Electronic music pioneer Giorgio Moroder’s first solo album in 30 years, Deja Vu, finds the musician/producer revisiting past glories.
The only glitch is that Moroder hasn’t altered his sound and vision since his heyday.
Moroder’s work with Donna Summer (Love to Love you, Baby, I Feel Love) ushered in the age of electronic dance music and disco. His role was that of a futurist, an experimenter in beats and synthesizers.
His soundtrack work was equally powerful, using groundbreaking material for films like Midnight Express and Cat People, which led to massive successes on later films like Flashdance and Top Gun.
Deja Vu nips at the heels of his cameo on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, which fired up the 75-year-old musician’s creative spark. But Moroder mostly sticks to his old repertoire of synthesizers, beats and singers.
Moroder’s collaborative process makes it logical to work with vocalists and Deja Vu reads like a roll call of stars: Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Sia, Mikkey Ekko, Charli XCX, Kelis… all fall under the synth man’s production wizardry.
There aren’t any surprises, rather a return to form as 4 U With Love swirls in with an anthemic bravado. The sound is familiar – the classic pulse of nightclub dance music that Moroder envisioned and Summer churned out.
The album is divided into two areas: billowy ballads and hyper-repetitive beat factory extravaganzas. The bright disco sheen of yesteryear is always present. Throwbacks like La Disco and Tempted offer a jammy contrast to the electro-fest that Moroder offers up.
The guests are the feature that varies the texture of the tracks. Otherwise Deja Vu would be a dynamic downer.
While Daft Punk’s album offered variations on funk, electronic rock and new wave, Deja Vu is lost in DJ land. Moroder’s synthesizer showcase, 74 is the New 24, is a slice of electronic comfort food. As cool and hypnotic as it is, it’s unchanged since 1975.
Moroder doesn’t bring anything new to the table (after his last album, 30 years ago) but a large helping of ear candy.
– Dean Gordon-Smith reviews the latest music releases for The Morning Star.
