Who says you have to be young to be a pop star? Giorgio Moroder is 75 years old, DJing in front of huge crowds, and experiencing a level of success that he hasn't seen since the 1970s—when he produced some of the first, biggest, and best songs of the disco era. After his Donna Summer days, Moroder made electronic music under his own name as well as composed now-iconic film scores, including Scarface and Midnight Express, as well as soundtrack numbers like “Take My Breath Away” (from Top Gun) and Blondie’s “Call Me” (from American Gigolo).
But for the last 30 years, Moroder was in a kind of semi-retirement, putting music aside to work on other projects. But in 2013, Moroder came back to electronic music fans via one of the biggest bands in the business: Daft Punk. They created a homage/tribute piece called "Giorgio by Moroder" on their Grammy-winning album Random Access Memories. Now Moroder himself is back with an album appropriately called Deja Vu, featuring a track even more appropriately called "74 is the New 24." Though he is now 75, he's still finding new ways to produce, promote, and perform electronic music.
In this wide-ranging interview, he talkes with Charles Monroe-Kane about his 50-year career. Here's a playlist of just a few of many of Moroder's career highlights.
Giorgio Moroder: A Brief Retrospective