Moby comments on feud with Aphex Twin: “It rubbed me the wrong way”

Moby has commented on his long-running feud with Aphex Twin, which began more than three decades ago during a joint headline tour alongside Orbital.

In an interview with Stereogum, the US producer explained that there was a “sadness” to their feud, adding: "It rubbed me the wrong way”.

The clash began in 1993 when Moby embarked on a headline tour alongside Aphex Twin and Orbital. Moby insisted on travelling by plane to each show while the others travelled via tour bus, causing tensions between the pair.

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The feud developed when Aphex reportedly called Moby a “buffoon” during an interview with a journalist at the time, telling them that he “couldn’t understand” why Moby was booked on the same tour.

“There was a sadness to it, because I really liked his records. I especially liked ['Selected Ambient Works 85-92'],” Moby told Stereogum in a new interview.

“I went into that tour feeling like, 'hey, we’re all in this together'. I realised pretty quickly they didn’t feel that way. Luckily, that was a long time ago.”

Moby added that he doesn’t have an “ill will” towards anyone, but said that there was a “collective embarrassment about the emotional expression of rave culture”.

“It rubbed me the wrong way because I love underground electronic music,” he said. “I always have, even going back to the ’70s and the ’80s.”

Read this next: Orbital: "It’s embarrassing to be called 'icons' but at least it's better than being called 'wankers'"

Speaking on Thump’s Rave Curious podcast back in 2016, Moby said that he was a fan of Aphex Twin at the time, but struggled to enjoy his music after their clash.

“It was a shame,” he told the podcast host, adding: “It was hard to continue to like someone’s music when you know they hold you in contempt.”

[Via: Stereogum]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter