Music
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Why we love Giorgio Moroder
The Italian synth-pop pioneer is coming to the UK this April.
Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard a song produced by the great Giorgio Moroder. Almost everyone has. Since the ’70s his solo work, collaborations and soundtracks have been topping the charts and raking in awards – including three Oscars, four Grammys and four Golden Globes.
Born in Italy and known for establishing the famed Musicland Studios in Germany, Moroder is recognised the world over as a groundbreaker for electronic music. That’s why we were thrilled when he announced his first official live tour with four UK dates this April.
Not only is he one of the most acclaimed musical talents ever to grace a stage, but here’s a few more reasons Moroder has a special place in our hearts.
He’s hot, hot, hot, hot stuff!
A powerhouse during the disco era, Moroder is considered by many to be its king – and Donna Summer was the queen. Moroder co-wrote and produced her seminal hit single, I Feel Love, in 1977. Featuring a pulsating bass line and entirely synthesised rhythm melded to Summer’s sensual vocals, the song was met with adoration in the clubs. Its innovative, futuristic sound led them to release many more global smashes – from Last Dance to our favourite, Hot Stuff – that would change the face of pop and form a roadmap for electronic music.
His soundtracks take our breath away.
After his huge success with I Feel Love, Moroder got offers to do film scores. His first was the soundtrack for the classic 1978 American prison drama Midnight Express. Moroder wrote, composed and performed its unforgettable theme along with its revered synth disco single Chase. This led to even greater fame in the form of an Oscar for Best Original Score. See it presented to him by Raquel Welch and Dean Martin at the 51st Annual Academy Awards.
Now Moroder has 18 soundtracks to his credit including such iconic ’80s flicks as American Gigolo, Scarface, Cat People, The Neverending Story, Metropolis, Electric Dreams and Superman III. Of course, we couldn’t forget Flashdance and Top Gun with their never-to-be-forgotten songs like What a Feeling and Take My Breath Away, which helped him bag two more Oscars for Best Original Song in 1984 and 1987, respectively.
He recorded the first all-digital album.
E=MC² isn’t just Albert Einstein’s most famous equation, it’s the title of Moroder’s ninth album. Released in 1979, marking 100 years after Einstein’s birth, it started off as an experiment to record a pop album entirely using digital technology and ended up becoming a game-changing cult classic for electronic music buffs.
He’s experiencing a career comeback.
Moroder worked only sporadically in the ’90s and ’00s. Instead of creating music, he pursued hobbies and whimsical projects ranging from playing golf and doing crossword puzzles to making cognac and designing a pyramid. In 2013 French electronic duo Daft Punk got him to tell his life story as part of a nine-minute song they called Giorgio by Moroder. Featured on their juggernaut album, Random Access Memories, they reintroduced Moroder to a whole new generation of dance music fans.
That experience jumpstarted his musical aspirations, leading Moroder to book DJs gigs as well as release his 15th studio album, 2015’s Déjà Vu. His first solo work in over two decades, it features collaborations with modern day queens of pop like Britney Spears and Charli XCX. We can’t get enough of Right Here, Right Now, his disco-infused electropop track featuring Aussie singing star Kylie Minogue.
At 78 years young, he’s embarking on his first live tour.
While he’s done headline shows, Moroder has never gone out on tour. Titled A Celebration of the ’80s, his upcoming 15-city European and UK outing is set to be a spectacular dance party with visuals designed to dazzle. Moroder will perform on piano, vocoder and synths alongside a band and vocalists. He’ll also share highlights and untold stories from throughout his career while paying tribute to longtime muse Donna Summer. Audiences will even see the disco diva projected on screen performing in sync with Moroder
Here are the UK dates for A Celebration of the ’80s:
1 April 2019 – Symphony Hall, Birmingham
2 April 2019 – Eventim Apollo, London
4 April 2019 – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow
5 April 2019 – O2 Apollo Manchester
Tickets for Giorgio Moroder are on sale now via Ticketmaster.co.uk.
