2010 was the last time Move D appeared in Wire. It was for Mono Cult, and the recording is below. This date seems recent, but it’s actually a frighteningly long time ago, when you think about it. A lot has changed politically since then. A lot has even changed musically. Locally, in Leeds, whole life cycles of parties, promoters, students and venues have revolved. Happily, though, Wire is still here. And Move D, for whom seven years is probably but a drop in the ocean by now, stands tall as one of clubland’s elder statesmen, and living proof that a diet of great wine, bud, and even greater tunes is a tasty and vitalising elixir. Like a modern day Bacchus, his creativity rises out of the loosening of inhibitions. And, for many, he could rightfully sit at the right hand of these mythological gods.
Moufang’s ascension to divine status has been achieved more recently as a product of his shamelessly party-driven disco sets. His popularisation of the Rayko ‘All Along the Watchtower’ edit, Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams and a whole bunch of other pseudo-karaoke-disco anthems have made his sets some of the most prevalent of recent years. But there is another side to Move D. In fact, there are many many sides to his character, some formed way back in the early 90s, while others are still being inconspicuously formed today in the underground. To honour his return to Wire, we thought we’d explore some of Move D’s rarer cuts, aliases and collaborations from the past 20 years.
People go wild for this album. It’s ‘Kunststoff’ released on Moufang’s own Source Records. It’s in many electronic music fans’ top 5s, yet still remains a relatively underground record. With its sleek, modernised cover and even sleeker IDM sound, this album is Move D’s opus, despite being one of his earliest releases (1995).
It’s encouraging to know that Move D had Yorkshire links from an early stage. Here he is making bleeps like the best of the Warp roster, a year after the release of Kunstsoff. This was his only release on the label, but what a cracker it was. Proper dark dancefloor tackle right here.
Produced alongside Jonah Sharp, this is a lesson in driving, dubbed out techno that makes for a rib-rattling club experience. When the bassline comes in, it strikes you in the stomach. The rest is pure bliss. This was released on a Various Artists EP on the legendary Berghain label Ostgut Ton, another circle in which Moufang is highly respected.
Move D isn’t all about the party. There are some darker, more tender corners to his discography, Deep Space Network being one of them. This is another lesser known collaboration of his with Jonas Grossmann, with whom he co-founded Source Records in Heidelberg in 1992. This track is delightful downtempo and ambient trip.
This is a more recent one from Moufang’s collaboration woth Underground Quality head, Jus-Ed. It’s a deep, chugging, machine-led workout that would create tension on any dance floor. These two guys are both known to be good friends of Freerotation festival, with whom Moufang also worked on a track as part of the hilariously named ‘High On Wye Quintet’. It is a veritable supergroup including Juju and Jordash, Soulphiction and FreeRo organiser Steevio:
Move D comes to Wire on 26th May, and will play an extended disco set. Click here for full details.
Oliver Walkden
