Hear Moby’s Unreleased Ambient Odyssey ‘Spaired Long’

Moby is unleashing a set of previously unreleased ambient tracks on December 16th’s ‘Hotel: Ambient.’ Photo: Jessica Dimmock

Although best known for dance records like “Move” and “Bodyrock,” Moby’s discography is also filled with low-key, downtempo releases like, most notably, 1993’s Ambient. “I first heard ”“ and heard about ”“ ambient music on the B-side of David Bowie‘s ‘Heroes,'” Moby tells ROLLING STONE. “As much as I’ve loved writing songs and dance tracks I’ve always been obsessed with the ways in which ambient and instrumental music can transform the space in which they’re being listened.”

On December 16th, the DJ will reissue his out-of-print Hotel: Ambient LP, a collection of such instrumentals that originally came as a bonus disc for 2005’s Hotel. The record will also include a handful of previously unreleased tracks, and below, hear one of them ”“ the rumbling, open-ended “Spaired Long.”

On the day of the release, Moby will also play his first ambient set at Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge, pairing the sound with custom, space-transforming visuals. “I also really appreciate the subtle and at times un-demanding qualities of ambient music,” he continues, “and the ways in which it can unconventionally reach people emotionally.”