It’s summer, 2002. Moby just released ‘Extreme Ways’, the second single of his sixth studio album and a track that would accelerate his career crescendo, becoming one of his biggest hits to date. And now, over two decades later, it’s one of electronic music’s foremost artists who takes it on a spin to present the legacy to dance music’s newer generations. A collaboration of magnificent magnitude: ‘Extreme Ways’ by Armin van Buuren and Moby.
Debuted as Armin van Buuren’s opening track for Ultra Music Festival in Miami and featured as a staple throughout sets this year, this reimagination of ‘Extreme Ways’ combines striking piano builds with an unforgettable crescendo in the drop. The result has left audiences worldwide simply captivated, bridging two distinct and timeless styles along the way.
“I’ve been a massive fan of Moby for a long time. We even used to DJ at festivals together, and I’ve been wanting to work together for years”, said Armin van Buuren. “So when I heard that unbelievably iconic closing song again while rewatching the Bourne movie series, I just needed to work on it no matter what. I’m so over the moon with releasing this record, and I hope I’ve done Moby and my fans proud.”
“When Armin asked me about doing a new version of ‘Extreme Ways' together I was optimistic but unsure of what it would sound like…and then he sent me the version he worked on and I fell in love with it,” added Moby. “And then I saw footage of him opening his sets with this new version of ‘Extreme Ways' and it was so good and powerful it made me want to go stand in a crowd of 50,000 people and jump up and down like crazy."
The original ‘Extreme Ways’ was released on June 24 as the second single of Moby’s sixth album, ‘18’. To this day, it’s one of the most popular tracks across his multi-decade discography, notching up an impressive 112 million streams on Spotify alone whilst being famously used across the Bourne film franchise.
[review top="1"]
[item value="10"]Armin van Buuren & Moby - Extreme Ways [/item]
[content title="Summary" label="Overall Score"] Currently, there appears to be a significant interest among artists to remix or remake Moby’s classic tracks. This presents an opportune moment for Armin van Buuren to reinterpret Moby’s iconic anthem, “Extreme Ways.” By leveraging his expertise in mainstage trance music, Van Buuren crafts a rendition characterized by pulsating basslines, thumping drums, heavy kicks, and an exceptional application of the original melodies and vocals. While it can be challenging to maintain the essence of an original track when remaking it, Van Buuren successfully delivers a captivating piece that reintroduces the deeply melancholic yet epic melodies and original vocals of Moby in an engaging manner. The track features a grand orchestral string section and a powerful, forceful climax that evokes a strong urge to move and dance. For those unfamiliar with the original version, this remake serves as an ideal introduction, allowing listeners to fully appreciate its timeless quality and artistic merit. #PureGold Love IT [/content]
[item value="10"]Beat and Rhythm[/item]
[item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item]
[item value="10"] Melody [/item]
[item value="10"] Synths [/item]
[item value="10"]Breakdown[/item]
[item value="10"]Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item]
[item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item]
[item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item]
[item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item]
[item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item]
[item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item]
[item value="10"]Vocals & lyrics[/item]
[item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item]
[item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item]
[/review]
[item value="10"]Basslines and Groove[/item]
[item value="10"] Melody [/item]
[item value="10"] Synths [/item]
[item value="10"]Breakdown[/item]
[item value="10"]Climax / Drop / Crescendo / Pay off moment[/item]
[item value="10"]Intensity, Drive and Energy[/item]
[item value="10"]Sound-design and Arrangement[/item]
[item value="10"]Overall Atmosphere[/item]
[item value="10"]Goosebumps / Shivers moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Emotional affinity and heartfelt moments[/item]
[item value="10"]Originality and Inventiveness[/item]
[item value="10"]Radio Friendly[/item]
[item value="10"]Vocals & lyrics[/item]
[item value="10"]You can’t get this memorable track out of your head[/item]
[item value="10"]It has potential to become an anthem or a classic[/item]
[/review]
About Armin van Buuren
Armin van Buuren has long been a global ambassador for electronic music. He currently has nine full-length artist albums to his name — ‘Breathe In’ included — and continues to cultivate a massive worldwide following through his weekly A State of Trance radio show, event series and album series, reaching 40 million listeners from 80 different countries on a weekly basis. Armin van Buuren headlines tens to hundreds of shows per year at leading festivals and venues around the world, including Electric Daisy Carnival (Las Vegas, New York), Ultra Music Festival (Miami), Lollapalooza (Chicago) and Tomorrowland (Belgium) plus residencies on Ibiza and in Las Vegas. Past summer alone, he reconnected with fans through over thirty shows, including the ‘Feel Again’ shows in the Ziggo Dome, Ultra Europe, Tomorrowland, Parookaville, Creamfields, Electric Zoo and his summer residencies at Hï Ibiza and Ushuaïa.
About Moby
Moby was born Richard Melville Hall in Harlem, NYC in 1965. His father gave him his nickname “Moby” when he was 10 minutes old, as a result of his hereditary relationship to Herman Melville. Moby started playing classical music and studying music theory when he was 9 years old, and then came of age musically in the punk rock scene in and around NYC in the early 80’s. He released his first single, “Go,” in 1991 (listed as one of “Rolling Stone'' magazine's best records of all time), and has been making albums ever since. He has sold over 20,000,000 albums worldwide.
In addition to making his own records, Moby has also produced and remixed artists as varied and disparate as David Bowie, Public Enemy, Ozzy Osbourne, The Beastie Boys, and Daft Punk, to name a few. Moby also works with and supports a variety of non-profit organizations, including The Humane Society, Emily’s List, The ACLU, and The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function.
He has also branched out into film and television production with his company Little Walnut. In addition to their award-winning documentaries “Moby Doc” and “Punk Rock Vegan Movie,” Little Walnut is planning a 2025 release of their first narrative feature, “Tecie.”
Connect with Moby:
Website: https://moby.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moby/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mobymusic/
Additional info: