Giorgio Moroder

Giorgio Moroder
Moroder at First Avenue, Minneapolis, in 2018
Moroder at First Avenue, Minneapolis, in 2018
Background information
Birth nameGiovanni Giorgio Moroder
Born (1940-04-26) 26 April 1940 (age 84)
Urtijëi, South Tyrol, Kingdom of Italy
Genres
Occupations
  • Composer
  • record producer
DiscographyGiorgio Moroder discography
Years active
  • 1958–1993
  • 2012–present
Labels
Spouse
Francisca Gutiérrez
​
​
(m. 1990; died 2022)​
Websitegiorgiomoroder.com

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 significant 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.[14]

  1. ^ Krettenauer, Thomas (2017). "Hit Men: Giorgio Moroder, Frank Farian and the eurodisco sound of the 1970s/80s". In Michael Ahlers; Jacke, Christoph (eds.). Perspectives on German Popular Music. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-7962-4.
  2. ^ a b Allen, Jeremy (14 August 2015). "Giorgio Moroder – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ Tobias Rüther (26 April 2010). "Giorgio Moroder zum Siebzigsten: Ich fühle Liebe". Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Giorgio Moroder". laut.de. Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  5. ^ "This record was a collaboration between Philip Oakey, the big-voiced lead singer of the techno-pop band the Human League, and Giorgio Moroder, the Italian-born father of disco who spent the '80s writing synth-based pop and film music." Evan Cater. "Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder: Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  6. ^ "The Legacy of Giorgio Moroder, the "Father of Disco"". Blisspop. 27 August 2018. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  7. ^ "'Father of Disco' Giorgio Moroder announces Glasgow date on first ever live tour". The Sunday Post. 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  8. ^ a b Brewster, Bill (22 June 2017). "I feel love: Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder created the template for dance music as we know it". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  9. ^ Jim Poe. "Giorgio Moroder: 10 groundbreaking tunes". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  10. ^ "Giorgio Moroder: Godfather of Modern Dance Music". Time. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  11. ^ Hecktor, Mirko; von Uslar, Moritz; Smith, Patti; Neumeister, Andreas (1 November 2008). Mjunik Disco – from 1949 to now (in German). Blumenbar. pp. 212, 225. ISBN 978-3936738476.
  12. ^ Richardson, Terry (16 June 2015). "The Giorgio Moroder Primer". Out. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  13. ^ "He felt love with Donna Summer, now its Deja Vu for Giorgio Moroder – 11/06/2015". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 5 August 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Disco stars to enter Hall of Fame". BBC News. 4 September 2004. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2010.