Giorgio Moroder ♫ Chase (theme from Midnight Express)

The Italian music maestro Giorgio Moroder turns 72 today. He was way ahead of his time, set a standard of excellence and was full of mad change. He was one of the first people using such quality production and electronics to make post-disco electronic dance music (though I think he was approaching it as pushing disco forward). All this piss poor electro that is coming out today must make him want to cry.

In a career that spans well over forty years, Moroder has a strong claim to being one of the most influential producers ever. His ground-breaking work with Donna Summer brought electronic music to the masses with the smash “I Feel Love” in 1977, while the duo’s earlier collaboration on “Love To Love You Baby” set in stone the template for the extended, orgasmic disco mix.

Then there are his seminal pop productions for the likes of Blondie, David Bowie, Sparks and the Human League’s Phil Oakey, plus his revolutionary synthesiser scores for Scarface, American Gigolo and Midnight Express (which bagged Moroder an Oscar for Best Score in 1978.)

Often written out of “serious” musical history because of his poppy tendencies, Moroder’s incredible legacy speaks for itself and has defiantly stood the test of time.

Here’s one of my favourite Moroder tracks, The Chase.

Moondog - Be a Hobo

Mooondog's music was hardly appreciated in his time and is very rarely appreciated these days. He was ahead of his time and produced many simple and complex masterpieces in jazz and experimental genres. The man deserves far more recognition and influence that he has ever gotten. He is a man of Mad Change long after he has left the planet and I personally continue to draw influence from his work. His wikipedia page: Moondog

MOONDOG - MARIMBA MONDO No. 2

Moondog will one day rise from the dead and kick all the unrighteous people in the heart. Music like this will play while they writhe on the ground in pain. I have foreseen it.

Invocation - Moondog

Moondog's music took its inspiration from street sounds, such as the subway or a foghorn. It tended to be relatively simple but characterized by what he called "snaketime" and described as "a slithery rhythm, in times that are not ordinary.

Distrito Federal - Soy Sonidero

Here’s a quick montage from filmmaker Sam Fleischner. Sam, director of Wah Do Dem, was recently in Mexico City. DJ Rupture was there and ended up gaving him some tips, and he ended up using “Soy Sonidero” from Mudd Up! to cut his footage to. It’s a kind of a meditation on state power vs the power of the people’s daily rhythms.

Nonstop II Rudimental ft. John Newman - Feel The Love