| Giorgio Moroder | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Hansjörg Moroder |
| Born | 26 April 1940 Ortisei, Italy |
| Genres | Dance, rock, disco, pop, electronic Italo disco |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Synthesizers |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Website | http://www.giorgiomoroder.com |
Giorgio (Hansjoerg) Moroder (on record sleeves often only Giorgio) (born 26 April 1940, Ortisei, Italy)[1] is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer. His work with synthesizers during the 1970s and 1980s had a significant influence on new wave, house, techno and electronic music in general.[2] Particularly well known for his work with Donna Summer during the era of disco (including "I Feel Love" and Love to Love You Baby), Moroder is the founder of the former Musicland Studios in Munich, which was used as a recording studio for artists including Electric Light Orchestra, Led Zeppelin, Queen and Elton John. He also founded his own record label, Oasis Records, which later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records.
In addition to his work with Donna Summer, Moroder also produced a number of electronic disco hits for The Three Degrees, two albums for Sparks, and a score of songs for a variety of others including David Bowie, Irene Cara, Madleen Kane, Melissa Manchester, Blondie, Japan, and France Joli.
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An Italian composer from Alto-Adige, Moroder made his first steps in music bypassing his native country altogether, and making a name for himself in studios around Germany in the early 1970s, although he released small-batch singles simply as "Giorgio" as early as 1966, singing in Italian, English and German. He first came to prominence in 1969, when his recording "Looky Looky", released on Ariola Records, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc in October 1970.[3] Often collaborating with lyricist Pete Bellotte, Moroder had a number of hits in his own name including "Son of My Father" in 1972 before releasing the synthesizer-driven From Here to Eternity, a notable chartbuster in 1977, and in the following year releasing "Chase", the theme from the film Midnight Express. All were hits in the UK, in the U.S. and across Europe, and everywhere the disco-mania was spreading. The full movie score for Midnight Express won him his first Academy Award for best film score in 1978. In 1979 Moroder released his album E=MC². Text on the album's cover stated that it was the "first electronic live-to-digital album." He also released three albums between 1977-1979 under the name Munich Machine.
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 movie Electric Dreams. In 1986, Moroder collaborated with his protege Harold Faltermeyer (of "Axel F." fame) and lyricist Tom Whitlock to create the score for the film Top Gun (1986), with the most noteworthy hit being Berlin's "Take My Breath Away". "Chase" was also used as an entrance theme for wrestling's group The Midnight Express. In 1987, Moroder produced Falco's song "Body Next to Body".
In 1997, Moroder and Donna Summer won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for the album "Carry On".
On 20 September 2004 Moroder was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony, held in New York, when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements and contributions as producer. In 2005, he was given the title of Commendatore by the then President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.
Moroder won three Academy Awards: Best Original Score for Midnight Express (1978); Best Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling", from the film Flashdance (1983); and Best Song for "Take My Breath Away", from Top Gun (1986).
Moroder also won two of his three Grammy Awards for "Flashdance": Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A Television Special and Best Instrumental Composition, for the track "Love Theme from Flashdance".
In 1984, Moroder compiled a new restoration and edit of the famous silent film Metropolis and provided a contemporary soundtrack to the film. This soundtrack includes pop tracks from Pat Benatar, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Billy Squier, Loverboy, Bonnie Tyler and Freddie Mercury. He also integrated the old-fashioned intertitles into the film as subtitles as a means of improving continuity, and he also played the film at a rate of 24 frames per second. 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.[4]
He also scored other popular films in the 1970s and 1980s including Midnight Express, American Gigolo, Flashdance, The Never Ending Story, Thief of Hearts, Electric Dreams, Cat People, Over the Top and Scarface.
In 2002, he wrote the score for Leni Riefenstahl's final film, Impressionen unter Wasser, a marine documentary.[5]
In 2010, Giorgio Moroder was enlisted to work on a EP with France's Daft Punk for VICE Records. The EP was never released, but it is speculated the collaboration will result in an upcoming album in late 2010.
His score for "Scarface" has recently regained popularity due to its use in the popular video game Grand Theft Auto III (and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories). Moroder's "From Here to Eternity" and "Chase" were also used in the Sony PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 game Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. "Together In Electric Dreams", a collaborative effort of Giorgio Moroder and Philip Oakey (of The Human League) features in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
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 Football World Cup. "The Chase" is now also used as the theme bumper-music for the US AM talk radio program Coast to Coast AM. Ivory Tower was used for the starting grid line up on Grand Prix in the late 1980s to the early 1990s (a BBC television Formula one program ).
In the late 1980s Moroder collaborated with Claudio Zampolli to create the Cizeta supercar. Moroder currently resides in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, with his wife Francisca and his son Alessandro, who was born in 1989.
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1969 | That's Bubblegum - That's Giorgio |
| 1972 | Son of My Father |
| 1974 | Giorgio's Music |
| 1975 | Einzelganger |
| 1976 | Knights in White Satin |
| 1977 | From Here to Eternity |
| 1978 | Love's in You, Love's in Me (Giorgio and Chris) |
| Midnight Express - Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| Music From "Battlestar Galactica" And Other Original Compositions | |
| 1979 | E=MC² |
| 1980 | American Gigolo - Original Soundtrack |
| 1982 | Cat People - Original Soundtrack |
| 1983 | Solitary Men with Joe "Bean" Esposito |
| Scarface (Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |
| 1984 | The NeverEnding Story (Giorgio Moroder and Klaus Doldinger) |
| Metropolis: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
| 1985 | Innovisions |
| 1990 | To Be Number One |
| The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter (Joe Milner and Giorgio Moroder) | |
| 1992 | Forever Dancing |
| 1998 | Moroder and Moroder Art Show (limited to 100 copies) |