This week [on one of my many blog journeys] I stumbled upon "I Wanna Rock You" by Giorgio Moroder. Totally did not realize that this man pretty much invented disco. The picture above shows him sitting in front of a Moog Modular in the 1970s. Giorgio made the first ever pop record to feature a Moog synth, "Chicory Tip's," and its terrible. But he's most popular for the Donna Summer album "I Feel Love" and "Chase" from the Midnight Express soundtrack.
He also created all of these albums...
Irene Cara "Flashdance"
Berlin "Take My Breath Away"
Blondie "Call Me"
and the entire Scarface soundtrack
In 1975, Moroder's label boss, Neil Bogart, played a copy of 'Love to Love You Baby' at a party at his house. The crowd demanded to hear it four times in a row, so he called Giorgio at 3am and ordered a 20 minute long version. The extended remix was born.
That track, and more obviously 'I Feel Love', had a 4/4 kick drum, from a tape loop of a real drummer. The rhythm was much simpler than funk or disco, so white people (and even German/Italians with moustaches) could dance to it. Four-to-the-floor was born.
"I Feel Love" was entirely electronic, and it was a 125bpm club record with a black woman singing over the top. House music was born (sort of).
If Giorgio invented House (sort of), then Kraftwerk invented Techno (definitely). Giorgio hired programmers to get the sounds he wanted, Kraftwerk built their own studio and patented new gear. Giorgio wanted hits, Kraftwerk wanted art. So I read an article that NME wrote where Giorgio accuses Kraftwerk of "selling out." Kraftwerk? Well, I think they thought that they must start selling more. I guess they are making a simple mistake. They still reckon that with an easy melody and a synthesiser they can have a hit."
To do 'I Feel Love' properly, you need a gigantic Moog Modular. In 1979, Giorgio said "It's nearly impossible to compose with a synthesizer. By its nature, improvisations are much easier, so I went into the studio and recorded "I Feel Love" as it was composed. All I used was an electronic bass line and an electronic drum. That's the big difference between normal and electronic recording."
By the end of the 80s, Giorgio had three Oscars and all the money in the world. He stopped making records (just doing occasional remixes for people like Mirwais, and producing the odd Bonnie Tyler track) and concentrated on...
1. He designed and formed a company to build the Cizeta-Moroder V16T, a sixteen-cylinder (64-valve!) sports car that would sell for $600,000 in the mid 1980s. The Sultan of Brunei was interested, but the company closed.
2. He wants to build a huge pyramid in LA, to be called the Moroder Millennium Pyramid.
3. He claims to be " the owner and creative force of the internationally known electronics group, SAE California." Can he mean the long defunct cult stereo company Scientific Audio Electronics, which went bust in 1994.
4.He's now taken down the relevant page, but Giorgio was about to design an 'art park' in Blankenburg, Germany "featuring the world's largest pieces of digital art, videos, paintings, sculpture and multi-media exhibits. The park will be called the "Moroder Art Park." Elsewhere, he says "A large space will be needed for the Blankenburg collection as it will include some extremely large paintings measuring 100 meters long and 25 meters high."
5.As part of the Blankenburg project: "Moroder will also present a musical about witches entitled "Hexy" scheduled to open in a newly created theater in the year 2001."
