Giorgio Moroder, once the 'King of Disco,' releases his first album in 30 years, 'Déjà Vu'. The album is a blend of retro electronic dance music, drawing comparisons to Studio 54 rather than modern clubs.
The album features collaborations with prominent artists including Britney Spears, Sia, Kelis, Mikky Ekko, Matthew Koma, Charli XCX (whose track 'Diamonds' is highlighted), and Kylie Minogue (whose 'Right Here, Right Now' is praised as a perfect fusion of pop and disco). Foxes also contributes to the album.
While the album is infused with infectious tunes, the strong influence of Daft Punk is noted, appearing in tracks like '4 U With Love', 'Déjà Vu', and 'La Disco'. Despite this influence, the album isn't entirely cutting edge but still showcases Moroder's continued talent.
While mostly positive, the album does have a low point: the track '74 is the New 24' is criticized.
Overall, 'Déjà Vu' demonstrates that despite his age, Moroder retains his knack for crafting captivating dance music, making for a largely successful comeback.
Déjà Vu
Giorgio Moroder
(RCA)
Four stars
Haven't we met before? It's a question you'll keep asking yourself if you spend any time with Giorgio Moroder's fabulous new album, Déjà Vu, a 40-minute riot of retro electronic dance music. Moroder was once the king of disco, propelling Donna Summer to global domination in the mid-1970s with Love to Love You Baby, I Feel Love and a string of other million-selling hits.
If his collaboration with the late Summer was fruitful, his writing and producing credits with Blondie (Call Me), Irene Cara (Flashdance ... What a Feeling), The Human League's Philip Oakey (Together In Electric Dreams), Berlin (Take My Breath Away) and others made Moroder a massive name in the mid-1980s.
And then he lost his golden touch. His 1988 project to manufacture an all-girl band failed and his equally ill-advised foray into the supercar business tanked spectacularly. Indeed, the Cizeta-Moroder V16T was the most striking, least-successful car you’ve never heard of.
After that, not much was seen of the Italian until 2013, when he talked his way through Giorgio by Moroder on Daft Punk's Random Access Memories (more of them later).
Two years later, he’s back in the limelight with his first album in 30 years – but can a 75-year-old still swim successfully in the sea of pop?
Well, that’s not really a fair question. Moroder still loves dance music and knows how to fashion an infectious tune, although his sonic cues sound like they owe more to Studio 54 than they do to, say, Space Ibiza. What you do get, though, is a curiosity shop of collaborations with Britney Spears, Sia, Kelis, Mikky Ekko, Matthew Koma and more.
Charli XCX and Kylie Minogue deserve special mention here. The former's featured track, Diamonds, is a typically punchy vocal performance, while Minogue's Right Here, Right Now is the perfect fusion between pop princess and disco king.
Foxes also features, the English singer-songwriter cropping up on Wildstar, a glitter-filled retro disco tune that'll stay wedged in your mind for days, not least for Moroder's adventures with a vocoder.
There's the odd wrong step, too: 74 is the New 24 is as awful as its title suggests.
Throughout, it's Daft Punk's sound that wanders around as if crashing the party. Their influence turns up in the album's opener, 4 U With Love, there they are again in Déjà Vu and again in La Disco.
All of this is a constant reminder that if Moroder once represented the sound of the future, that was all a long time ago. Even so, if Déjà Vu isn't quite cutting-edge, Moroder shouldn't be consigned to the past just yet.
nmarch@thenational.ae
Price, base / as tested Dh395,000 / Dh420,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission Six-speed manual
Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed Fixtures: Monday, 1st 50-over match Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
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Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Bournemouth 0 Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
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Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
Name: Mohammed Imtiaz
From: Gujranwala, Pakistan
Arrived in the UAE: 1976
Favourite clothes to make: Suit
Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550
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Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
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Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
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Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Al Menhali 27', Tagliabue 79'
Al Nassr 3
Hamdallah 41', Giuliano 45 1', 62'
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Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
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Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
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What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Men 1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04 2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16 3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06 4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12 5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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