A few days ago Moby was spotted in LA wearing a mariachi suit. Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips was with him, also dressed (or should I say disguised?) as a mariachi. Moby apparently enjoyed wearing the outfit, because on Tuesday he tweeted: “In my studio talking about myself to strangers and feeling naked and inadequate without my mariachi suit.” It was all part of the video production for Moby’s new song, “Perfect Life.”
Moby’s sound has not yet been enriched by any noticeable Latin American influence, though it would be an interesting cross. The reason why he’s featured in this column is not precisely that he rocked the mariachi look. One comment on his Facebook page, however, leads us to believe that, in spite of Moby’s broken Spanish, he was well-intentioned when he decided to go Mariachi: “Just finished shooting the “perfect life” video with Wayne Coyne. Gracias a todo de mis amigos y amigas en la ciudad mexicana de Los Angeles!” A New Yorker who publicly acknowledges LA’s Mexican heritage: nice.
Moby’s new album is going to be called Innocents and will be released early in October. He collaborated with artists from different backgrounds and, to be fair, he’s always been open to new genres and new explorations. Back in the ’90s he took a break from electronic music and even toured alongside Soundgarden. His black metal-ish version of DEVO’s “Whip it” is an instant classic. I also have to admit I enjoyed Moby’s “A Case for Shame”-–the song and the video—which was officially released on July 17. Take a look.
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