When it comes to pushing dance-music frontiers, there seems to be little left for Moby to explore. The 44-year-old producer and erstwhile beat music star has headlined arenas and stoked up parties around the world and has crossed over into the mainstream with his multi-platinum 1999 album Play. Over the course of nine studio albums he has tackled ambient music, house grooves and hard techno. This Saturday, September 25 he will perform what is being billed as an acoustic-based set to benefit the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, along with his longtime partner singer/songwriter Kelli Scarr and the folks from Mercury Rev, who will provide a real-time soundtrack to Albert Lamorisse’s beloved 1956 film classic The Red Balloon.

This gig continues a highly successful concert series, co-produced by Jason Fine (executive editor of Rolling Stone), at the stunning Woodstock location. Chrissie Hynde brought her new project to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, as did Sean Lennon. As we’ve said, the place is breathtaking, life-affirming and a source of inspiration to all who care about and love our four-legged pals.

Before he was Moby, the multimillion-album-selling electronica producer and deejay, he was Richard Melville Hall. And Richard was a punk-rocker: a truth that might partly explain his new rock project. As a teen, he used to commute from his family’s Darien, Connecticut home to New York City’s gritty clubs. His band Vatican Commandos earned a devoted following in the “suburban hard-core” scene.

Enter Diamondsnake, Moby’s new endeavor that is boldly and courageously going where he has never gone before: heavy metal. Complete with classic guitar riffage, slamming drums and screeching vocals, he and his fellow band members extol the virtues of rock ‘n’ roll, striving to be the soundtrack to shotgunning Schlitz in a custom van.

In January, Moby enlisted his friend Phil Costello, frontman of hard-rock troupe Satanicide and the Bee Gees metal tribute band Tragedy, to resurrect the squealing vocals of glam-rock’s finest. After writing two-dozen songs, the duo enlisted a drummer named Tomato and “world-class entertainer” Dave Hill (the brains behind The Black Metal Dialogues, a hilarious series of e-mails to a Norwegian black metal fan) on bass and guitar to complete the Diamondsnake lineup.

The concert will be held on an open lawn at the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, 35 Van Wagner Road, Willow, NY (in the town of Woodstock). Bring your own lawn chairs or blanket and a flashlight. WDST Radio is the media sponsor of this show. Doors open at 4:45 p.m. and the show starts at 5:30 p.m. sharp. Grilled veggie foods and drinks will be available. Parking can be tight, so you are encouraged to carpool with a pal. Advance tickets (highly recommended) are $30, or $35 at the door. Proceeds from the concert will go directly to the charitable work of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and the care of more than 200 formerly abused, abandoned and discarded farm animals. Tickets can be obtained at www.WoodstockSanctuary.