Those of you in your 30s today must still (I hope) remember ‘Moby’. In the early 2000s he was a much talked about and influential artist in music everywhere. I couldn't say for sure that he changed the world during his heyday of success, but without a doubt, the way he made electronic music had an unforgettable impact on many people (including myself) from my generation... This short intro would make no sense, if it wasn't about the greatest coincidence of all. Today I went to the Christmas Bazaar in my city, a few blocks from my house, and all the lights were reacting to the sound of Moby and her harmonic music.
I don't think many people noticed.... But I did. I even asked one of the guides who works at the Park if what was coming from the speakers in the park was indeed Moby, and I don't think he even understood what it was about. I don't blame him. I don't think he was more than 23 years old. Practically a teenager... The truth is, it's quite incredible how a few songs (I think no more than 4 in total) resonated so deeply in my mind... Although I was not alone, but hand in hand with my daughter, I can't lie to you; I was spellbound by Moby's music....
I simply couldn't believe it. What's more, quick confession; it took me several hours to discover two things. First, that it was (indeed) Moby. Remember, in the late 90‘s and early 2000’s electronic music was going through a very rich period of fusion, techno variety and amazing, irresistible, powerful house music. At the same time, my childhood was somehow connected to now being a mother, and being right across the street, to use a propaic voice. At about the age my daughter is today, I was hearing for the first time the tunes that decades later would inspire this post.
It's too curious how serendipity works and how powerful the connection between our memory, the good times we experience and the power of music itself can be. Personally, I applaud the fact that the music for a Christmas light show was set to a genre I love and cherish: electronic music. Always so decimated and misunderstood by the masses. However, no genre (in my opinion) works as much to create the right atmosphere as this one.
This goes much further than just moving your shoulders or not being able to control your head gestures or tapping your foot. It is also the bristling skin and the brief struggle with your own memory. Your skin, your muscles, your gestures recognise what you hear, but your brain is incapable (for the moment) of remembering; of being able to name and recognise what you hear. That emotion, that brief deja vu, is something difficult to explain, you know? I guess, it's really beautiful to be able to find a feeling of genuine connection with the sounds of an artist that was mainstream years ago but that now only you (me) remember. It may sound stupid what I'm saying, but thank you Moby, thank you.
