Stephen Thomas Erlewine | work = Allmusic | access-date = September 28, 2011 | archive-date = June 4, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110604143641/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p13697 | url-status = live }}</ref>

After taking up guitar and piano at age nine, he played in several underground punk rock bands through the 1980s before turning to electronic dance music. In 1989, he moved to New York City and became a prolific figure as a DJ, producer and remixer. His 1991 single "[[Go (Moby song)|Go]]" was his mainstream breakthrough, especially in Europe, where it peaked within the top ten of the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Between 1992 and 1997 he scored eight top 10 hits on the [[Dance Club Songs|''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs]] chart including "[[Move (Moby song)|Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)]]", "[[Feeling So Real]]", and "[[James Bond Theme#Moby's remix|James Bond Theme (Moby Re-Version)]]". Throughout the decade he also produced music under various pseudonyms, released the critically acclaimed ''[[Everything Is Wrong (album)|Everything Is Wrong]]'' (1995) and composed music for films. His punk-oriented album ''[[Animal Rights (album)|Animal Rights]]'' (1996) alienated much of his fan base.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stephen |first=Bijan |date=2018-05-03 |title=Moby's Relentless Pursuit of Authenticity |url=https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/mobys-muzak/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |language=en-US |issn=0027-8378}}</ref>

Moby found commercial and critical success with his fifth album ''[[Play (Moby album)|Play]]'' (1999), which, after receiving little recognition, became an unexpected global hit in 2000 after each track was licensed to films, television shows, and commercials. It remains his highest selling album with 12 million copies sold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12054910|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061213050246/http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12054910|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 13, 2006|title=Moby Didn't Feel Pressure To Follow Up 'Play,' '18' Bows At Number Four|date=December 13, 2006|access-date=November 12, 2018}}</ref> Its seventh single, "[[South Side (song)|South Side]]", featuring [[Gwen Stefani]], remains his only one to appear on the US [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], reaching No. 14. Moby followed ''Play'' with albums of varied styles including electronic, dance, rock, and [[downtempo]] music, starting with ''[[18 (Moby album)|18]]'' (2002), ''[[Hotel (album)|Hotel]]'' (2005), and ''[[Last Night (Moby album)|Last Night]]'' (2008). His later albums saw him explore [[ambient music]], including the almost four-hour release ''[[Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep.]]'' (2016). Moby continues to record and release albums; his twenty-first studio album, ''[[Resound NYC]]'', was released in May 2023.

In addition to his music career, Moby is known for his [[veganism]] and support for animal rights and humanitarian aid. He was the owner of [[Teany|TeaNY]], a vegan cafe in Manhattan, and [[Little Pine (restaurant)|Little Pine]], a vegan restaurant in Los Angeles, and organized the vegan music and food festival Circle V. He is the author of four books, including a collection of his photography and two memoirs: ''[[Porcelain: A Memoir]]'' (2016) and ''[[Then It Fell Apart]]'' (2019).