Renowned composer, cellist, and artist Peter Gregson is the latest artist to be recruited for a release from Moby’s forthcoming project Reprise – Remixes, out in full on May 20 via Deutsche Grammophon. For the record, which reimagines songs from the acclaimed musician’s orchestral album Reprise, Gregson gave new shape to “Extreme Ways.”
“To be invited to reimagine one of my favourite tracks of his, “Extreme Ways,” was such a privilege,” Gregson shared in a statement. “It was a joy to dive inside this music, which has been with me since the very beginning of my journey into living music.”
The composer’s connection to Moby dates back to the early 2000s, when he first encountered his work in the years following the release of Play, the musician’s fifth studio album released in 2000 which reached No.5 on the UK Singles chart.
“I was probably 14 years old, fresh to synthesisers and electronics and all that good stuff,” Gregson remembers. “This was pre-YouTube, so I’m not entirely sure where I would have seen it, but I vividly remember a fabulous “Cribs” style video with Moby talking about his drum machine collection. I was hooked; I devoured his records and everything I could find of his music.”
“Extreme Ways” was shared in 2002 as the second single to Moby’s sixth studio album 18. Gregson’s remix joins reimagined releases from a slate of acclaimed composers, producers, and DJs including “Why Does My Heart Feel Bad?” remixed by Biscits, “Go” remixed by Anfisa Letyago, “Lift Me Up” remixed by Mathame, and “Porcelain” reimagined by both Efdemin and Christian Löffeler.
The release of Reprise – Remixes will coincide with the 30th anniversary of Moby’s self-titled debut album. The acclaimed musician himself helmed four remixes for the record, joining additional contributions from Bambounou, Max Cooper, Planningtorock, Topic, and Felsmann +Tiley.