Last Night

iTunes Review

Moby has spent several decades confounding expectations, turning towards alternative rock as techno was gaining ground in the mid-‘90s, favoring field recordings and gospel grooves with 1999’s Play, and then throwing out the vocal samples for 2005’s Hotel. With 2008’s Last Night, Moby's looking back with affection at a bygone era, while simultaneously celebrating the nightlife he still feels deep in his musical soul. Described as a loose concept album in which an entire night on the NYC dance scene (spanning several decades) is condensed into a sixty minute groove, Last Night surfs a dramatic arc that never takes itself too seriously — though “Degenerates” features a morbid symphonic sweep and the album’s title track features an exhausted Sylvia Gordon from the NY band Kudu at her most vocally distressed. ‘70s disco, Giorgio Moroder-styled Euro-disco, downtempo, rave anthems, and early hip-hop are all fleshed out in Moby’s epic style with special guests from Grandmaster Caz of the Cold Crush Brothers to members of 419 Squad and Aynzli adding their authentic touches. Is there such a thing as “Classic Techno?" There is now.