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One of electronic music’s most visionary artist calls for a moment of stillness with ‘Future Quiet’ – the 23rd studio record from the Harlem-born prodigy.

In a career spanning over 35 years, Moby has always lived on the side of loud. Ever since he was born, he was right in the mix of New York’s hardcore punk scene to DJing potent house works. But his unwavering musical curiosity has taken him further than ever imagined. His pledge to constantly reshape electronic music has brought about some of the most grounding soundscapes. His first proclamation was with unfettered “Go” in 1991 – and thankfully, he’s been making albums ever since. His breakout “Play” in 1999 was a cultural phenomenon, reaffirming his impact on the seismic scale of electronic music. While his most recent in 2024, “Always Centred at Night” remains ever-present with an artist who has, evidently, still got his magic.

Of course, Moby’s influence extends beyond the realms of music. An artist aware of his own values, he has always championed compassion and sustainability in a world that perpetually remains in a state of fear, anxiety and chaos. It’s not just a DJ looking for commercial gain – it spans far deeper than that. Using his platform for good, Moby has worked with and supported countless non-profit organisations including The Humane Society and The ACLU. 2025 has also seen his free-licensing music platform of ‘mobygratis’ receive a face-lift as it continues to support independent creatives.

Now, on album number twenty-three, it’s this moment of love and compassion that Moby looks for again.

Long and short of it, ‘Future Quiet’ is – to no one’s surprise – quiet. A beautiful pause in time, it encompasses a minimalist piano, a soothing complexion in soaring strings and a collection of some of the most alluring vocal collaborations put to tape. There’s always the calm after a storm after all.

“To be clear; I love bombast. I love excess and volume,” stating his reasons behind this records’ direction, Moby goes on: “…but as the world gets louder and crazier I find myself needing the refuge of quiet, both as a listener and as a musician. For me, and hopefully for others, Future Quiet is a refuge.”

By and large, “Future Quiet” is the much-needed ear muffs to the worlds’ noise. You can hear the pains, the tragedy and the heartache that dissimilates on this rock we call home – but you can also hear the triumph, the hope and the love that we create.

At the core of it, it’s minimal in its make-up. But where there is silence, there is evidently peace. Composer Arvo Pärt once said that “the silence of our soul […] is actually more crucial but more difficult to achieve.”

It’s this line of tranquil soul-searching that Moby imparts on us here; and the opening is enough to understand his intentions. The album starts with a new orchestral reworking of “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Be”, now reimagined from its newfound love discovered on Netflix’s Stranger Things. The original song featured on the ‘Everything is Wrong’ album in 1995 – an audible looking glass of Moby’s militant beliefs in human and animal rights that are still as poignant to this day.

The original voice of Mimi Goese will forever remain as important to the song’s original integrity. The reworking, however, sees Gabriels’ Jacob Lusk take the vocal mantle, which saw Moby trying for weeks to source him for the track. “I first heard Jacob’s voice on KCRW when they started playing ‘Love and Hate in A Different Time’,” Moby recalls. “And, like anyone who’s heard Jacob sing, I immediately fell in love with his voice.” Evidently, it was the right choice. A majestic piece bearing towards true transcendence, the lead piece takes his place as a pivotal voice in trying times – as it did thirty years ago.

Elsewhere, the lush undertones of that modern piano takes centre stage as Moby – who began playing classical music at 9 years old – cascades into the confines where it’s safe: a lonesome piano stool. Instrumentals aside, the vocal accompaniments on the rest of the record remain just as powerful. Elise Serenelle’s operatic work on the sombre Estrella del Mar is captivating, while Precious Mind (Quiet Future) swathes in a mesmeric sense from classically-trained sensation India Carney.

The versatile talent of ‘serpentwithfeet’ returns for another go, following on from their collab two years ago, with On Air. A soaring inspiration of belief and recovery – it’s another one track on here where its repeat value will be undoubtedly multiplied as we delve deeper into the year.

There is no better reflection of the importance of space and silence in music than on Tallinn. An eerily empty work, Moby lets those notes hang on a second longer, conveying an unnerving presence before they’re accompanied by the most sorrowful of violin strings. Retreat reaffirms this eerie look-in, with that haunting vocal sample awash with signal static.

Nearing its climax, the record enters another realm in soundscapes grand enough for them to be major film scores. The Opposite of Fear gives off enough to feature in A Space Odyssey while its follow-up Le Vide has Zimmer eyeing up his synths somewhere.

For more than three decades, Moby’s Richard Melville has cemented his status as a music icon. Finding comfort in calm, Future Quiet is further proof of an artist who will perhaps never be lax in vision or process.