Moby - 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?'

• Richard Melville Hall, born in New York, brought up in Connecticut and had classical guitar lessons from 9 years old.
• He takes a long time to produce a final version. Generally he works alone returning to remix past work. 1998 was spent on 'Play' - 3 tracks received little attention the 'Why does my heart feel so bad' was released reaching number 16 in the Uk charts.
• It is built around 2 samples from a gospel choir recording in 1953. Both are in A minor, but one is harmonised to feel minor and the other major.

• He feels that it is more important that music triggers an emotion rather than it be clincally well prduced (i.e leaving background noise on vocal sample to give an extra texture).
• Use of effects is as important to electronic music as development is to traditional music.( listen to the differences in reverb and delay on vocal sample 2 when sections changes at 3:18)
• Lots of attention as to where sounds have been placed left-hand or right hand speakers and EQ to each sound.
• EQ (equalisation was originally used to even out early recording.Now though it gives control of treble, middle + bass frequencies idependently i.e 'telephone voice' effect in verse 2 the bass and treble frequencies have almost completetly gone giving the effect of singing down the phone

He didn't use the most up to date equipment deliberatly to keep the sound simple with unedited vocal samples. Moby only uses delay and reverb plus EQ on telephone voice (also re-sampled the original at a lower bit rate to give it a grainy sound).

• Sub Bass = bass line that is felt rather than heard. Sounds below 90Hz