Without knowing it, I probably first became of aware of Giorgio Moroder‘s music when I would listen to my sister’s Donna Summer records in the ’70s. Songs like “Love To Love You, Baby,” “Last Dance” and “On the Radio” brought a lot of joy to this disco kid. As a friend on Instagram articulated perfectly, the bass line to “I Feel Love” will make you change your religion.
When American Gigolo came out, his production of Blondie‘s iconic “Call Me” – one of my favorite songs of all time – was a music milestone, weaving his signature electronic dance tones into the rock fabric and giving him wider appreciative audience. His further collaborations in the ’80s produced some huge hits and his work on films like American Gigolo, Cat People and Scarface was brilliant. His big movie award-winners were Midnight Express in 1979 (1 Academy Award, 1 Golden Globe), Flashdance in 1984 (2 Golden Globes, 1 Academy Award, 2 Grammys) and Top Gun in 1987 (1 Academy Award). Irene Cara’s “Flashdance… What a Feeling” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” are permanently etched in the American pop music consciousness.
Over the last couple of decades, Moroder had gone into semi-retirement and fallen off the radar. In 2005, Madonna echoed his Donna Summer hit “I Feel Love” in her Confessions on a Dance Floor album with the track “Future Lovers,” and then fully integrated the song to open her 2007 Confessions Tour with a fantastic arrangement called “I Feel Love/Future Lovers.” I’m hot and cold with Madonna, but I have to admit that this track was pretty fabulous, beautifully punching that religion-changing bass line.
In 2013, Daft Punk released their beloved, hit-loaded, Grammy winning album “Random Access Memories,” which included collaborations with pop and dance music legends Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams and Pharrell Williams. Moroder was also on board with a track titled “Giorgio by Moroder.” The track opened with a monologue of the man himself talking about his early days in the business, while the music was vintage Moroder. “Random Access Memories” won Album of the Year, earning Moroder his fourth Grammy.
DJ, songwriter, singer, producer, remixer, whatever you want to call him, Moroder made an undeniable imprint on modern dance and pop music as we know it. Some even credit him as creator the Electronic Dance Music (EDM) genre. Earlier this year, he released a new track called “Right Here, Right Now” featuring Kylie Minogue. At the age of 75, he’s still at it (and he’s still got it).
In addition to a Giorgio Moroder playlist on Spotify, I put together a small Soundcloud collection of some of my favorites, including some old and some new:
And on a side note… I have to say that Moroder has the one of the best online presences of any entertainment industry figure I’ve ever seen. The beautifully designed website (kudos to AC Media Services) and comprehensive social media coverage should win an award. This is how it’s done: www.giorgiomoroder.com
2 Comments
George, I love this guy, he has produced so many classics and still does the business to this day! I’m a massive fan of electronic dance music and am a big Daft Punk fan, made my day when he appeared on their album.
Yes. Yes. And more Yes! Still underrated. Cat People & Electric Dreams, my favs.