Arty remixes Moby’s Iconic ‘Porcelain’ and discusses his creative process and Moby’s Influence
Moby, otherwise known as Richard Melville Hall, is one of the founding fathers and most influential figures in dance music. Many say he is the reason dance music found popularity in the U.S. and the U.K, thus catapulting electronic dance music to the global phenomenon it is now. The American musician recently wrote a memoir Porcelain: A Memoir, where he dedicated a chapter to his experience remixing his song “Go.” In honor of this, Moby has asked a wide range and some of the most respected music producers of today to remix four of his most seminal tracks “Go,” “Why Does my Heart,” “Natural Blues” and “Porcelain.” Over 40 artists will release their remixes of one of the four tracks in the spirit of creative spirit and collaboration. The project is called Black Lacquer.
Few are more versatile than progressive house and trance producer Arty. The Russian DJ and producer, whose real name is Artyom Stolyarov, was drawn to music at a young age leading his grandmother to enroll him in music school at the age of eight. Originally a pianist, Stolyarov graduated from music school at the age of 14 and decided to forego becoming a professional pianist because his passion for the instrument had faded. What did not fade, however, was his passion for video games and electronics, which thus led him to discover electronic music production.
Upon entering the music production world, Arty quickly created a name for himself, and in 2009, the producer was signed to Anjunabeats. Stolyarov creates under two different monikers– Arty for his progressive house hits and Alpha9 for his Trance anthems. Still with Anjunabeats today, the producer was asked to remix Moby’s “Porcelain,” which he considers to be one of his all time favorite songs. Arty comments on not only how honored he is to be given the opportunity to remix an iconic song, but how difficult it is to change something that many consider to be “perfect” as is. Arty’s take on the song is a slight variation of the original with its addition of a few upbeat chords and a vocal layer. Arty discusses Moby, his influence on himself as an artist, and his creative process when approaching this legendary remix.
Read Our Interview with Arty below.
What does this track mean to you / why did you choose this track?
“Porcelain” was the first record that I heard from Moby since this track was the part of huge commercials on Russian TV back in early 2000’s. From then I fell in love with it, so when Moby’s management reached out to me about the remix opportunity, I could only think of “Porcelain.” Having a chance to remix your childhood song is not something you want to miss out on. It’s a huge responsibility, but at the same time, a great opportunity. I just tried to do my best.
How has Moby impacted not just this industry, but you as a musician? What does Moby mean to you?
He shaped the dance music industry and has always been a huge inspiration for many generations of producers. He has been able to make all sorts of styles by putting his signature sound behind his productions and songs. He is an Iconic musician.
Can you tell us about your creative process and why you made the decisions you did in your remix of this song?
Since this song means so much to me, I didn’t want to take too far from original. So my remix is more of me revisiting the record and trying to imagine how it would sound nowadays. As easy as it sounds, making this remix was quite challenging, plus you unintentionally put so much pressure on yourself because of the status of the song. But in the end I was happy with final result.
What will Moby’s musical legacy be?
I’m sure that his music will stay forever in many people’s hearts, and it will inspire more musicians in the future, since, in my personal opinion, his music is timeless.
You can only listen to one version of “Porcelain” for the rest of your life. Is it your remix, another remix, or the original?
It would definitely be original song, since none of the remixes would beat it.
If Moby were to remix one of your songs, which one would you want him to remix?
If this dream would come true, I would ask him to remix “Kate” or “Last Kiss,” cause those are probably the most meaningful and personal songs I’ve ever made.
Categories: Music