History of EDM from Freddie's experiences
•Top left, cover of Giorgio Moroder’s first gold single, 1969
•Top right, back of recent AMFM album, Freddie May in Malibu, 1970
•Bottom left, Freddie in his home studio in Hollywood, 1972
•Bottom right, Giorgio in his studio, probably Germany, early 1970’s
Giorgio Moroder and Freddie May started their careers in different parts of the world (Austria/Germany and Hollywood) doing the same thing (singing and making pop records and combining electronics in production).
This is fascinating to me. Parallel music careers in a closely related pattern without knowing about each other. I still don’t know GM personally but I did start to hear about him during the disco period as a DJ in Palm Springs, CA.
He was producing Donna Summer from Europe and FM the DJ was spinning their records. When “Love to Love You, Baby” and “I Feel Love” became hot pop/dance hits in the club, I noticed that the combination of pop singing and synth backing tracks with strong consistent beats had a trancy and mesmerizing effect on the dancers. I could pack the floor by matching these clear sounding electronic instrument arrangements with the beautiful melodic singing of a female singer known as “Donna Summer”. I thought, “This is genius”! This is proof for me that the future is here now, in my club in Palm Springs.
I had been experimenting; recording and producing pop/dance tracks and playing them in the club. I was using bands with male singers, because I just could not find the right chick singer. I started a record company (Starpath Records) and played and sold my records in the club.
At the same time, I was also pitching the product in Hollywood. I got close to deals, but America just wasn’t ready to specifically sign pop/dance recording acts with electronic influences. Perhaps if I had been in New York, it might have flown. NY was more accepting of club DJ’s with their own, independent dance records. They weren’t genred as pop. Most of the pop/dance records in this country came from the R&B departments of the major labels. Studio 54 was a mainstream disco template, but Paradise Garage, in my opinion, was really doing it, playing all types of music to dance to.