A little while ago, a giant billboard on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard, boasted a picture of Giorgio Moroder with a computer replacing his rib-cage. As well as being an advert for his album-of-the-time (E=MC2), it was also a salute to an extraordinary and talented producer. Subliminally it portrayed the utmost substitution of technology for 'soul' in a trend instigated by him, that affected almost the entire sphere of popular music. He was a kind of advance battalion for the main electric invasion force! However, this journey to a Hollywood hoarding via an Oscar award, and with more than a little help from a certain Munich chorus girl, is one of the UK`s lesser known tales. Italian born Giorgio started life (musically) as a bass player, gigging around Europe for several years before settling down in Munich. It was here that he became interested and involved with studio engineering, at about the time when electronic wizardry began to figure. "I was very much attracted to modern technology and the ways in which it could be applied to music," recalls Giorgio. "When the first 'Moog' came on the market, I knew I had to have it." This initial attraction blossomed into marketable product; it was in fact G.M. who was behind several pop hits of the era, most noticably "Looky Looky" and "Son Of My Father". Seeds were sown, and sparks akindled as the age old phrase 'making music' began to take on a literal meaning for the budding genius. Such was the fascination of the console, that Giorgio turned to full-time producing and joined forces with another Munich based aspiring producer/writer - Pete Bellotte.

Moroder's Machine "voice" Donna Summer, with one of many awards

All this coincided with another event which was to prove prolific - the hippie musical 'Hair' ended it's run in the same city. So what? ... so it left Donna Summer, like so many, young, gifted, black and looking for a job. The partnership was born as she worked for him as a background singer, soon becoming a featured voice. The newly formed firm unleashed their ideas on an unsuspecting Europe and notched up a couple of hits before exporting the notorious "Love To Love You" to America in 1975. Kinda 'coals to Newcastle', but it worked - it really worked! it was a monster in the US, and so popular over here that the BBC banned it! The reasons were to Moroder obvious: "One of the biggest problems with R&B in America before disco, was that you had to be a good dancer to dance to it - it was to complex. So we had to simplify it. We started by emphasizing the bass line; I think 'Love To Love You' was the first song with a bass drum played 1-2-3-4 all the way through. We extended it to sixteen minutes to make the deejays` job easier and to get people so involved, they would continue to dance to it." There it is, simple recipe for an all consuming music trend; liberal amounts of bass line, simmered for an extended time and garnished with realistic sounding orgasms (use with extreme caution!). The result 'shot' Donna Summer to stardom and brought G.M. into the focus of 'Mr Casablanca', Neil Bogart. Once in the US, his concepts were soon being used by everybody and their mamma, and although working with Donna and other artists, Mr M. seemed to become 'just another disco producer-writer'. This changed when he was offered to write the score for "Midnight Express", through the connections of Casablanca`s film works. He considers this to be both an epoch and a highlight in his career as a performer/composer. We would tend to agree there, film work is the most suitable path (providing most freedom) for his innovations. The electronic era contributed further to his case as he scored the film by watching it on video and putting piano melodies on directly, which as he explains: "gave me an immediate feeling of whether something would fit or not." Throughout the proceedings Columbia kept a wary eye on things: "they generally don't use people who never scored (written film music) before, and I know in my case there are some reservations," states Moroder. What would happen if every company adopted and adhered to that maxim? - Catch 22 or what! Their fears were totally groundless, as the movie went on to blag an Oscar for best score, and Moroder carved a niche in history, endorsed by the US chart success of 'The Chase' soundtrack album.

More Moroder charges - The Three Degrees, who achieved a much needed boost

What was spawned about ten years ago in Munich finally came of age with "E=MC2" (Energy = Mass X the speed of light squared - as if you didn't know) the 'ultimate disco album'. Involving twenty-five computerized synthesizers, four computerized keyboards, three micro computers and electronic drums, percussion and vocals, it was recorded thus: "The music was programmed as bursts of energy, coded numerically into micro computers and recorded via the digital system. It was then edited by computer and the energy was once again reproduced as music. It's almost pure sound." If you didn't understand that, don't worry, neither did the UK record-buying public. It fared none too well, which is a shame, as G.M. has a dream of uniting the soul and rock audiences (and lifestyles?) by merging the music and using each others ideas and techniques to progress (Funkadelic?).

That could be interesting, but back to now and his most recent success has been the new Three Degrees album "3D" which has G.M. 'stamped' all over it. Other acts he is currently working on include Sparks, The Sylvers, Elton John and of course, Donna Summer. Filmwise he is scoring the much talked about John Travolta offering, "Gigolo" as well as "Foxes", starring Jodie Foster and Adam Faith. The latter should get a good audience, being about wayward teenage girls, as opposed to little red animals! He feels under no obligation to follow up with another Oscar, taking the view:"If it works - beautiful, if not, we just record another one." But he should provide an entertaining and 'picture enhancing package', whatever. As we hinted before, maybe he should concentrate on film music, as the electronics of "E=MC2" come across as being a bit eerie and feelingless - hardly party stuff! He has shaken-up popular music in a way that will never be forgotten, but seems to have gone up a blind alley recently, and a bit of a re-think should perhaps be on the agenda. But that may be said against him, and a man of his talents could easily put that right. Definitely on for the Hall of Fame, and next time you think how simple a tune is to dance to, remember Giorgio Moroder - the silicone chip's answer to Arthur Murray! (LB)