5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but at whose expense?, 5 Jan 2003
Moby's self-titled debut is merely just a collection of tracks and singles released under the Instinct label during the late 80s and early 90s, and whilst such collections seem uneven and sparse, this album, with its relentless energy of early 90s house and techno anthems seems to have manageable cohesion and consistency.
Beginning with the hard-edged raving 'Drop A Beat', this track sets the tone and epitomises most of the hard-edged techno that is vastly featured amongst the album's twelve tracks, such as the chaotic 'Next Is The E', the darkly sounding 'Have You Seen My Baby' and the catchy 'Ah-Ah'.
But whilst the album's notoriety is for featuring heavily danceable tracks its best moments lie in the mid-tempo 'Go' (a British Top Ten hit), and the chilled-out ambience of tracks such as the strangely melodic 'Mercy', the beautiful 'Slight Return' and the soothing 'Stream'.
These tracks not only arrive as a welcoming break from the hectic techno beats but they also give the album much needed heart and soul, which at times it exclusively lacks. But nevertheless, this album serves as a nice example of the early 90s techno movement.
