MUSIC WEEK APRIL 23, 1977 Llfifilllilhlir SIIV TOE SOUND Of
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MUSIC WEEK APRIL 23, 1977 llFifiLllilHlir SIIV The Munich Sound turns the worldalthough 1 haveon «been I Strlni ^ for could be a turntable hit in the clubs, Satin disco treatment. They estimate but never get any further because the that Donna Summer is now the rar^'X'^on, Is radio stations would not play it." fastest selling female artist in the Bclottc and Moroder now in their world, with her albums Love Trilogy 'ir/'stadio, which has become TOE SOUND of Munich — the early 30*5 had met with some success and Four Seasons Of Love notching Giorgio Moroder disco siylc thai has made enormous in the international marketplace five up five months in the Billboard Top headway in ihe American and years ago with Son Of My Father, 50. Meanwhile she has broken European markets in the last couple the song that was covered in the UK through in a big way in France and by Chicory Tip. However, it was Italy and her total unit album sales XffiSZirsX of years — has its origins in a their version that made the U.S. have easily topped the 4'/a million basement studio in the depths ol the chart and they decided to trade on mark. S; Bd.fsh and'peciJlly flown in massive Arabellahaus leisure Knights In While Satin was ^Sandef^emhasflus complex on the outskirts of the city. that reputation to visit the West There a production partnership Coast in an attempt to set up a recorded by Moroder as a bit of a 'house band' become lhat 'he; have recording deal for their-new disco joke, and has since sold 80,000 adopted the name Munich Mach.ne known as Say Yes Productions has sound. copies in France alone. Similar sales a b consistently turned out top-selling andagain have under just the rimshed auspices an of 'Moroder"™ platters with a regularity that has "Our style was a lot different have been forthcoming in America.^ from the black American sound," "It started as a joke, but I can't and Belotte. turned the world s head in the said Moroder. "We make it really slop now," he said. Roberta Kelly h direction of Munich. commercial, and we found a way to featured in the U.S. Top 10 for five In their seven years together, _ The hit making duo are Italian make the bass sound more weeks recently and has hit big just Say Yes duo have evolved a unique y Giorgio Moroder and Englishman interesting and to add little melody about everywhere but England. efficient method of wtmng and Pete Belotle, who originally got Interviewed at the famous recording. "All the hits arc n together back in 1970 to write and hook to make it stand out from the in the studio," confirmed Belotte. produce songs in English aimed at run-of-the-mill heavy funk that was Musicland Studios, where rock "We make a demo that contains all the world market. around at that time. luminaries like Elton John, The ihe characteristics of the record to The concept of a German disco "But we met with little reaction to Rolling Stones, and Electric Light be. Pete Belotte sound evolved gradually, through a on that visit. We were unproved Orchestra have recorded recently, "The process starts Wllb variety of influences and quantities, and at that time nobody Moroder and Belotte were hard at reference track on rhythm machine. the final product. circumstances, culminating in the had ever had a hit with a European work adding the strings to Giorgio's "Very little is pre-conceived, but disco sound. forthcoming Let The Music Play Without it we could never keep although it sounds like chaos it is a giant success of Donna Summer, "So we had to go in by the back single. things tight for a 17-minute disco very efficient way of recording. The Roberta Kelly and even Giorgio Looking up from the 24-irack cut. Using that as a guide we bring in himself who scored a sizeable hit on door. The Love To Love You single the bass and drums to do the rhythm only thing that is really thought out both sides of the Atlantic with his by Donna was promoted purely Harrison desk, Moroder added that section track, and then the arranger in advance is the bass line.' Knights In White Satin outing. through the discos because it simply they had just put the finishing Belotte revealed that he and his could not get airplay. touches to a new Donna Summer is called in to add things on top ot partner, together with the resident Moroder explains the duo's "Slowly it became known and long player and were about to that. engineer are the only people success thus: Discos have been doing embark on a project with Britain's "However, most of the arranging well in Germany since the early began to pick up sales until it was in is done in the mixing stage as a kind involved in the recording work from 1970's and we had a lot of local Top the Billboard chart with virtually no Marsha Hunt. start to finish. They write the songs, help from the radio stations." "The funny thing about the so- of post-arrangement process. This produce them, and even design the Ten success in the disco charts. Since then the duo have repeated called Munich Sound is that there is stage probably takes a lot longer cover artwork. _ _ "We began to get a good feel practically nothing German about than the actual recording and we are To page 6 about what would do well in the the formula with Roberta Kelly and quite likely to spend a day editing discos, but at that time a record Moroder's own Knights In White it," smiled Belotte. "I am English, k. Goina Strona With Intersona 1NTERSONG MUSIC PUBLISHING COMPANIES Hallerstrafie 40 2000 Hamburg 13 040/412931 WEST GERMANY 4 EUROSCENE .