Moby Performer

Techno's first superstar, the artist who calls himself Moby, was poised for greatness on the release this year of his first major-label album, "Everything Is Wrong." When it was released last May, it seemed a virtual certainty that the artist--long respected in the rave underground--was going to make that big crossover, dazzling his existing dance audience, but also grabbing rock fans who normally wouldn't be caught dead gyrating under a strobe light.

Given the downturn in the music business, artists and executives alike are scaling back expectations. But Moby's modest projections for his new album take it to extremes. Although total global sales for his last two albums reached more than 13 million copies, for his new one the electronic musician has set the bar considerably lower. "If it sells 50,000 worldwide, I'd be surprised and happy," he says. That is not a typo. There are no zeroes missing. That's 50 thousand. And the head of his U.S.

Moby is a deejay, but not the kind who screams bad jokes on morning radio. Instead, the 27-year-old artist has become the most acclaimed figure in the dance-music revolution known as rave by creating his own pulsating, high-tech beat in the recording studio. The innovative New Yorker uses technology to integrate classic disco elements with aggressive modern sensibilities, and the combination has made him techno's first bona fide star.

Moby is a true artist of the digital age. In his home studio, he produces music that draws on electronic and acoustic sources and reflects his passion for styles ranging from techno and house to folk and even gospel. His popular 1999 album, "Play," was one of the most critically acclaimed of the year. Most of his music is created through sequencing, a technique that uses computers to trigger sounds in electronic instruments, such as synthesizers.

Given the downturn in the music business, artists and executives alike are scaling back expectations. But Moby's modest projections for his new album take it to extremes. Although total global sales for his last two albums reached more than 13 million copies, for his new one the electronic musician has set the bar considerably lower. "If it sells 50,000 worldwide, I'd be surprised and happy," he says. That is not a typo. There are no zeroes missing. That's 50 thousand. And the head of his U.S.

Moby is a true artist of the digital age. In his home studio, he produces music that draws on electronic and acoustic sources and reflects his passion for styles ranging from techno and house to folk and even gospel. His popular 1999 album, "Play," was one of the most critically acclaimed of the year. Most of his music is created through sequencing, a technique that uses computers to trigger sounds in electronic instruments, such as synthesizers.

Techno's first superstar, the artist who calls himself Moby, was poised for greatness on the release this year of his first major-label album, "Everything Is Wrong." When it was released last May, it seemed a virtual certainty that the artist--long respected in the rave underground--was going to make that big crossover, dazzling his existing dance audience, but also grabbing rock fans who normally wouldn't be caught dead gyrating under a strobe light.

Moby is a deejay, but not the kind who screams bad jokes on morning radio. Instead, the 27-year-old artist has become the most acclaimed figure in the dance-music revolution known as rave by creating his own pulsating, high-tech beat in the recording studio. The innovative New Yorker uses technology to integrate classic disco elements with aggressive modern sensibilities, and the combination has made him techno's first bona fide star.