
It is fair to say, my friends, we all are very excited and impatient about new album L’Emprise which Mylene Farmer has promised to us as soon as November 25, 2022. Moby is announced as one of the collaborators (alongside with Woodkid, Archive and AaRON)
Moby recently gave two interviews in which he talks about his meeting with Mylène and his work alongside her, particularly for the next album.
How many songs do you think Mylene crated with Moby so far? The answer is 8! And that makes him a second composer of Mylene’s songs (especially with his work on L’Emprise) after – obviously!- Laurent Boutonnat. Yes, you may mention Feder here as he composed 7 songs for Désobéissance. It makes him the number 3.
An interview granted to the site Pure Charts and a second for “Télé 7 Jours” . Pure Charts informs us that Mylène and Moby have been working “on new songs, and that these are not old tracks from the Bleu Noir album sessions .” And thanks God for that! We definitely expect new and mazing tracks for the possible last Mylene’s album, don’t we?
Moby says: “Most of the time when musicians collaborate with each other, it’s really professional and it’s arranged by the managers or the labels. In our case, we are friends! So I would say that working on music with Mylène, it’s just an extension of our friendship.” “I know she’s a huge artist and takes her career very seriously, but from my perspective it’s a really fun collaboration between two friends.”

The friendship between them started actually a while ago in the early 2000s. In New York. In the small vegan (!!) café in Manhattan Upper East Side which Moby used to own with his girlfriend. He told us that there was a lovely woman coming by often. One day they started a conversation – turned out she is French but they had a lot in common. They both loved music, cinema and were particularly fond of David Lynch. Their birthdays are also right next to each other. The friendship began. As time went on Mylene most likely told him that she also was making music professionally (forgetting to mention however one tiny detail – that she is a mega star of French music). As a friend, she invited him to Paris and what a shock was for him to see “that woman from the café” on billboards! Moby was surprised! 🙂 Well, you never know who you might just become friends with! 🙂

A little anecdote still on the Pure Charts site about the language barrier: “I sent her musical ideas, and she sent me back vocal tracks. And I’ve always been embarrassed to admit that I don’t understand what she’s saying . I know the voice is very beautiful, it sounds very good, but I don’t know what the lyrics mean. I’m too embarrassed to ask for the translation”.
But let’s return to the plans for L’Emprise /NEVERMORE. What should we expect from Moby & Mylene? For “Télé 7 Jours”, Moby specifies: “For her next album, we worked on a lot of tracks . But I have no idea which ones she will keep…”
Perhaps, she really doesn’t know or perhaps this is Moby’s way to keep the vail on until Mylene is ready to reveal those gorgeous tracks. But we know that it happened before when Mylene and Moby released the same songs almost the same time (a little miscommunication perhaps or strategical planning?) Keep on reading and decide.
Let’s jump into a time machine and take a little journey through those memorable 8 songs Moby and Mylene gave us through the years.
Slipping Away (Crier la vie) (2006) 2001.2011 compIlation album
Slipping away ( Crier la vie ) is a duet song with Moby released in 2006 and not featured on any studio album by Mylène. It is found on Moby’s best of album, Go then in 2011 on Mylène’s best of album, 2001.2011 .
“Slipping Away” was released by Moby as the sixth and final single from his seventh studio album Hotel on January 23, 2006. It served as the fourth single from Hotel in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart and as the sixth international single from the album. The single version features British singer-songwriter Alison Moyet on backing vocals. And it’s a lovely version IF…! I’d heard it first…But since I’ve heard Moby/Mylene version first, I can’t shake the feeling that something is just missing in the song…It’s Mylene: its her voice, its her not so dominant in this case presence, it’s her elegantly waived French making it sounds so feminine and romantic entwined with English…She made the song so much better (in my humble opinion!)
Moby recounts the genesis of the duo:
” Simply, thought that this would be a really nice song to do together. it was my favorite song from hotel , and I’m glad that it’s going to get a new life with Mylene’s beautiful vocals.”
” We just thought it would be a really cool song to do together. It was my favorite song from the Hotel album and I’m glad it’s given new life thanks to Mylène’s beautiful voice.”” ( Moby – 2006 )
It was Mylène who chose to use the Manhattan Clique remix as the basis for the duo. This also made it possible to offer an “unreleased” to promote Moby’s best of since the original version of Slipping Away had already been released as a single in some countries.
The song was performed during Timeless and I have translated and subtitled it for you
Looking for My Name for album Point de suture (2008)
“Looking for my name” is a song from the seventh studio album Point de Suture by Farmer, and her 14th album overall released in 2008. Looking for my name is a title # 5

In the credits of the album Point de Suture, Mylène thanks Moby for “his piano improvisation on Looking for my name”. I would be thanking him too! What a gorgeous piano theme is on the song! It made it so much richer and multidimensional. Did you notice how from the lower piano keys, it starts at some point alternating them with the higher octaves creating a “conversation” between the lower (male voice) and higher (female tone) expatiating Moby and Mylene’s themes. Just beautiful!
Bleu Noir for album Bleu Noir (2010)
“Bleu noir” is a 2010 song by Mylène Farmer. It is the second single to her eighth studio album Bleu Noir, released in December 2010. The song was written and produced by Moby with lyrics by Farmer, and the music video produced by French film director Olivier Dahan. It was released on 18 April 2011. In France, the song became Farmer’s eleventh number-one hit on the singles chart.
Bleu Noir is one of six songs from the album composed by Moby. Moby had sent a model of the song to Mylène, played by himself, and she was free to do with it as she wanted.
The title was therefore reworked with Eric Chevalier for programming, David Levita on guitar and Jonathan Noyce on bass.
Moby mentioned the creation of this song on his official website: “The day” was written in a hotel room in Spain at dawn when I hadn’t slept. It was a beautiful hotel room, a beautiful perfect hotel room and it was six or seven in the morning. i wrote it on a acoustic guitar and Recorded it on my phone, Brought it home and re-recorded it with old broken down electronics That i have in my studio. “
Inséparables for album Bleu Noir (2010)
Music for this song is composed by Moby “as you can probably tell” 😊It ultimately feels like Moby as his other songs from Bleu Noir album. It was made from a model sent by Moby to Mylène. All the instruments on the model are played by Moby himself. Did you know that? Pretty amazing. I am catching myself on listening to this song on repeat for hours…it soothes my Soul
An English version was only played in Belarus and Russia during Timeless 2013. I am not sure why it was chosen to be so but I suppose to give those Russian some break from the French language. Well, the French is what attracts the Russians in the first place 😊 so I am not sure if it was a hit or a miss…Ether way I enjoy a “more casual” Americanized version as I am personally a sucker for her accent when she sings in English (you have probably noticed that from my previous chapters – see I WANT YOU TO WANT ME and many SONGS …)
To my ear, French language is generally much more melodical, even the vocalizing consonants is so pleasing. Is it just me? I admit, I love anything connects me to France…maybe its my past life or something…When I was young I have had recurring dreams when I was in old times Paris (perhaps, the Libertine times) and I knew all the streets and places, the entire dream would be in French. When I finally visited Paris for the first time in October 2006, it was not like it was in my dreams (perhaps, the fast that a few centuries passed since then has something to do with it :-)) but I of course love it very much – how can I not?
M’effondre for album Bleu Noir (2010)
M’effondre is a song from the album Bleu Noir released in December 2010. It was first time performed during Défense Arena concerts 2019 .
M’effondre is the first single from the album Live 2019 released in 2019. Lyrics of Mylène Farmer and Music composed by Moby.
Moi je veux… for album Bleu Noir (2010)
Moi je veux… is a song # 2 from Mylène Farmer’s eighth studio album, Bleu Noir released 6 December 2010.
The lyrics to Moi je veux…were written by Mylène Farmer. It’s a familiar theme of longing for love. And who is not familiar with that? All we need is love, no?
Music composed by Moby.
Me I want (like all Moby songs on the Bleu Noir album) was made from a model sent by Moby to Mylène. All the instruments on the model are played by Moby himself.
Mylene’s words:
“Musical reunion … One day, Moby sent me a CD with nearly seventeen model tracks of his songs and said:” Take what you want if you want it. “And, j ‘admit that I did not have to pray and, I chose six. And, it is someone who, also has this common generosity with RedOne besides, who said to me: “Do whatever you want with the songs, if you want to change even the melodies, the production” and, in the end I changed the production little because I wanted to preserve the soul of these songs. There is something about it. ‘immediate at Moby I find that is both nostalgic and at the same time dynamic. And, I wanted to preserve what I had discovered through these models.” (Mylène Farmer – Radio FG – 12/06/2012)
All instruments are played by Moby on the models. Models which were then reworked with new musicians during the recording of these titles by Mylène at the Guillaume Tell studio in Paris: David Levita for the guitars, Jonathan Noyce for the basses and even the faithful Yvan Cassar (details in the credits of album)
N’aie plus d’amertume for album Bleu Noir (2010)
N’aie plus d’amertume is a song # 4 from the album Bleu Noir released 6 December 2010.
Lyrics: Mylène Farmer. Music composed by Moby (like 4 others from Bleu Noir)
Toi l’amour for album Bleu Noir (2010)
Toi l ‘amour is a song # 5 from Mylene Farmer album Blue Noir – the eighth studio album released 6 December 2010.The lyrics for the song were written by Mylène Farmer. Music composed by Moby. All the instruments on the model are played by Moby himself.
We find Moby’s version of the song on his Innocents’ album released in September 2013 – the song The Perfect Life (in duet with Wayne Coyne).
What else to add to this story. I personally have a lot of respect and admiration towards Moby. I didn’t really expect to see him working with Mylene until it actually happened back in 2006 . For me he is forever my favorite “porcelain” guy who stole my heart with that peace. As for Mylene – she had me at hello! 💖 To see those unique artists working together – dream come true for me, and you?
For more news on the upcoming 12th L’Emprise album visit HERE
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