dimanche 15 septembre 2024
Roberta Kelly – Tell Me (1981)
Tell Me is a rock-solid, yet remarkably different, follow-up to Kelly's engaging Roots Can Be Anywhere. The inventive singer strides with personality through energetic grooves "Patty Cake" and "Making It to the Top," while assuaging with candor on the longing ballad "Once in a While." With more tracks and shorter lengths, the set is quicker to get through than its predecessor -- which, in this case, makes the listener appreciate it even more. Jurgen Koppers' production is slick yet authentic, and the material he's working with has a strong melodic structure. Yet another limited European release, Tell Me will most definitely prove to be worth the hunt for all fans of Kelly and meritorious disco.
Roberta Kelly - Roots Can Be Anywhere 1980
Continuing the adventurous trend started by the gospel-disco fest Gettin' the Spirit, Roberta Kelly's fourth album finds the vocalist expanding her delivery to a culturally diverse selection of both dance numbers and ballads. It's therefore quite unfortunate the LP's release was limited to a few European markets. On her first effort outside the production harness of Giorgio Moroder, the approach of Michael Holm and Rainer Pietsch is amiably soulful and invitingly kinetic. Aided by a passionate backing chorus and highly proficient rhythm section, the jovial "Miel Masai" and "Aie" boast irresistible grooves and two of Kelly's most sure-fire vocals on record. It's refreshing to hear her sing in a foreign language on these, and to sing a folk tale of sorts via the enrapturing "Little Mary Joe." That Kelly co-wrote all but one of the songs makes it even more meaningful in the sometimes artistically restraining throes of disco. The only weakness of the album is the unnecessary duration of "Unless We Gonna Change It," which is nonetheless a solid entry. Otherwise, Roots Can Be Anywhere is a pert collection with Kelly consistently in top form.
Roberta Kelly - Gettin The Spirit 1978
Placing both traditional gospel melodies and inspirational songs custom-made for this album atop disco arrangements at times analogous to producer Giorgio Moroder's projects with Donna Summer, Roberta Kelly's third full-length release is admirable in its ambition -- and generally effective in its outcome. Kelly doesn't have particularly powerful chops, but she has a congenial tone and her stylistic choices bear integrity and strength. On a much less epic level, producers Moroder and Bob Esty attempt to give Gettin' the Spirit the sequential feel of Summer's 1977 double-LP musical saga, Once Upon a Time. This particularly holds true in the transition from the subtly rousing title track to the faith-affirming "Walking in the Shadow of His Light." Besides the aforementioned tracks, the ponderous-sounding arrangement and lush vocals of "Speaking My Mind in His Ear" provide another highlight. Two sets of three tunes each are mixed together to comprise the album -- in other words, each side is a sort of big medley. On the whole, the album is not as far-ranging in dynamics as the singer's strongest set, 1981's Tell Me. But it is certainly more consistent and far-reaching than her first two sets.
Roberta Kelly - Zodiac Lady (1977)
Though it's not as deftly intriguing as its title might suggest, disco siren Roberta Kelly's sophomore effort is worthwhile, largely thanks to her rousing, soulful vocals. The most memorable moment lies in the perpetually fun, classic single "Zodiacs," a bright, horn-infested groover replete with references to all of the astrological signs and their quest to find the right matches. Kelly applies the right amount of kitsch to the lyrics, while still sounding very believable atop the production of Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Also notable is the ballad "Moondreaming" and the nifty "I'm Sagittarius." But the results are not nearly as far-reaching or lasting as those of the singer's post-Moroder efforts, Roots Can Be Anywhere and Tell Me, which really show off more of her vocal versatility and musicality. Still, for avid fans this will prove a fun and necessary listen, as it contains the singer's biggest dancefloor hit.
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (Italian: [dʒoˈvanni ˈdʒordʒo moˈrɔːder], German: [mɔˈʁoːdɐ]; born 26 April 1940)[3][4] is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Father of Disco",[5][6][7] Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music.[2][8] His work with synthesizers had a large influence on several music genres such as hi-NRG, Italo disco, synth-pop, new wave, house and techno music.[8][9][10]
While in Munich in the 1970s, Moroder started Oasis Records, later a subdivision of Casablanca Records. He is the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich, a recording studio used by many artists including the Rolling Stones, Electric Light Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Queen and Elton John.[11] He produced singles for Donna Summer during the mid-to-late 1970s disco era, including "Love to Love You Baby", "I Feel Love", "Last Dance", "MacArthur Park", "Hot Stuff", "Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", and "On the Radio". During this period, he also released many albums, including the synthesizer-driven From Here to Eternity (1977) and E=MC2 (1979).[12]
He began to compose film soundtracks and scores, including Midnight Express, American Gigolo, Superman III, Scarface, The NeverEnding Story, and the 1984 restoration of Metropolis. Moroder's work on the film Midnight Express (1978), which contained the international hit "Chase", won him the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. He also produced a number of electronic disco songs for the Three Degrees and two albums for Sparks. In 1990, he composed "Un'estate italiana", the official theme song of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Moroder has created songs for many performers including David Bowie, Falco, Kylie Minogue, Irene Cara, Bonnie Tyler, Janet Jackson, Madleen Kane, Melissa Manchester, Blondie, Japan and France Joli. Moroder has stated that the work of which he is most proud is Berlin's "Take My Breath Away",[13] which earned him the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song after appearing in the film Top Gun in 1986; he had earned the same awards in 1983 for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" (as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for all of his work on Flashdance). In addition to the three Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, Moroder has also received four Grammy Awards, two People's Choice Awards, and more than 100 Golden and Platinum discs. In 2004, he was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame.
He began teaching himself to play the guitar, at age 15, inspired by Paul Anka's Diana.[17] At age 18, he began touring Europe as a professional musician.[17] He performed at night, and during the day, made recordings with two Revox recorders.[17] Around age 25 he moved to his aunt in Berlin, working as a sound engineer.[17] Ricky Shayne's single "Ich sprenge alle Ketten" ("I bust all the chains"), composed by then-unknowns Moroder and Michael Holm, became a German hit.[17] The second hit was Moroder's and Holm's cover of Sir Douglas Quintet's single, Mendocino.[17] After two years in Berlin, Moroder moved to Munich.[17]
Moroder made his first steps in music in the Scotch Club in Aachen and then released a few singles under the name "Giorgio" beginning in 1963 after moving to Berlin, singing in Italian, Spanish, English, and German.
In 1968, he moved to Munich and came to prominence when "Looky Looky" was awarded a gold disc in 1970.[21][22] He then founded the Musicland Studios in the early 1970s. Moroder first implemented synthesizers into his work during the making of his album Son of My Father (1972), on which he used the groundbreaking Moog synthesizer.[23] Often collaborating with lyricist Pete Bellotte, Moroder had a number of hits in his own name including "Son of My Father"[18] in 1972, a No. 1 hit in the UK for Chicory Tip, before releasing the synthesizer-driven From Here to Eternity, a chart hit in 1977. That same year he co-wrote and produced the Donna Summer hit single "I Feel Love",[18][24] the first track in the Hi-NRG genre. The following year he released "Chase", the theme from the film Midnight Express. These songs achieved some chart success in the United Kingdom, the United States and across Europe, and everywhere disco-mania was spreading. The score for Midnight Express featured "Chase", which brought his first Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1979.
In 1984, Moroder compiled a new restoration and edit of the silent film Metropolis (1927)[26] and provided it with a contemporary soundtrack.[27] This soundtrack includes seven pop music tracks from Pat Benatar, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Billy Squier, Loverboy, Bonnie Tyler and Freddie Mercury.[28] He integrated the original intertitles into the film as subtitles as a means of improving continuity. Since the original speed was unknown this choice was controversial. Known as the "Moroder version", it sparked debate among film buffs, with outspoken critics and supporters of the film falling into equal camps.[29][30] Most critics agree that, the opinion of film purists aside, Moroder's version was a welcome addition.[31][32] In 1984, Moroder worked with Philip Oakey of the Human League to make the album Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder, which was a UK singles chart hit with "Together in Electric Dreams", title track to the 1984 film Electric Dreams. The same year saw him collaborating with Kajagoogoo frontman Limahl for his worldwide hit "The NeverEnding Story".[33]
In 1986, Moroder collaborated with his protégé Harold Faltermeyer (of "Axel F") and lyricist Tom Whitlock to create the score for the film Top Gun (1986) which included Kenny Loggins' hit "Danger Zone" and Berlin's "Take My Breath Away". He wrote the theme song to the film Over the Top, "Meet Me Half Way", also performed by Loggins. In 1987, Moroder produced and co-wrote Falco's song "Body Next to Body". Moroder wrote the official theme songs, "Reach Out", for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and "Hand in Hand", for the 1988 Seoul Olympics and "Un'estate italiana" for the 1990 FIFA World Cup. On 12 March 1992, Moroder released his fourteenth studio album, Forever Dancing, his last solo project for years and he began a long hiatus in 1993.[34] For two decades he released no new albums,[24] focusing largely on remixes and visual art during most of the 1990s and early 2000s.[35][36] With Daniel Walker he produced a soundtrack for Leni Riefenstahl's last film Impressionen unter Wasser. His song Forever Friends was featured in the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008.
In 2013, Moroder returned to music with the soundtrack for Google's Racer: A Chrome Experiment[39][40] Moroder contributed to Daft Punk's 2013 studio album Random Access Memories, admitting that he was a fan of their song "One More Time" before working with the group.[41] His voice and story are on the album track "Giorgio by Moroder". On the track, he states "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio". In the summer of 2013, he DJ'd at the Red Bull Music Academy in New York.[42][43] In 2014, Moroder reworked an old classic from the 1960s called "Doo Bee Doo" (2014 version), which was used in the Volkswagen 2014 Super Bowl commercial, "Wings".[44][45] He also announced that he was planning to work with electro-pop producer Madeon[46][non-primary source needed] and American singer Lana Del Rey.[47][48] On 9 June 2014, Adult Swim released a new Hi-NRG Disco single by Moroder (named "Giorgio's Theme").[49] Moroder also remixed Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything but Love".[50]
Moroder's solo studio album, Déjà Vu, was released in 2015.[51] It features collaborations with Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears, Sia, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko, Foxes and Matthew Koma, among others.[50] On 16 January, the collaboration with Kylie Minogue, "Right Here, Right Now", was leaked to the internet ahead of its official release.[52] The song, along with a video teaser, was officially released on 20 January 2015[53] and on 18 April 2015 reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs, becoming Moroder's first chart-topper in 15 years.[54] In March 2015, Moroder supported Minogue during the Australian leg of her Kiss Me Once Tour.[55][56] Moroder and Sia collaborated in May 2015 on the title track from Moroder's LP Déjà Vu.[57]
In September 2015, Moroder was featured on Kylie Minogue's EP Kylie + Garibay on the song "Your Body". In 2016, he and Raney Shockne wrote and composed the music to the video game Tron RUN/r. The soundtrack album was released on 31 May 2016.[58][59] In October 2016, Moroder produced "One More Day" for Sistar, a Korean girl group.[60] They debuted the song live on 8 October, at Korea's DMC Festival 2016, with Moroder being present in the audience.[61][62] The music video for the song was released on 22 November, alongside the official digital release of the track.[60] 2021 saw Moroder return to the studio with Duran Duran, co-writing and producing two tracks, "Tonight United"[63] and "Beautiful Lies" for their October 2021 album release Future Past
Moroder has won three Academy Awards: Best Original Score for Midnight Express (1978);[65] Best Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling", from the film Flashdance (1983)[66] and Best Song for "Take My Breath Away", from Top Gun (1986).[67] Moroder also won two of his four Grammy Awards for Flashdance: Best Album or Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special and Best Instrumental Composition for the track "Love Theme from Flashdance". The third was awarded for Best Dance Recording for the song "Carry On".
Moroder also won four Golden Globes: two Best Original Score for "Midnight Express" and "Flashdance... What a Feeling", and two Best Original Song for "Flashdance... What a Feeling" and "Take My Breath Away".
On 20 September 2004, Moroder was honoured at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in New York, when he was inducted for his achievements and contributions as a producer. In 2005, Moroder was named a Commendatore Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana,[68] and in 2010 Bolzano awarded him the Grande Ordine al Merito della Provincia autonoma di Bolzano. In 2011, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the World Soundtrack Academy. In 2014, Moroder won his fourth Grammy Award for Daft Punk's Random Access Memories (Album of the Year).
The British alternative rock duo Curve covered "I Feel Love" in 1992. The song was later included on the double CD compilation The Way of Curve, released in 2004. Bronski Beat covered "I Feel Love" and "Love to Love You Baby" for their debut album The Age of Consent (1984). "On Fire", the second single from rapper Lil Wayne's seventh studio album Rebirth, contains allusions from Amy Holland's song "She's on Fire" and was inspired in its entirety by Scarface.[69] "Push It", the second single from rapper Rick Ross' debut album Port of Miami, samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" and the story of the video has a very similar theme to the film Scarface. It was produced by J. R. Rotem.
His song "Tears" was sampled and used as the basis of the DJ Shadow song "Organ Donor" on his 1996 album Endtroducing...... Canadian hip hop group Swollen Members sampled the song in "Fuel Injected" and "Meltdown". It also appears on the song "Tragedy" by RZA. The main melody and chord progression form the basis of "Marz" by folk musician John Grant and "Only Light" by Australian ska band the Cat Empire. Hip hop duo Mobb Deep used a sample from the song "Tony's Theme" in their song "G.O.D. Pt. III". His song "E=MC²" was sampled and used for J. Dilla's song of the same title. One of his early compositions, "Doo-Bee-Doo-Bee-Doo" from 1969, was featured for many years in silent sketches on The Benny Hill Show as part of a medley that also included "Mah Nà Mah Nà", a 4/4 adaptation of Ludwig van Beethoven's "Für Elise", and "Gimme Dat Ding".
The theme from Midnight Express was sampled by hip-hop duo OutKast for their song "Return of the Gangsta", and by hip-hop producer J Dilla for "Phantom of the Synths", a beat later used by MF Doom for "Gazzillion Ear" and by Jay Electronica for "Dimethyltryptamine".
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"Chase" was used as the entrance theme music for the professional wrestling tag team the Midnight Express throughout the early 1980s as well as in a number of montage videos for NBC's Major League Baseball coverage and CBS's coverage of the NBA. Art Bell also used "Chase" as the theme for his late-night talk radio programs Coast to Coast AM and Midnight in the Desert.
Moroder's opening theme from the 1983 film Scarface is sampled by Nas and Mobb Deep for the track "It's Mine". "Leopard Tree Dream" from Cat People is sampled by Cannibal Ox in the song "Iron Galaxy". "The Legend of Babel" theme from the Metropolis soundtrack was covered by DJ Dado. British electronica musician Little Boots covered "Love Kills", which was written in collaboration with Freddie Mercury. "Future Lovers", a song from American recording artist Madonna's 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor, has a bass line inspired by Donna Summer's Moroder-produced hit "I Feel Love". Furthermore, Madonna opened her 2006 Confessions Tour with a medley of "Future Lovers" and "I Feel Love". The version of "Live to Tell" that Madonna performed on The Confessions Tour heavily samples Moroder's song "Tears". Suns of Arqa's album "Technomor" includes the track "Moroder Vibe" which contains elements of "I Feel Love". Underworld's 1999 album, Beaucoup Fish, contains a song titled "Shudder/King of Snake", which contains an interpolation of the bass line from "I Feel Love".[70]
"I Feel Love" was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2011.[71]
In 2013, a dance club named after Moroder called Georgio's opened in Hollywood's Standard Hotel.[72] Moroder even visited it and for the first time saw people dancing to his music, stating: "I never saw people dancing to my music. I was too busy working. I was always in the studio. I never took the coca."[73]
In February 2016, Shooter Jennings, the son of outlaw country singer Waylon Jennings, released a tribute album entitled Countach (For Giorgio), his seventh studio album.[74] Shooter Jennings stated that Moroder's music from the movies Midnight Express (1978), Cat People (1982) and The NeverEnding Story (1984) had a major influence on him as a child which "...set the foundation for the music of my entire life."[74]
Before his career reboot with Daft Punk, Moroder dedicated decades to his personal hobbies/projects. He designed a car with Marcello Gandini and ex-Lamborghini personnel, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T. Also in a 2013 interview, he spoke about the architectural design of a pyramid-like apartment that was supposed to take place in Dubai. It was never built. Other projects included creating his own cognac liquor and getting involved with digital and neon art and putting on shows.[36]
Moroder is a character in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical, in reference to his work with disco diva Donna Summer.
Moroder currently lives in Los Angeles, California. He was married to his Mexican manager Francisca Gutiérrez from 1990 until her death in 2022.[76][77] Their son Alessandro was born in 1989.[78][76]
He is a friend of Michael Holm, with whom he composed the 1973 album Spinach 1 under the moniker "Spinach". Holm's song Giorgio und ich is dedicated to Moroder.
Déjà Vu 2015
Déjà Vu (stylized as deja-vu) is the fourteenth studio album by Italian DJ Giorgio Moroder: his first album, after a 23-years hiatus, since Forever Dancing (1992).[1] It was released on 12 June 2015, and features collaborations with: Kylie Minogue, Sia, Britney Spears, Kelis, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko, Foxes and Matthew Koma, among others.[2] On 20 January 2015, the collaboration with Kylie Minogue, "Right Here, Right Now", was officially released, along with a video teaser.
Moroder contributed to Daft Punk's 2013 studio album Random Access Memories, admitting that he had been a fan of their song "One More Time" before working with the group.[4] His voice and story is featured on the album's track "Giorgio by Moroder". On the track he states, "My name is Giovanni Giorgio, but everybody calls me Giorgio."[5]
In summer 2013, Giorgio started to DJ, making his US debut at the Red Bull Music Academy in New York City.[6][7] He toured around the world, playing his classics from the '70s and '80s as well as new remixes.
In 2014, Giorgio Moroder reworked a song of his own from the '60s called "Doo Bee Doo" (2014 version), which was used in the 2014 Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial titled "Wings".[8][9]
In March 2014, singer Kelis announced a collaboration with Moroder on her Facebook page.[10] The following month, Moroder released his official remix of Coldplay's "Midnight" from their album Ghost Stories.[11] He also announced that he will work with the French electro-pop producer Madeon,[12] and American singer Lana Del Rey.[13][14]
On 9 June 2014, Adult Swim released a Hi-NRG disco single by Moroder called "Giorgio's Theme".[15] Moroder also remixed Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything but Love".[2]
In November 2014, it was announced that Déjà Vu featuring contributions from Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Sia, Charli XCX, Mikky Ekko, Foxes, Matthew Koma, among others was being put together.
Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder 1985
Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder is a 1985 collaborative studio album by English singer Philip Oakey, the lead vocalist of the Human League, and Italian record producer Giorgio Moroder.[2] It peaked at number 52 on the UK Albums Chart.[5]
The album includes "Together in Electric Dreams", which was originally written for the 1984 film Electric Dreams.[2] The track peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[6] "Good-Bye Bad Times" peaked at number 44 and "Be My Lover Now" peaked at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart.
Solitary Men Giorgio Moroder and Joe Esposito 1983
Solitary Men is a 1983 collaborative studio album by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder and Grammy-winning American singer Joe Esposito. Highlights from the album include a new arrangement of "Nights in White Satin" by the Moody Blues and "Lady, Lady", which appears in the films Flashdance and Call Me by Your Name.
E=MC² / 1979
E=MC² is a 1979 studio album by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder.[1] It has been billed as the "first electronic live-to-digital album."[2] The album's title track peaked at number 4 on Billboard's Dance Club/Disco chart.
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