One of pop music's most pioneering figures, Giorgio Moroder practically invented disco, building the creative foundation of most of what you hear in the charts today. As such when Gigwise were offered a chance to sit down with Moroder for breakfast in London, we leapt at the chance.
Moroder has worked with countless greats, from Daft Punk to Elton John through to Donna Summer and David Bowie, crafting some of pop's most resonant and groundbreaking anthems, from 'I Feel Love' to 'Together In Electric Dreams' via countless other production credits.
Now, decades after his emergence into the industry, Moroder will release his first solo album in over 30 years. Tentatively titled 74 Is The New 24, the record features collaborations with Britney Spears, Charli XCX, Sia, Kylie Minogue and others.
Despite his illustrious musical legacy, Giorgio comes across as a down to earth, unassuming individual as soon as he enters the room, one of those people whose optimism is infectious and warming.
It's clear he has enjoyed every second of his career so far, and it's hard not to sit in awe as he offers a candid, comical recount of both his life in the industry to date, and what the future holds.
This is what we learned from one hour in his company.
The album isn't finished yet.
"I still have some work to do with Britney. We're done with the main part of the song, but I added a bridge - so as soon as I'm back we need to record that. She is very hard to get in contact with though"
He might be working with Lana Del Rey.
"I have spoken several times with Lana Del Rey, who I love, and my son loves her as well - he's 25 and a handsome guy. She continues to say 'Let's do it', and she gave me about eight songs which she wrote for her last album, and in a recent interview she said she wanted me to do her new album. But then she disappears and I don't hear anything for weeks! If we have a chance to work together before the middle of March, we might be able to get the song on the record."
...and there's more exciting collaborations on the horizon.
"I'm going to meet Skrillex next week, as i'm doing the music for a Tron video game, so we're going to see if he'd be interested in remixing one of the tracks"
"I'm going to work with Lady Gaga when i'm back. We were meant to meet in the studio a few weeks ago but couldn't because I had a terrible cold. Of the new artists, her and Rihanna are great."
The way he works has changed.
"Some of the singers I didn't even meet in the studio. Sia is a mysterious person, so I gave her some elements of the song, and after two weeks she came back with pretty much the whole song done. There was very little for me to do!"
"I used to have to be in control of everything that was happening: the melody, the arrangement, the lyrics - everything! But now, it's difficult, and I have much less control. With Sia for example, she gave me the tracks pretty much completed. That was great because she is very talented, but I guess I couldn't go back and say 'Sia, sorry but I don't like those notes.' She knows what she's doing though so it wasn't in my power to change things."
His work with Daft Punk made him want to return to the spotlight.
"After working with Daft Punk, I suddenly had phone calls and offers for management, then offers to do albums. It all came out of nowhere. I thought they were crazy spending money on an album from a 74 year old guy!"
He's making a return to film soundtracks.
"I have an offer to do a film, I cannot tell you things for certain reasons, and it's not a $150 million film, but it is a big movie. So I have to get back into that, though it's not going to be easy..."
More details on Giorgio Moroder's forthcoming solo album are expected to be revealed soon.
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