After completing a few of his altogether-rare formal live appearances, including a couple in Los Angeles, Moby made an intimate appearance at Apogee Studios for a special performance for KCRW. While Moby met his commercial peak in the early ’00s with Play, he remains ever-relevant with his Void Pacific Choir and own solo work, which has gradually shifted away from his house roots into a more pop-industrial sound that is suited for performance with a live band. And at the small studio in an industrial section straddling the Los Angeles/Santa Monica border, Moby juxtaposed old classics with his new sound.

The set began with the energetic “The Ceremony of Innocence,” which was performed by Moby and his backing band, which included Tripp Beam on drums, Julie Mintz on keyboard and vocals, Jonathan Nesvadba on bass and vocals, and Mindy Jones on vocals. Jones in particular shone throughout the performance, taking lead vocals with nearly as much regularity as her band leader. Moby and company’s second song came with a bit of a background story – throughout the set Moby was extremely casual and comfortable with his audience, joking and telling humorous anecdotes about his one-of-a-kind life. The second song, “Falling Rain and Light” was apparently a very old song that Moby originally intended to be just a massive rave anthem – according to the song’s creator, that version sucked and was scrapped. For his latest album Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt he reworked the song into a more peaceful, almost ballad-like composition.

After playing “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” from Play, one of Moby’s most iconic songs, he followed it up with what is arguably his best-known tracks. “Porcelain” was performed beautifully by the five-piece band, Jones’ rich, husky vocals perfectly suited to replicate the vocals in the song’s sample. The set closed out with a single from his new album, “Like a Motherless Child,” a traditional tune that was given a bit of an industrial touch by Moby. Next was the short interview with Jason Bentley of KCRW as the two talked about Moby’s vegan restaurant, the new album and living in Los Angeles.

Following the interview, the band performed a couple more songs from the new record, “This Wild Darkness” and “The Tired and The Hurt.” Then came “Extreme Ways,” a single from his 2002 album 18, the first he released after his commercial breakthrough with Play. He wrapped up the evening with “The Sorrow Tree” and his single “We Are All Made of Stars,” which he explained had a massively-expensive video that nobody watched.

Seeing Moby perform live in any setting (like at The Echo, which he chose to play this month because it was “a small club near my house”) is a real treat and the experience is that much better in the intimate confines of Apogee Studios. Despite being convivial with the small audience, when it came to performing the music he was focused and serious. Considering Moby’s professed disdain for touring (something he goes into detail about in the interview with Bentley), any opportunity to see the man perform should be jumped at.

Moby live from Apogee Studios will broadcast on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic show on Thursday, April 12. Be sure to tune in or visit the station’s website for streaming.

Moby Set List

“The Ceremony of Innocence”
“Falling Rain and Light”
“Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?”
“Porcelain”
“Like a Motherless Child”
Interview
“This Wild Darkness”
“The Tired and The Hurt”
“Extreme Ways”
“The Sorrow Tree”
“We Are All Made of Stars”

File Photo: Pamela Lin