April is a busy and auspicious month in music history:
- The 75th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Gil Scott-Heron was on April 1
- The 85th anniversary of the birth of R&B and soul legend Marvin Gaye was on April 2
- The 111th anniversary of the birth of legendary bluesman Muddy Waters was on April 4
- Pharrell Williams celebrated his 51st birthday on April 5
- One of the most beloved figures of the Outlaw Country movement,
- Merle Haggard was born 84 years ago on April 6
- Robert Glasper celebrated his 46th birthday on April 6
- The 109th anniversary of Billie Holiday‘s birth was on April 7
- John Oates, of Daryl Hall and John Oates fame celebrated his 75th birthday on April 7
- The 60th anniversary of Biz Markie‘s birth was on April 7
- The 77th anniversary of Kraftwerk co-founder Florian Schneider‘s birth was on April 7
- A Tribe Called Quest‘s Q-Tip one of hip-hop’s greatest emcees and producers celebrated his 54th birthday on April 10
- The legendary and pioneering Herbie Hancock celebrated his 84th birthday on March 12
- Echo & The Bunnymen‘s Will Sergeant celebrated his 66th on April 12
- R&B and soul legend Al Green celebrated his 78th birthday on April 13
- Radiohead‘s Ed O’Brien celebrated his 56th birthday on April 15
- Midnight Oil‘s frontman Peter Garrett celebrated his 71st birthday on April 16
- Liz Phair celebrated her 57th birthday on April 17
- Redman celebrated his 54th birthday on April 17
- Onyx’s Fredro Starr celebrated his 53rd birthday on April 18
- The 73rd anniversary of Luther Vandross‘ birth was on April 20
- The legendary Iggy Pop celebrated his 77th birthday on April 21
- The Cure‘s founding member frontman, guitarist and principle songwriter Robert Smith celebrated his 65th birthday on April 21
- The 102nd anniversary of Charles Mingus‘ birth was on April 22
- The 88th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Roy Orbison was on April 23
- The 106th anniversary of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald‘s birth was on April 25
Back in 2013, Red Bull Music Academy invited the legendary electronic music artist ad producer Giorgio Moroder to speak in front of a small group of music students about music, his creative process and more — and to what was then-billed as his first ever live DJ set at the now-defunct Williamsburg, Brooklyn nightclub Output.
Along with his long-time collaborator and musical director Chris Cox, the electronic music legend played a 75 minute set of re-arranged and exclusive remixes of some of his massive hits, medleys of other big songs, an exclusive song commissioned by Google — and famously, his collaboration with Daft Punk, “Giorgio by Moroder,” which appeared on the French electronic outfit’s last album, Random Access Memories.
Moroder’s DJ set is an encompassing and thoughtful primer on his pioneering work and sound, as well as roughly 50 years of disco and electronic music. Importantly, the set is a bold and swaggering reminder that along with Kraftwerk and a handful of others, Moroder is part of a Mount Rushmore of electronic music, who helped create an enduring “sound of the future” while popularizing the use of synthesizers in just about anything and everything since.
Personally, Moroder’s Red Bull Music Academy set brings back fond and very dear memories during the most formative periods of my life: I can vividly picture myself as a small boy and watching my mother cleaning and singing along — incredibly off key, I should add! — to Donna Summer‘s “Bad Girls,” “I Feel Love” “Hot Stuff,’ and “Love to Love You, Baby” as though it were yesterday.
Moroder turns 84 today and we should give the legendary man, his flowers because his work is that important — for all of us. Happy birthday, Giorgio! May there many, many more!
