Such is the current ubiquity of prerelease album streams, artists are having to put some effort into holding people's interest while they listen. Yes, in further proof that we're the most spoilt generation of music fans in history, it's become apparent that giving full, free access to listen to albums is no longer enough. So, to accompany the stream of his new, 10th album, Destroyed, Moby has just launched destroyed.moby.com. The veteran producer describes the album as "broken-down melodic electronic music for empty cities at 2am", and the snazzy site features a world map dotted with photographs he's taken in the wee small hours while touring, which you can browse as you listen. He's also encouraging fans to add their own pictures, taken at 2am wherever they are. The hypnotic and largely instrumental album turns out to be Moby's best for quite some time. If you like it, you can even swap your email address for three free MP3s from the album, at moby.com.
One of Moby's free tracks, Victoria Lucas, has been reworked by the similarly veteran producer/DJ, Sasha – you can hear his piano-driven remix on YouTube at bit.ly/sashavl. More than 20 years after emerging as one of dance music's first superstar DJs, Sasha is still among the world's foremost tune spinners, and this week launched his new website, djsasha.com. The press release announcing the new site may lack a little perspective – "2011 is already proving to be a year of significant change … so Sasha has been working with his skilled team to create a new website" – but the site is worth a look, notably for the nine full DJ sets in the Media section, which are freely available to stream and/or download, via SoundCloud. Highlights include a mix from Tokyo last month and his 2010 Glastonbury set.
If that leaves you in the mood to cut some more rug, head to mixcloud.com/bestimix where the terrific series of DJ mixes curated by Rob da Bank's Bestival is hosted. It recently posted its 50th weekly mix, put together by London DJ/producer IDC. Perhaps mindful of the landmark occasion, he crafted a rollicking party set, which manages to blend Hendrix, the Beatles, Oasis, Public Enemy and the Beach Boys with four-to-the-floor tunes from various underground dance acts (including himself). The mix should be a winner for summer barbecues. As indeed should mix 51, a glorious, sun-soaked reggae set put together by UK collective Reggae Roast and featuring everything from classic cuts to unreleased dubstep promos. Like all the Bestimixes, both mixes are available to stream or download for free.
