Starting Thursday, October 11, legendary electronic musician Moby will be opening the doors to his Official Moby Reverb Shop again, this time with close to 200 drum machines alongside other gear from his own private collection.
"I’ve always been a little obsessed with drum machines. In fact, I’ve always been a lot obsessed with drum machines. Over the years, I presumptuously believe that I have come up with the largest collection of analog drum machines in the world," Moby told us. "There are hundreds of them and I loved each and every one of them. I hope that if you buy them, you love them as much as I did. Please take care of my babies."
Moby’s shop will feature multiples of some pieces, like two late-’50s Wurlitzer Side Man standing drum machines, which is a model that’s often cited as the first commercially available drum machine to generate sounds electronically. Created for gigging, the machine features a built-in speaker and amp—something you don’t see anymore.
"Nowadays, most of our sounds are virtual, so there’s no box at all. I love this big, giant box and just imagining people in the '50s, '60s, and '70s carrying around drum machines that weighed 60 or 70 pounds," Moby says.
Moby is also parting with two more very early drum machines, Chamberlin Rhythmates. About the model, he told us, "It’s a beautiful piece and possibly the rarest, most valuable drum machine ever made because it’s one of the first."
You’ll also find a Roland TR-909 Moby picked up at Rogue Music in New York City back in the ‘90s and a 1970s MXR Drum Computer that Moby considers one of his favorite early digital drum machines. "They’re very early samplers. They’re really crunchy and interesting. It’s a wonderful-sounding drum machine and I hope whoever buys it goes on to make great things with it," he said.
As with his synth shop and LP sales from earlier this year, 100 percent of Moby's proceeds from this sale will also go to benefit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine—an organization committed to changing the way doctors treat diseases like diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and cancer.
For a closer look at what you can expect to see in Moby’s shop starting on October 11, be sure to check out the video above. Additionally, click here to watch our documentary, Electric Rhythm: The History of Drum Machines and read our corresponding article. The video features Moby himself and many of the drum machines from his collection.
