Moby

Once synonymous with New York City, the rampant gentrification of Gotham led Moby to transplant himself in Los Angeles back in 2010. Purchasing a 1927 home in the Hollywood Hills for a cool $4 million, he later added $2 million in renovations to the property and seemingly eased into life as an Angeleno. In a move that officially severes his ties with the Big Apple, Moby has sold his former longtime Manhattan residence, a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment on Mott Street in Nolita, for a cool $2,050,000. Moby bought the 950 sq. ft. apartment in 1996 for $215,750 and grosses just under $1.5 million after taxes and legal expenses. While many in the press are touting Moby’s real estate investment acumen since his now former abode fetched $1,098 per square foot (guys, it’s a seller’s market!), what’s notable to electronic music lovers is that his now former crib was the epicenter for many of Moby’s classic albums, from 1999’s Play to 2011’s Destroyed. I interviewed Moby many times at his pad (he even guest edited our one-year anniversary when Big Shot had a print edition), which featured a beautiful sun deck and music studio, and it always seemed like a comfortable space. For him as an artist, it was a sanctuary that allowed him to create music that touched millions. Here’s a video I shot with Moby in his living room when he was promoting his tenth album, Destroyed. Here’s hoping the same sort of magic continues to happen in Los Angeles.