Ten thousand early CD copies of
Moby's 2005 album
Hotel were packaged with a bonus disc,
Hotel: Ambient -- an assemblage of restrained, atmospheric, and predominantly beatless tracks.
Moby obtained the rights to that extra set and, in late 2014, wisely gave it a separate release as a digital download with three bonus tracks. A triple-vinyl edition was released a few months after that. The material, heavily inspired by
Brian Eno's early ambient releases -- certain parts of
Music for Airports and
On Land, for instance -- is among the producer's best and most nuanced work. It evokes a mix of comfort and slight alienation, and is pleasurable whether placed in the background or heard through total immersion. The bonus cuts, including the gently swarming "May 4 Two" and a 16-minute version of the weightless and elegiac "Live Forever" are enhancements rather than completist lures. ~ Andy Kellman