ARTS

Giorgio Moroder invented disco and bagged three Oscars: now the tour

The pop pioneer talks about working with Bowie and Blondie and going on the road at 78
Giorgio Moroder in 1981 with Christine Bennett, who sang on the Midnight Express soundtrack
Giorgio Moroder in 1981 with Christine Bennett, who sang on the Midnight Express soundtrack
FRANCISCA HARRY LANGDON/GETTY IMAGES

Puzzles

Challenge yourself with today’s puzzles.

Puzzle thumbnail

Crossword

Puzzle thumbnail

Polygon

Puzzle thumbnail

Sudoku

As musical honorifics go, calling Giorgio Moroder “the father of disco” won’t get you into too many bar fights. Yet if you acknowledge the debt that dancefloors the world over owe to this synthesizer maestro, you would also have to recognise him as at least an uncle of windswept Eighties pop and electronic film music.

The Italian writer-producer has won three Oscars, including one for his score to Midnight Express, plus four Grammys and four Golden Globes. He also composed the soundtracks to American Gigolo and Scarface and during the Eighties produced and co-wrote a mind-boggling string of hits including Blondie’s Call Me, Berlin’s Take My Breath Away (the theme song from Top Gun), Philip Oakey’s Together in Electric Dreams, David