18 ms·

Vangelis has died

790 points by Saint_Genet 4y ago

DeathArrow 4y ago
RIP. Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre were a generation of artist for which electronic music truly meant something. Now elextronic music means DJs mixing other people's music.
SonOfLilit 4y ago
Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner were iconic, defining works, but don't skip a listen to 1492 Conquest of Paradise.
dver 4y ago
His work, especially the colab with Jon Anderson, has been an important sound track to my life. And dammit COVID 19
nonrandomstring 4y ago
RIP a true master of synthesis, up there as an equal to Isao Tomita and Ralf Hutter. So many memorable and now foundational techniques: The gated saw string "chug" (Chariots of Tire) Glissando space echo dives (Blade Runner) Incredible synthetic guitar solos that inspired Jan Hammer Analogue strings from the CS80 that melt like Mantovani. Will be so sorely missed. I'm gonna play out all my collection in a huge Vangelisathon.
- petre 4y ago
  I'm very sad, having litened to his music a lot during my childhood. At least JMJ is still alive.
- pantulis 4y ago
  > Incredible synthetic guitar solos that inspired Jan Hammer "Metallic Rain" comes to mind
sydthrowaway 4y ago
How did people learn synths back then without the internet?
- amatecha 4y ago
  Many (most?) came with printed manuals that described all their functions and how the controls work. Though, that wouldn't usually teach general concepts of subtractive synthesis or the like. Honestly I'll wager that most synth musicians learned by experimenting with the synth for hours on end, just as I did when I was learning. I mean HOURS and HOURS. Synthesizers are not actually that complicated, and once you understand the fundamental pieces, you find that basically all synths just have some combination of those fundamental pieces. You can either find out that foundational stuff by observation or getting lucky with a synth manual that lays it all out for you, or knowing someone that is already knowledgeable with that stuff.
gmas 4y ago
Super bummed, Vangelis got me into electronic music back in the early 90s. I've since made it my mission (obsession) to collect all of his albums, which I'm still working on.
netsharc 4y ago
RIP. I remember watching the movie 1492 Conquest of Paradise, being wowed by the music, and then downloading the MIDI of the theme song on my 28.8k modem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 (not a MIDI). I even saw the movie on Laser Disc, geez, ultimate 90's nostalgia trip.
aurora72 4y ago
Vangelis' 1977 composition "To The Unknown Man" was interpreted by the Italian singer Milva as "Moi je n'ai pas peur" in 1981.
smrtinsert 4y ago
Here's a great tidbit - Vangelis and Ridley Scott prior to Blade Runner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DjvN8I0c7I&ab_channel=Mrdendeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DjvN8I0c7I&ab_channel=Mrden... RIP Vangelis
troyvit 4y ago
Maaaaaan about the time Blade Runner came out I was a fourth grader fumbling with the Chariots of Fire record pretty much every day. That was the first record I remember associating the different reflections on the grooves with the length of the song. Pretty clear given that side 2 was all one song. So many elementary school crushes I dreamt of to that album. Didn't get whacked upside the head by Blade Runner until like 1989 or something and then went on that endless quest to find the version of the soundtrack that most matched what you hear in the movie (there was some legal crap about releasing the original music). Ended up with a few of the CDs floating around. My world wouldn't be the same without his music.
- the_af 4y ago
  > (there was some legal crap about releasing the original music). That crap resulted in multiple bootleg versions of the Blade Runner soundtrack. I don't know if there is a definitive one :/ Maybe with the Special Edition blue-ray? I like the voiceover version of the tracks from the original CD ("do you like our owl?"), but I also like listening to the tracks without voiceovers.
  - IndySun 4y ago
    http://www.brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_Soundtrack.htm http://www.brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_Soundtrack.htm
    - the_af 4y ago
      Oh, I must have read every nook and cranny of that website. Used to be my go-to website on all things Blade Runner!
  - troyvit 4y ago
    Same! It was so cool that it was in there.
mishkovski 4y ago
His music is strong nostalgia inducer for me. His melodies, hooks, and effects work perfectly bringing simple ideas into amazing atmosphere and experience.
gsoto 4y ago
Just sharing one of my favorite pieces of him: "Memories of Green" (from the album "See You Later") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 I think this piece shows the range of his musical expressiveness, apart from his virtuosity or synth programming skills. Just a piano passed through a flanger effect with some ambient sounds. The electronic bleeps in that track are recorded from a handheld electronic game (Bambino UFO Master Blaster [1]). Talk about giving a whole new meaning to those sounds. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEOW8wAqG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEOW8wAqG0
- wcarss 4y ago
  I couldn't play that video for some reason (says it's unavailable), so here's another link to (I think) the same song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KfOMkyU_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KfOMkyU_w
  - gsoto 4y ago
    It is the same song. Thanks :)
  - fastball 4y ago
    Here's a direct link to it on Spotify as well: https://open.spotify.com/track/0rHCW5eZ35QmQNVYyozAnZ?si=3846396ff5a541aa https://open.spotify.com/track/0rHCW5eZ35QmQNVYyozAnZ?si=384...
- ffhhj 4y ago
  》"Memories of Green" (from the album "See You Later") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 That title and that album cover: a woman wearing bikini and low-light glasses for snow, with the sun on the back and broken floating ice. A prediction of climate change from 1980?
  - the_other 4y ago
    If the myths hold truths, the oil companies knew this was an issue in the '70s. By the late 80s the predictions had reached artists and musicians in the UK (how I know this is too convoluted and flakey for this thread). I was taught about climate change (the "greenhouse effect") as a young teen, early 90s. It's been canon for me since then. I have no problem believing that forward looking adults were talking about it, making art and activism in 1980.
DonHopkins 4y ago
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU
caution 4y ago
So the piano was a beautiful instrument for you... ... But just one instrument, not enough. So I put nails in the piano, played on the strings, banged on the keys, making incredible sounds come out. [1] https://www.nemostudios.co.uk/vangelis/interviews/keyboard/keyboard.htm https://www.nemostudios.co.uk/vangelis/interviews/keyboard/k...
WalterBright 4y ago
Vangelis is one of those artists I just click "buy" on everything he does. I've never been disappointed. So sad to see no more albums. Thank you, Vangelis, for all the listening pleasure you created.
endorphine 4y ago
This is my favorite (and perhaps the least popular) from Vangelis. Listen to this gem...just listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta02hfUF4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta02hfUF4o
- Pr0ject217 4y ago
  Thank you.
aemadrid 4y ago
You will be sorely missed. Fond memories of listening to Chariots of Fire, both sides of the tape, lying in my bed as a teenager. Always in my heart.
zoomablemind 4y ago
My memory holds that magical feeling, when in the mindnight darkness and quietness of home, suddenly heard a gentle stream of silver bells and a beautiful, maybe melancholic, melody from a tiny radio speaker... with no announcement of the author or name of the song. It was then just used as a last song of the day. Took me a veeery long time and other side of the globe to hear it again, again by chance, but with attribution in that case. Then some hours trying to locate the recording... La Petite Fille de Mer https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w Truly as if having a chanceful glimpse of a Mermaid. Thank you for the magic, Master Vangelis. RIP.
- nixass 4y ago
  Man, never knew this was his song. Even tho I am fan of his work I never end discovering knew masterpieces he made.
- riffraff 4y ago
  Wow, I never knew this was vangelis, thanks for sharing.
- bramjans 4y ago
  That's really nice, thanks for sharing!
Laremere 4y ago
My absolute favorite song of all time is Dial Out by Vangelis: https://youtu.be/Jnn9_NCLazM https://youtu.be/Jnn9_NCLazM Rest in piece to a master of his art, and creator of the unique soundscapes made the world of blade runner something truly unique.
pmoriarty 4y ago
Vangelis is best known for the themes of Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, but Light and Shadow[1] also deserves to be remembered as one of his greats. And here is a fantastic video of him performing one of his tracks live: [2] [1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUzIbphUL0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUzIbphUL0Q [2] - Performance starts at 1'36" in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU
Agamus 4y ago
Sad to hear! I had just this month sent myself on a deep dive of Vangelis' work. He composed so many amazing things - here are a few tracks that have stuck out for me. Something about them is just hard to "get out of": Jon and Vangelis: "I'll Find My Way Home" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKqLAVyRaXw&list=PLHgJlrCztlf44CCVNodSDKSgv5s12ZmEm&index=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKqLAVyRaXw&list=PLHgJlrCztl... Vangelis: "Juno opening its solar arrays" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqt2EQIG5g&list=PLHgJlrCztlf44CCVNodSDKSgv5s12ZmEm&index=52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqt2EQIG5g&list=PLHgJlrCztl...
ohiovr 4y ago
I really love his work especially the album Voices.
racl101 4y ago
R.I.P. Vangelis. That Blade Runner soundtrack was something really special.
gghhzzgghhzz 4y ago
poor example compared to his lifetime of work, but this was a beautiful advert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyyJaX0j3Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyyJaX0j3Y
janci 4y ago
Can somebody shed som light on Miami Vice song? I always thought it's Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis song, but apparently it is called Crocket's Theme by Jan Hammer
- adamzochowski 4y ago
  Miami Vice had two memorable tunes, miami vice title song, and the crocket's theme (more nostalgic like feel). Both were made by Jan Hammer. If you want to see cool stuff, checkout his "beyond Mind's Eye", one of the earliest 3d music videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5zMtCvWhG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5zMtCvWhG0
climb_stealth 4y ago
The boxer Henry Maske had Conquest of Paradise playing as the entry music [0]. I don't quite remember the context but it may have been the last fight in his career. Pure athmosphere and goose bumps back in the day. I didn't actually know what song it was back then as I was just a child but the melody always stuck with me. It was years and years later when I actually learned about Vangelis and came across the song again. [0] https://youtu.be/J4HvovGe5TY https://youtu.be/J4HvovGe5TY
rffn 4y ago
First Klaus Schulze and now Vangelis. So sad. Rest in peace!
- ryandrake 4y ago
  Holy shit! I didn’t realize Klaus Schulze died too. Between these two and Edgar Froese, the world is rapidly losing electronic music greats. Please tell me Giorgio Moroder is still alive!
dav_Oz 4y ago
The opening track to Carl Sagan's Cosmos is actually taken from Vangelis' - still prog-rock influenced album - Heaven and Hell (1975); the 3rd movement. I still really enjoy his early/progressive stuff and to this day cannot quite relate to his later stuff (80s and beyond) as much; nevertheless, amazingly, he always maintained a very unique style throughout all his years and certainly is deeply woven into the beginnings of synth music.
BLKNSLVR 4y ago
This video introduced me to Vangelis' existence, and only after looking up the artist did I realise he did Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire. https://youtu.be/GoW8Tf7hTGA https://youtu.be/GoW8Tf7hTGA The combination of audio and content of this video gives me chills.
FlyingCapybara 4y ago
Rachel's Song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnwKeiJflBw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnwKeiJflBw I strongly suggest every BR's fan to play Observer : https://www.eurogamer.net/goodbye-rutger-hauer-its-such-a-shame-you-were-only-in-two-games https://www.eurogamer.net/goodbye-rutger-hauer-its-such-a-sh...
pmlnr 4y ago
Just chipping in: "To The Unknown Man" is less famous from him, and it shouldn't be.
mudlus 4y ago
RIP. One of the most influential musicians on me, for sure. A legend...Love to his family and friends.
LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago
/me salutes by playing Alpha [∞] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gG1VBryzKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gG1VBryzKM
MomoXenosaga 4y ago
That's sad. Don't care about music much but for synthesizer I always make an exception. Guess I'll be listening to the Blade Runner OST tomorrow at the gym in remembrance.
- qpiox 4y ago
  If you don't care about music much, but are into synths and sounds check Ignacio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnC4kLujgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnC4kLujgo) or Spiral for something lighter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VV1lWVhMCk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VV1lWVhMCk)
WesolyKubeczek 4y ago
I remember that back in the late 1990s, when I had just learned how to use Internet, one of the first thing I went looking for was more information about Vangelis and his music. All I had back in the day was Portraits and Voices on cassettes. Oh, and a local radio station had Metallic Rain as its evening news jingle. The Internet did not disappoint: https://www.vangelislyrics.com/vwr/ https://www.vangelislyrics.com/vwr/ (Vangelis webring). One of the first websites I visited in my life. And this webring is still alive. RIP.
andsoitis 4y ago
true artist. visionary. big loss for earth.
javiramos 4y ago
This Ithaka poem recital by Sean Connery with music by Vangelis always manages to give me a sense of perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk&ab_channel=babylonianman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk&ab_channel=babyl...
arrakis2021 4y ago
He practically invented the sound of the 80s
birriel 4y ago
Rachel's Song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. RIP https://youtu.be/YnwKeiJflBw https://youtu.be/YnwKeiJflBw
LanceJones 4y ago
I surprised nobody has mentioned the movie "Bounty" -- Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins... such an eerie soundtrack. Beautiful.
oxplot 4y ago
Back where I grew up, in the 90s, "La Petite Fille de la mer" played in between TV programs during the night. It was decades later that I learned who the composer was.
Vox_Leone 4y ago
The Chariots of Fire soundtrack, which won him an Oscar and topped the charts for weeks, was in part a tribute to his father, who had been an enthusiastic amateur runner. But Vangelis played down the popularity it received and said it was "just another song". Rest in peace
4x5-Guy 4y ago
I'm truly saddened by this. One of my favorite artists. Loved his work all around.
pantulis 4y ago
I believe the "Cosmos" TV documentary series would have not been the same without Vangelis' soundtrack. I just need to hear the first notes of "Alpha" and I can also hear Carl Sagan's voice (well, his Spanish dubbing actor) pondering about the secrets of the Universe just like 4 decades ago.
haspok 4y ago
My personal favourites would be the Bounty title track, which is incredible because it just tells the whole story musically in about 4 minutes! And the title sequence of Antarctica (the Japanese movie from 1983), which nobody has ever seen, I mean the movie is good, even if a little strange, but the title... I cannot imagine what it would have been like watching it on the big screen and listening to it in a theatre... back in 1983. Secret tip: you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/fNaV3CHCs6g https://youtu.be/fNaV3CHCs6g
- qpiox 4y ago
  Antarctica (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085991/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085991/) is a fantastic dreamy movie. It is a nature movie, somewhere in-between a feature film and documentary, about dogs that are left to survive alone during the winter on the Antarctica. Whats intriguing is that it is a story told from their perspective - nearly no dialogue, just visuals and music. The movie is slow, so you need to be in the mood for that and kind of psychedelic, so I highly recommend watching it just before dawn on a projector and a proper surround system (borrow one or visit a friend if you don't have your own, it's worthy).
olvy0 4y ago
Sad to hear, one of my favorite musicians as well. I've been listening to the Blade Runner OST on my commute for the last couple of years, and just humming it to myself today when I saw the news here. Here's a very talented guy - Kebu - performing the Blade Runner end titles music live. Very impressive. Check out the other vids on his channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI65leWtd7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI65leWtd7c
404mm 4y ago
My all time favorite was 1492 Conquest of Paradise. I still listen to it here and there. RIP :(
qpiox 4y ago
One should mention the most comprehensive web-site that includes all the info you will ever need about Vangelis and his work - Elsewhere - http://elsew.com/ http://elsew.com/ I applaude the web-site authors and maintainers for their work over the years.
mhh__ 4y ago
That's a shame. His work on blade runner just has this timeless magic to it. The sequel ends on his motif (tears in rain) for a reason too. I also forgot to mention that chariots of fire is truly great too. Some parts of his music haven't aged too well, but the stuff that hasn't is sorely missed in today's film scores. Even if Zimmer is brilliant he's not a poet.
- moron4hire 4y ago
  Seriously, I can always tell a Hans Zimmer score without even having preknowledge that a film had hired him. Big, orchestral, boring score that repeats the same motifs he's been using for the last 50 years? Dude has one act.
  - pmoriarty 4y ago
    What other Zimmer track sounds like Time[1] (from his work on Inception)? [1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k
    - kmonsen 4y ago
      I wonder if Hans Zimmer was part of thinking of the musical inception in that movie. That said, isn't this a "Big, orchestral, [boring] score"? Edit: It is one of my favorite pieces of music so not boring to me. I'm sure others have different opinion.
  - paulsmith 4y ago
    I'm basically with you but Interstellar stood out for me, I think he matched well with that film's themes.
    - Bayart 4y ago
      On Interstellar he stole from Philip Glass' to an unthinkable point.
  - vanderZwan 4y ago
als0 4y ago
Incredible composer. Very sad news.
greenhorn123 4y ago
I love Soil Festivities, still decades after hearing it for the first time. Amazing album. Not to diminish his other work, but that one really stands out for me. Also, if you don't know about it yet, check out his collaborations with Jon Anderson, as Jon & Vangelis, two awesome musicians at their peak. What a pity...
- seydor 4y ago
  Yes what remarkable, 'organic' sound. Also 'l'apocalypse des animaux' and his other early albums really. Despite being old synths, they still sound classic
- zrav 4y ago
  Indeed, for the last two decades the first movement of Soil Festivities has been my go-to track to get me in the zone when I have to get any serious writing going. It just flows so nicely.
- chasil 4y ago
  My favorite was Opera Sauvage. It had a flow and consistency that was, for me, unique in his works. He will be missed.
leblancfg 4y ago
This makes me very, very sad. One of my favourite composers are artists, with an amazing knack for melody. And he was still cranking out new music!
MikeDelta 4y ago
This is very sad, his music has been an inspiration for me for a large part of my life. This is one of those days you knew were coming but hoped they didn't.
ArekDymalski 4y ago
That's one of these posts that it's unsettling for me to upvote/like. Sad news, great composer of someny incredible tracks.
bigpeopleareold 4y ago
My first introduction to Vangelis was a vinyl of the album Spiral when I was younger ... I didn't even know he did Blade Runner until years later, but I really liked that album. Sad to hear he passed away though.
- tgv 4y ago
  Spiral and Albedo 0.39 were my introduction to his work. Great albums, quite possibly the best instrumental "pop" albums of that time.
genjipress 4y ago
Oh no. I own all of his albums, including many bootleg issues. He was productive right up to the end, though; his last album came out in July of last year.
arrakis2021 4y ago
What a talent.
bmitc 4y ago
He was a very unique, visionary talent. To back that up, beyond his scores, take a look at the following video to get a glimpse of how he worked. https://youtu.be/GWggDMDhwIA https://youtu.be/GWggDMDhwIA There used to be some forum posts detailing the custom MIDI controllers and setup more, but it looks like a lot of it has been deleted or removed. I found this though: https://www.synthevolution.net/blog/2017/5/22/the-devils-work-aka-vangelis-synthesizer https://www.synthevolution.net/blog/2017/5/22/the-devils-wor...
- yourapostasy 4y ago
  Thank you for sharing those links! If Vangelis were a coder, he would have taken a Space Cadet Keyboard and extended it. 17 pedals...and on top of that, what appears to be a very broad custom notation / shorthand system. I can't tell if that notation acted more like keyboard macros or even more modifier keys.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
msie 4y ago
Loved the guy's work for many years. Inspired so many other artists. I listen to his work and variations inspired by him, on YouTube while working. Rest in Peace.
johnsanders 4y ago
Chariots of Fire is iconic of course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo I think my first encounter with his music was the Ernest & Julio Gallo wine commercials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mES7lzR9uFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mES7lzR9uFE Seems he should have been considerably older than 79.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- julienchastang 4y ago
  Thanks for the link to the commercial. Classic Vangelis.
- johnsanders 4y ago
  And you can't mention the Ernest & Julio Gallo ads without a link to the voiceover guy / head of the ad agency Hal Riney. Another legend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_lnwNIlJUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_lnwNIlJUo
  - Wistar 4y ago
    When I was an online editor (video) in SF, I got to work with Hal Riney on several occasions. There was this joke among his agency staffers that, no matter what commercial he screened, if he hadn't voiced it himself, he always said (something like), "That's great. I'll re-voice it tomorrow."
    - johnsanders 4y ago
      I'm sure it was a different experience up close, but as far as I'm concerned from a distance, he could only elevate a voiceover track. He did Subway sandwiches for God's sake. "We aspire to know all our customers by name... or at least by sandwich." Or airport car rentals. "There are over a million miles of roads in Alamo territory. And only Alamo gives you all those miles for free."
julienchastang 4y ago
RIP. He had some memorable soundtracks during the 80s: Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire. Also scores for the TV series Cosmos w/ Carl Sagan. I used to own the cassette tape for "China" which I remember enjoying many years ago.
skywal_l 4y ago
- Blade Runner - Chariots of Fire - Cosmos - 1492 and the list goes on. Pretty impressive.
sheinsheish 4y ago
one of his more esoteric and probably less known tracks : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w La petite fille de la mer
- bborud 4y ago
  That track was almost impossible to get hold of back in the day. I had heard of it, but never heard it. After years of asking around in record stores I finally found a really scratchy sounding cassette tape (no doubt a pirated copy) in a German record shop in East Frisia the summer of 1985.
  - sheinsheish 4y ago
    i was 13 in 85. Got my fist walkman some years after that. But i doubt i had some Vangelis on tapes. No, we had to buy records then..
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- WalterBright 4y ago
  It's on the Themes album.
  - pmlnr 4y ago
    Also on Portraits :)
trh0awayman 4y ago
Spiral is one of my all-time favorite albums - and the opening song is my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-0Z5D7eRh8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-0Z5D7eRh8
- hmahncke 4y ago
  I listened to this album constantly as a teenager…
eimrine 4y ago
RIP Maestro, your works are timeless! I firstly heared Vangelis from Ariston commercial w/ Ask The Mountains track promice to add a link to YT when I can
parenthesis 4y ago
"State of Independence" by Jon [Anderson of Yes] and Vangelis. Also features the wonderful Dick Morrissey (who, amongst other things with Vangelis, plays saxophone on the Blade Runner soundtrack).
stefanos82 4y ago
This gave me goosebumps because I could not stop thinking about him the past week or so and I could not understand why... Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη θρύλε, Rest in peace legend. Καλό ταξίδι γίγαντα μου https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4
- nunodonato 4y ago
  Damn, I wasn't the only one! Two days ago, just out of the blues I started listening to his music on spotify (i like no-vocals music while coding). He dies 1 later :(
TheOtherHobbes 4y ago
Massive, epic talent. Did everything by ear and instinct, never learned to read or write music. Incredible feel for timbre, melody, and structure. The DX7 synth used to have a ridiculous "chuff chuff chuff DING!" comedy steam train preset. It sounded terrible and was utterly useless except as a 10 second novelty. He used it in one of his soundtracks - and somehow made it perfectly musical in that setting.
- seydor 4y ago
  which one was it?
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  "Did everything by ear and instinct, never learned to read or write music." He seems to have had his own musical notation, of a sort. You can see him using it at the beginning of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU
  - pnemonic 4y ago
    I guess there is a point where convention just slows you down. I would say it is a hallmark of true genius.
    - ygra 4y ago
      I guess especially with synths you may also need to incorporate not just the notes, but also the synth settings. I'm not sure there's much support for that in traditional notation.
lb1lf 4y ago
This was sad news indeed. I have just listened to his works again for the first time in years, after a random encounter with a guy wearing a faded Chariots of Fire T-shirt - next thing I knew, I spent several hours in my hotel room, listening to several albums to kill time and rekindle my on-and-off love affair with his music. Today, as I flew home from working overseas for a few weeks, I listened to Opera Sauvage over and over again - then landing at my destination to see news of his passing. Sigh.
languagehacker 4y ago
Damn, RIP. Dude wrote my favorite song describing what color each horse of the apocalypse is
- Saint_Genet 4y ago
  Most people know him from his brilliant film scores, but his prog rock era is up there with the greatest of the genre too
- poulpy123 4y ago
  the four horsemen ?
- james-skemp 4y ago
  For those that want to know more, this is referencing the album 666 by Aphrodite's Child. Got a copy from Germany sometime between '00 and '03. Amazing album, especially for someone that had only known him for Blade Runner at the time. His stuff with Jon Anderson is also fairly good. The Friends of Mr. Cairo is one of my favorites.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- PAGAN_WIZARD 4y ago
  link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo
- termios 4y ago
  the leading horse is WHITE the second horse is RED the third one is a BLACK the last one is a GREEN
yardie 4y ago
I don't know much about Vangelis other than Chariots of Fire, he's Greek, and my neighbor when I was a kid loved the shit out of him. I assumed for a very long time Vangelis was an entire band and not just one person. RIP amongst so many others, lately.
- seydor 4y ago
  He could be an entire orchestra not just a band yes He had an album based on Greek folk music (Odes, 1979). This is a cretan dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9_qVAflzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9_qVAflzk
Kaibeezy 4y ago
So Long Ago, So Clear, in our headphones, on a foggy night, on the Pont au Double, when the Bateau-Mouche passed under, searchlights setting the air on fire. Pure, pure magic. Thanking you.
lycopodiopsida 4y ago
A very sad day. He was still productive despite his age, his Nocturnes from 2019 are incredible. RIP and thanks for all the beautiful moments.
motohagiography 4y ago
Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy triangle with a steep envelope that we know from both Blade Runner and the accompaniment to the piano in the Chariots of Fire theme, and his effective use of chimes. I have tickets for Olafur Arnalds next week, and there is a younger generation of composers like Arnalds, Frahm, Richter, Tiersen, Aphex/James, and even Reznor/Ross, who could not have avoided Vangelis' influence marrying the synth with classical techniques. He was a big part of what inspired me to start making synth music and more than a few of my tracks have homages to his work, and this note triggered a memory of playing the Chariots theme on piano as a really young child and it seemed to be everywhere at the time. A loss, but hard to mourn such an exceptional contribution as well.
- fetus8 4y ago
  Based on my listening and no other knowledge, he probably had quite the influence on Oneohtrix Point Never aka OPN aka Daniel Lopatin. He’s always been a big synth head and his OST scores really showcase his talents.
- johnohara 4y ago
  When I listen to Chronotope Project I hear the Vangelis influences. Along with Vangelis' inspiration to pursue such solitary and personal musical expressions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://chronotope-project.com/bio https://chronotope-project.com/bio
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  Just for reference, here's Nils Frahm performing More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc
- tzs 4y ago
  How would you compare Vangelis and Isao Tomita? Tomita was marrying synth with classical at about the same time or even a little earlier, to widespread acclaim and success. A couple other names I think of when I think early serious synth work are Jean-Michel Jarre and Larry Fast. Where would you put them in synth history?
PrimeDirective 4y ago
I have listened to Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks countless times while developing or just spending time behind the computer. Thanks for making the time go by better Vangelis!
- qpiox 4y ago
  Countless hours of El Greco on loop during gaming sessions (Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake and similar) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSXzPd8RX0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSXzPd8RX0Q)
mntne 4y ago
From his first band, Aphrodite's Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WTNFuF6qiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WTNFuF6qiA Bye my friend, goodbye
subculture 4y ago
He did incredible work. The Four Horsemen from his band Aphrodite's Child really shows off his impressive prog-rock chops as well as showcasing a fantastic video of the band's persona (as well as a lot of Ouzo shots): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k
subpixel 4y ago
I recently found out about the work he did with the (also) inimitable Irene Papas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1hodbSDkg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1hodbSDkg
Saint_Genet 4y ago
I’ve been listening mostly to his 70s proggish stuff lately, but the opening of Blade Runner still gives me goosebumps. It wouldn’t have been half the film it was without his music. https://youtu.be/P1jXmJmmj3o https://youtu.be/P1jXmJmmj3o
- the_other 4y ago
  I'm rediscovering "Albedo 0.39" as a result of this news. I've had a copy for years but not played it for a long time. Absolutely love it.
skyechurch 4y ago
He wrote the theme song to the Carl Sagan series "Cosmos", both the song and the show had me transfixed as a kid. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7FW_wOUUTT8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7FW_wOUUTT8
- sebastianconcpt 4y ago
  I feel you... :')
- colomon 4y ago
  To be more precise, he wrote the music which was used as the theme song for "Cosmos" -- it originally appeared on Vangelis's album "Heaven and Hell", five years before "Cosmos" came out. Apparently it was called Movement 3 from "Symphony to the Powers B", though on my old CD copy of the album it just appears in the middle of the track "Heaven and Hell Part 1". Really powerfully evocative music, takes me right back to being a 10 year old watching "Cosmos".
dancemethis 4y ago
I had no idea it was a _person_ named Vangelis. The word sounds like a band name. And really, the exquisite textures are a workload which would ordinarily require multiple talents. Guess he was THAT good.
- nixass 4y ago
  It's actually common Greek name. I was in shock (positively) when I got two new colleagues at work both named Vangelis. They remind me of the Vangelis every single day, funny stuff

790 points by Saint_Genet 4y ago

RIP. Vangelis and Jean-Michel Jarre were a generation of artist for which electronic music truly meant something. Now elextronic music means DJs mixing other people's music.

SonOfLilit 4y ago

Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner were iconic, defining works, but don't skip a listen to 1492 Conquest of Paradise.

dver 4y ago

His work, especially the colab with Jon Anderson, has been an important sound track to my life. And dammit COVID 19

nonrandomstring 4y ago

RIP a true master of synthesis, up there as an equal to Isao Tomita and Ralf Hutter. So many memorable and now foundational techniques: The gated saw string "chug" (Chariots of Tire) Glissando space echo dives (Blade Runner) Incredible synthetic guitar solos that inspired Jan Hammer Analogue strings from the CS80 that melt like Mantovani. Will be so sorely missed. I'm gonna play out all my collection in a huge Vangelisathon.

petre 4y ago
I'm very sad, having litened to his music a lot during my childhood. At least JMJ is still alive.
pantulis 4y ago
> Incredible synthetic guitar solos that inspired Jan Hammer "Metallic Rain" comes to mind

sydthrowaway 4y ago

How did people learn synths back then without the internet?

amatecha 4y ago
Many (most?) came with printed manuals that described all their functions and how the controls work. Though, that wouldn't usually teach general concepts of subtractive synthesis or the like. Honestly I'll wager that most synth musicians learned by experimenting with the synth for hours on end, just as I did when I was learning. I mean HOURS and HOURS. Synthesizers are not actually that complicated, and once you understand the fundamental pieces, you find that basically all synths just have some combination of those fundamental pieces. You can either find out that foundational stuff by observation or getting lucky with a synth manual that lays it all out for you, or knowing someone that is already knowledgeable with that stuff.

gmas 4y ago

Super bummed, Vangelis got me into electronic music back in the early 90s. I've since made it my mission (obsession) to collect all of his albums, which I'm still working on.

netsharc 4y ago

RIP. I remember watching the movie 1492 Conquest of Paradise, being wowed by the music, and then downloading the MIDI of the theme song on my 28.8k modem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 (not a MIDI). I even saw the movie on Laser Disc, geez, ultimate 90's nostalgia trip.

aurora72 4y ago

Vangelis' 1977 composition "To The Unknown Man" was interpreted by the Italian singer Milva as "Moi je n'ai pas peur" in 1981.

smrtinsert 4y ago

Here's a great tidbit - Vangelis and Ridley Scott prior to Blade Runner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DjvN8I0c7I&ab_channel=Mrdendeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DjvN8I0c7I&ab_channel=Mrden... RIP Vangelis

troyvit 4y ago

Maaaaaan about the time Blade Runner came out I was a fourth grader fumbling with the Chariots of Fire record pretty much every day. That was the first record I remember associating the different reflections on the grooves with the length of the song. Pretty clear given that side 2 was all one song. So many elementary school crushes I dreamt of to that album. Didn't get whacked upside the head by Blade Runner until like 1989 or something and then went on that endless quest to find the version of the soundtrack that most matched what you hear in the movie (there was some legal crap about releasing the original music). Ended up with a few of the CDs floating around. My world wouldn't be the same without his music.

the_af 4y ago
> (there was some legal crap about releasing the original music). That crap resulted in multiple bootleg versions of the Blade Runner soundtrack. I don't know if there is a definitive one :/ Maybe with the Special Edition blue-ray? I like the voiceover version of the tracks from the original CD ("do you like our owl?"), but I also like listening to the tracks without voiceovers.
- IndySun 4y ago
  http://www.brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_Soundtrack.htm http://www.brmovie.com/FAQs/BR_FAQ_Soundtrack.htm
  - the_af 4y ago
    Oh, I must have read every nook and cranny of that website. Used to be my go-to website on all things Blade Runner!
- troyvit 4y ago
  Same! It was so cool that it was in there.

mishkovski 4y ago

His music is strong nostalgia inducer for me. His melodies, hooks, and effects work perfectly bringing simple ideas into amazing atmosphere and experience.

gsoto 4y ago

Just sharing one of my favorite pieces of him: "Memories of Green" (from the album "See You Later") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 I think this piece shows the range of his musical expressiveness, apart from his virtuosity or synth programming skills. Just a piano passed through a flanger effect with some ambient sounds. The electronic bleeps in that track are recorded from a handheld electronic game (Bambino UFO Master Blaster [1]). Talk about giving a whole new meaning to those sounds. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEOW8wAqG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sEOW8wAqG0

wcarss 4y ago
I couldn't play that video for some reason (says it's unavailable), so here's another link to (I think) the same song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KfOMkyU_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1KfOMkyU_w
- gsoto 4y ago
  It is the same song. Thanks :)
- fastball 4y ago
  Here's a direct link to it on Spotify as well: https://open.spotify.com/track/0rHCW5eZ35QmQNVYyozAnZ?si=3846396ff5a541aa https://open.spotify.com/track/0rHCW5eZ35QmQNVYyozAnZ?si=384...
ffhhj 4y ago
》"Memories of Green" (from the album "See You Later") https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9D6agp794 That title and that album cover: a woman wearing bikini and low-light glasses for snow, with the sun on the back and broken floating ice. A prediction of climate change from 1980?
- the_other 4y ago
  If the myths hold truths, the oil companies knew this was an issue in the '70s. By the late 80s the predictions had reached artists and musicians in the UK (how I know this is too convoluted and flakey for this thread). I was taught about climate change (the "greenhouse effect") as a young teen, early 90s. It's been canon for me since then. I have no problem believing that forward looking adults were talking about it, making art and activism in 1980.

DonHopkins 4y ago

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU

caution 4y ago

So the piano was a beautiful instrument for you... ... But just one instrument, not enough. So I put nails in the piano, played on the strings, banged on the keys, making incredible sounds come out. [1] https://www.nemostudios.co.uk/vangelis/interviews/keyboard/keyboard.htm https://www.nemostudios.co.uk/vangelis/interviews/keyboard/k...

WalterBright 4y ago

Vangelis is one of those artists I just click "buy" on everything he does. I've never been disappointed. So sad to see no more albums. Thank you, Vangelis, for all the listening pleasure you created.

endorphine 4y ago

This is my favorite (and perhaps the least popular) from Vangelis. Listen to this gem...just listen to it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta02hfUF4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta02hfUF4o

Pr0ject217 4y ago
Thank you.

aemadrid 4y ago

You will be sorely missed. Fond memories of listening to Chariots of Fire, both sides of the tape, lying in my bed as a teenager. Always in my heart.

zoomablemind 4y ago

My memory holds that magical feeling, when in the mindnight darkness and quietness of home, suddenly heard a gentle stream of silver bells and a beautiful, maybe melancholic, melody from a tiny radio speaker... with no announcement of the author or name of the song. It was then just used as a last song of the day. Took me a veeery long time and other side of the globe to hear it again, again by chance, but with attribution in that case. Then some hours trying to locate the recording... La Petite Fille de Mer https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w Truly as if having a chanceful glimpse of a Mermaid. Thank you for the magic, Master Vangelis. RIP.

nixass 4y ago
Man, never knew this was his song. Even tho I am fan of his work I never end discovering knew masterpieces he made.
riffraff 4y ago
Wow, I never knew this was vangelis, thanks for sharing.
bramjans 4y ago
That's really nice, thanks for sharing!

Laremere 4y ago

My absolute favorite song of all time is Dial Out by Vangelis: https://youtu.be/Jnn9_NCLazM https://youtu.be/Jnn9_NCLazM Rest in piece to a master of his art, and creator of the unique soundscapes made the world of blade runner something truly unique.

pmoriarty 4y ago

Vangelis is best known for the themes of Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, but Light and Shadow[1] also deserves to be remembered as one of his greats. And here is a fantastic video of him performing one of his tracks live: [2] [1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUzIbphUL0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUzIbphUL0Q [2] - Performance starts at 1'36" in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU

Agamus 4y ago

Sad to hear! I had just this month sent myself on a deep dive of Vangelis' work. He composed so many amazing things - here are a few tracks that have stuck out for me. Something about them is just hard to "get out of": Jon and Vangelis: "I'll Find My Way Home" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKqLAVyRaXw&list=PLHgJlrCztlf44CCVNodSDKSgv5s12ZmEm&index=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKqLAVyRaXw&list=PLHgJlrCztl... Vangelis: "Juno opening its solar arrays" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqt2EQIG5g&list=PLHgJlrCztlf44CCVNodSDKSgv5s12ZmEm&index=52 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXqt2EQIG5g&list=PLHgJlrCztl...

ohiovr 4y ago

I really love his work especially the album Voices.

racl101 4y ago

R.I.P. Vangelis. That Blade Runner soundtrack was something really special.

gghhzzgghhzz 4y ago

poor example compared to his lifetime of work, but this was a beautiful advert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyyJaX0j3Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsyyJaX0j3Y

janci 4y ago

Can somebody shed som light on Miami Vice song? I always thought it's Jean Michel Jarre and Vangelis song, but apparently it is called Crocket's Theme by Jan Hammer

adamzochowski 4y ago
Miami Vice had two memorable tunes, miami vice title song, and the crocket's theme (more nostalgic like feel). Both were made by Jan Hammer. If you want to see cool stuff, checkout his "beyond Mind's Eye", one of the earliest 3d music videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5zMtCvWhG0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5zMtCvWhG0

climb_stealth 4y ago

The boxer Henry Maske had Conquest of Paradise playing as the entry music [0]. I don't quite remember the context but it may have been the last fight in his career. Pure athmosphere and goose bumps back in the day. I didn't actually know what song it was back then as I was just a child but the melody always stuck with me. It was years and years later when I actually learned about Vangelis and came across the song again. [0] https://youtu.be/J4HvovGe5TY https://youtu.be/J4HvovGe5TY

rffn 4y ago

First Klaus Schulze and now Vangelis. So sad. Rest in peace!

ryandrake 4y ago
Holy shit! I didn’t realize Klaus Schulze died too. Between these two and Edgar Froese, the world is rapidly losing electronic music greats. Please tell me Giorgio Moroder is still alive!

dav_Oz 4y ago

The opening track to Carl Sagan's Cosmos is actually taken from Vangelis' - still prog-rock influenced album - Heaven and Hell (1975); the 3rd movement. I still really enjoy his early/progressive stuff and to this day cannot quite relate to his later stuff (80s and beyond) as much; nevertheless, amazingly, he always maintained a very unique style throughout all his years and certainly is deeply woven into the beginnings of synth music.

BLKNSLVR 4y ago

This video introduced me to Vangelis' existence, and only after looking up the artist did I realise he did Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire. https://youtu.be/GoW8Tf7hTGA https://youtu.be/GoW8Tf7hTGA The combination of audio and content of this video gives me chills.

FlyingCapybara 4y ago

Rachel's Song : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnwKeiJflBw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnwKeiJflBw I strongly suggest every BR's fan to play Observer : https://www.eurogamer.net/goodbye-rutger-hauer-its-such-a-shame-you-were-only-in-two-games https://www.eurogamer.net/goodbye-rutger-hauer-its-such-a-sh...

pmlnr 4y ago

Just chipping in: "To The Unknown Man" is less famous from him, and it shouldn't be.

mudlus 4y ago

RIP. One of the most influential musicians on me, for sure. A legend...Love to his family and friends.

LargoLasskhyfv 4y ago

/me salutes by playing Alpha [∞] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gG1VBryzKM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gG1VBryzKM

MomoXenosaga 4y ago

That's sad. Don't care about music much but for synthesizer I always make an exception. Guess I'll be listening to the Blade Runner OST tomorrow at the gym in remembrance.

qpiox 4y ago
If you don't care about music much, but are into synths and sounds check Ignacio (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnC4kLujgo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEnC4kLujgo) or Spiral for something lighter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VV1lWVhMCk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VV1lWVhMCk)

WesolyKubeczek 4y ago

I remember that back in the late 1990s, when I had just learned how to use Internet, one of the first thing I went looking for was more information about Vangelis and his music. All I had back in the day was Portraits and Voices on cassettes. Oh, and a local radio station had Metallic Rain as its evening news jingle. The Internet did not disappoint: https://www.vangelislyrics.com/vwr/ https://www.vangelislyrics.com/vwr/ (Vangelis webring). One of the first websites I visited in my life. And this webring is still alive. RIP.

andsoitis 4y ago

true artist. visionary. big loss for earth.

javiramos 4y ago

This Ithaka poem recital by Sean Connery with music by Vangelis always manages to give me a sense of perspective. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk&ab_channel=babylonianman https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk&ab_channel=babyl...

arrakis2021 4y ago

He practically invented the sound of the 80s

birriel 4y ago

Rachel's Song is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. RIP https://youtu.be/YnwKeiJflBw https://youtu.be/YnwKeiJflBw

LanceJones 4y ago

I surprised nobody has mentioned the movie "Bounty" -- Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins... such an eerie soundtrack. Beautiful.

oxplot 4y ago

Back where I grew up, in the 90s, "La Petite Fille de la mer" played in between TV programs during the night. It was decades later that I learned who the composer was.

Vox_Leone 4y ago

The Chariots of Fire soundtrack, which won him an Oscar and topped the charts for weeks, was in part a tribute to his father, who had been an enthusiastic amateur runner. But Vangelis played down the popularity it received and said it was "just another song". Rest in peace

4x5-Guy 4y ago

I'm truly saddened by this. One of my favorite artists. Loved his work all around.

pantulis 4y ago

I believe the "Cosmos" TV documentary series would have not been the same without Vangelis' soundtrack. I just need to hear the first notes of "Alpha" and I can also hear Carl Sagan's voice (well, his Spanish dubbing actor) pondering about the secrets of the Universe just like 4 decades ago.

haspok 4y ago

My personal favourites would be the Bounty title track, which is incredible because it just tells the whole story musically in about 4 minutes! And the title sequence of Antarctica (the Japanese movie from 1983), which nobody has ever seen, I mean the movie is good, even if a little strange, but the title... I cannot imagine what it would have been like watching it on the big screen and listening to it in a theatre... back in 1983. Secret tip: you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/fNaV3CHCs6g https://youtu.be/fNaV3CHCs6g

qpiox 4y ago
Antarctica (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085991/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085991/) is a fantastic dreamy movie. It is a nature movie, somewhere in-between a feature film and documentary, about dogs that are left to survive alone during the winter on the Antarctica. Whats intriguing is that it is a story told from their perspective - nearly no dialogue, just visuals and music. The movie is slow, so you need to be in the mood for that and kind of psychedelic, so I highly recommend watching it just before dawn on a projector and a proper surround system (borrow one or visit a friend if you don't have your own, it's worthy).

olvy0 4y ago

Sad to hear, one of my favorite musicians as well. I've been listening to the Blade Runner OST on my commute for the last couple of years, and just humming it to myself today when I saw the news here. Here's a very talented guy - Kebu - performing the Blade Runner end titles music live. Very impressive. Check out the other vids on his channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI65leWtd7c https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI65leWtd7c

404mm 4y ago

My all time favorite was 1492 Conquest of Paradise. I still listen to it here and there. RIP :(

qpiox 4y ago

One should mention the most comprehensive web-site that includes all the info you will ever need about Vangelis and his work - Elsewhere - http://elsew.com/ http://elsew.com/ I applaude the web-site authors and maintainers for their work over the years.

mhh__ 4y ago

That's a shame. His work on blade runner just has this timeless magic to it. The sequel ends on his motif (tears in rain) for a reason too. I also forgot to mention that chariots of fire is truly great too. Some parts of his music haven't aged too well, but the stuff that hasn't is sorely missed in today's film scores. Even if Zimmer is brilliant he's not a poet.

moron4hire 4y ago
Seriously, I can always tell a Hans Zimmer score without even having preknowledge that a film had hired him. Big, orchestral, boring score that repeats the same motifs he's been using for the last 50 years? Dude has one act.
- pmoriarty 4y ago
  What other Zimmer track sounds like Time[1] (from his work on Inception)? [1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k
  - kmonsen 4y ago
    I wonder if Hans Zimmer was part of thinking of the musical inception in that movie. That said, isn't this a "Big, orchestral, [boring] score"? Edit: It is one of my favorite pieces of music so not boring to me. I'm sure others have different opinion.
- paulsmith 4y ago
  I'm basically with you but Interstellar stood out for me, I think he matched well with that film's themes.
  - Bayart 4y ago
    On Interstellar he stole from Philip Glass' to an unthinkable point.
- vanderZwan 4y ago

als0 4y ago

Incredible composer. Very sad news.

greenhorn123 4y ago

I love Soil Festivities, still decades after hearing it for the first time. Amazing album. Not to diminish his other work, but that one really stands out for me. Also, if you don't know about it yet, check out his collaborations with Jon Anderson, as Jon & Vangelis, two awesome musicians at their peak. What a pity...

seydor 4y ago
Yes what remarkable, 'organic' sound. Also 'l'apocalypse des animaux' and his other early albums really. Despite being old synths, they still sound classic
zrav 4y ago
Indeed, for the last two decades the first movement of Soil Festivities has been my go-to track to get me in the zone when I have to get any serious writing going. It just flows so nicely.
chasil 4y ago
My favorite was Opera Sauvage. It had a flow and consistency that was, for me, unique in his works. He will be missed.

leblancfg 4y ago

This makes me very, very sad. One of my favourite composers are artists, with an amazing knack for melody. And he was still cranking out new music!

MikeDelta 4y ago

This is very sad, his music has been an inspiration for me for a large part of my life. This is one of those days you knew were coming but hoped they didn't.

ArekDymalski 4y ago

That's one of these posts that it's unsettling for me to upvote/like. Sad news, great composer of someny incredible tracks.

bigpeopleareold 4y ago

My first introduction to Vangelis was a vinyl of the album Spiral when I was younger ... I didn't even know he did Blade Runner until years later, but I really liked that album. Sad to hear he passed away though.

tgv 4y ago
Spiral and Albedo 0.39 were my introduction to his work. Great albums, quite possibly the best instrumental "pop" albums of that time.

genjipress 4y ago

Oh no. I own all of his albums, including many bootleg issues. He was productive right up to the end, though; his last album came out in July of last year.

arrakis2021 4y ago

What a talent.

bmitc 4y ago

He was a very unique, visionary talent. To back that up, beyond his scores, take a look at the following video to get a glimpse of how he worked. https://youtu.be/GWggDMDhwIA https://youtu.be/GWggDMDhwIA There used to be some forum posts detailing the custom MIDI controllers and setup more, but it looks like a lot of it has been deleted or removed. I found this though: https://www.synthevolution.net/blog/2017/5/22/the-devils-work-aka-vangelis-synthesizer https://www.synthevolution.net/blog/2017/5/22/the-devils-wor...

yourapostasy 4y ago
Thank you for sharing those links! If Vangelis were a coder, he would have taken a Space Cadet Keyboard and extended it. 17 pedals...and on top of that, what appears to be a very broad custom notation / shorthand system. I can't tell if that notation acted more like keyboard macros or even more modifier keys.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

msie 4y ago

Loved the guy's work for many years. Inspired so many other artists. I listen to his work and variations inspired by him, on YouTube while working. Rest in Peace.

johnsanders 4y ago

Chariots of Fire is iconic of course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-HfNE3EIo I think my first encounter with his music was the Ernest & Julio Gallo wine commercials. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mES7lzR9uFE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mES7lzR9uFE Seems he should have been considerably older than 79.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
julienchastang 4y ago
Thanks for the link to the commercial. Classic Vangelis.
johnsanders 4y ago
And you can't mention the Ernest & Julio Gallo ads without a link to the voiceover guy / head of the ad agency Hal Riney. Another legend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_lnwNIlJUo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_lnwNIlJUo
- Wistar 4y ago
  When I was an online editor (video) in SF, I got to work with Hal Riney on several occasions. There was this joke among his agency staffers that, no matter what commercial he screened, if he hadn't voiced it himself, he always said (something like), "That's great. I'll re-voice it tomorrow."
  - johnsanders 4y ago
    I'm sure it was a different experience up close, but as far as I'm concerned from a distance, he could only elevate a voiceover track. He did Subway sandwiches for God's sake. "We aspire to know all our customers by name... or at least by sandwich." Or airport car rentals. "There are over a million miles of roads in Alamo territory. And only Alamo gives you all those miles for free."

julienchastang 4y ago

RIP. He had some memorable soundtracks during the 80s: Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire. Also scores for the TV series Cosmos w/ Carl Sagan. I used to own the cassette tape for "China" which I remember enjoying many years ago.

skywal_l 4y ago

- Blade Runner - Chariots of Fire - Cosmos - 1492 and the list goes on. Pretty impressive.

sheinsheish 4y ago

one of his more esoteric and probably less known tracks : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6qoTPhhv9w La petite fille de la mer

bborud 4y ago
That track was almost impossible to get hold of back in the day. I had heard of it, but never heard it. After years of asking around in record stores I finally found a really scratchy sounding cassette tape (no doubt a pirated copy) in a German record shop in East Frisia the summer of 1985.
- sheinsheish 4y ago
  i was 13 in 85. Got my fist walkman some years after that. But i doubt i had some Vangelis on tapes. No, we had to buy records then..
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
WalterBright 4y ago
It's on the Themes album.
- pmlnr 4y ago
  Also on Portraits :)

trh0awayman 4y ago

Spiral is one of my all-time favorite albums - and the opening song is my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-0Z5D7eRh8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-0Z5D7eRh8

hmahncke 4y ago
I listened to this album constantly as a teenager…

eimrine 4y ago

RIP Maestro, your works are timeless! I firstly heared Vangelis from Ariston commercial w/ Ask The Mountains track promice to add a link to YT when I can

parenthesis 4y ago

"State of Independence" by Jon [Anderson of Yes] and Vangelis. Also features the wonderful Dick Morrissey (who, amongst other things with Vangelis, plays saxophone on the Blade Runner soundtrack).

stefanos82 4y ago

This gave me goosebumps because I could not stop thinking about him the past week or so and I could not understand why... Αναπαύσου εν ειρήνη θρύλε, Rest in peace legend. Καλό ταξίδι γίγαντα μου https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd-DlMOLCY4

nunodonato 4y ago
Damn, I wasn't the only one! Two days ago, just out of the blues I started listening to his music on spotify (i like no-vocals music while coding). He dies 1 later :(

TheOtherHobbes 4y ago

Massive, epic talent. Did everything by ear and instinct, never learned to read or write music. Incredible feel for timbre, melody, and structure. The DX7 synth used to have a ridiculous "chuff chuff chuff DING!" comedy steam train preset. It sounded terrible and was utterly useless except as a 10 second novelty. He used it in one of his soundtracks - and somehow made it perfectly musical in that setting.

seydor 4y ago
which one was it?
pmoriarty 4y ago
"Did everything by ear and instinct, never learned to read or write music." He seems to have had his own musical notation, of a sort. You can see him using it at the beginning of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b1xJYCrKDU
- pnemonic 4y ago
  I guess there is a point where convention just slows you down. I would say it is a hallmark of true genius.
  - ygra 4y ago
    I guess especially with synths you may also need to incorporate not just the notes, but also the synth settings. I'm not sure there's much support for that in traditional notation.

lb1lf 4y ago

This was sad news indeed. I have just listened to his works again for the first time in years, after a random encounter with a guy wearing a faded Chariots of Fire T-shirt - next thing I knew, I spent several hours in my hotel room, listening to several albums to kill time and rekindle my on-and-off love affair with his music. Today, as I flew home from working overseas for a few weeks, I listened to Opera Sauvage over and over again - then landing at my destination to see news of his passing. Sigh.

languagehacker 4y ago

Damn, RIP. Dude wrote my favorite song describing what color each horse of the apocalypse is

Saint_Genet 4y ago
Most people know him from his brilliant film scores, but his prog rock era is up there with the greatest of the genre too
poulpy123 4y ago
the four horsemen ?
james-skemp 4y ago
For those that want to know more, this is referencing the album 666 by Aphrodite's Child. Got a copy from Germany sometime between '00 and '03. Amazing album, especially for someone that had only known him for Blade Runner at the time. His stuff with Jon Anderson is also fairly good. The Friends of Mr. Cairo is one of my favorites.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
PAGAN_WIZARD 4y ago
link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo
termios 4y ago
the leading horse is WHITE the second horse is RED the third one is a BLACK the last one is a GREEN

yardie 4y ago

I don't know much about Vangelis other than Chariots of Fire, he's Greek, and my neighbor when I was a kid loved the shit out of him. I assumed for a very long time Vangelis was an entire band and not just one person. RIP amongst so many others, lately.

seydor 4y ago
He could be an entire orchestra not just a band yes He had an album based on Greek folk music (Odes, 1979). This is a cretan dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9_qVAflzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc9_qVAflzk

Kaibeezy 4y ago

So Long Ago, So Clear, in our headphones, on a foggy night, on the Pont au Double, when the Bateau-Mouche passed under, searchlights setting the air on fire. Pure, pure magic. Thanking you.

lycopodiopsida 4y ago

A very sad day. He was still productive despite his age, his Nocturnes from 2019 are incredible. RIP and thanks for all the beautiful moments.

motohagiography 4y ago

Imo, Vangelis brought the synthesizer from an experimental novelty to an instrument for composition. The two sounds I associate with him are the long brassy triangle with a steep envelope that we know from both Blade Runner and the accompaniment to the piano in the Chariots of Fire theme, and his effective use of chimes. I have tickets for Olafur Arnalds next week, and there is a younger generation of composers like Arnalds, Frahm, Richter, Tiersen, Aphex/James, and even Reznor/Ross, who could not have avoided Vangelis' influence marrying the synth with classical techniques. He was a big part of what inspired me to start making synth music and more than a few of my tracks have homages to his work, and this note triggered a memory of playing the Chariots theme on piano as a really young child and it seemed to be everywhere at the time. A loss, but hard to mourn such an exceptional contribution as well.

fetus8 4y ago
Based on my listening and no other knowledge, he probably had quite the influence on Oneohtrix Point Never aka OPN aka Daniel Lopatin. He’s always been a big synth head and his OST scores really showcase his talents.
johnohara 4y ago
When I listen to Chronotope Project I hear the Vangelis influences. Along with Vangelis' inspiration to pursue such solitary and personal musical expressions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARkcu3J8OvI https://chronotope-project.com/bio https://chronotope-project.com/bio
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
pmoriarty 4y ago
Just for reference, here's Nils Frahm performing More: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRj6G6RB7jc
tzs 4y ago
How would you compare Vangelis and Isao Tomita? Tomita was marrying synth with classical at about the same time or even a little earlier, to widespread acclaim and success. A couple other names I think of when I think early serious synth work are Jean-Michel Jarre and Larry Fast. Where would you put them in synth history?

PrimeDirective 4y ago

I have listened to Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks countless times while developing or just spending time behind the computer. Thanks for making the time go by better Vangelis!

qpiox 4y ago
Countless hours of El Greco on loop during gaming sessions (Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake and similar) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSXzPd8RX0Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSXzPd8RX0Q)

mntne 4y ago

From his first band, Aphrodite's Child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WTNFuF6qiA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WTNFuF6qiA Bye my friend, goodbye

subculture 4y ago

He did incredible work. The Four Horsemen from his band Aphrodite's Child really shows off his impressive prog-rock chops as well as showcasing a fantastic video of the band's persona (as well as a lot of Ouzo shots): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KCbqhJt16k

subpixel 4y ago

I recently found out about the work he did with the (also) inimitable Irene Papas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1hodbSDkg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq1hodbSDkg

Saint_Genet 4y ago

I’ve been listening mostly to his 70s proggish stuff lately, but the opening of Blade Runner still gives me goosebumps. It wouldn’t have been half the film it was without his music. https://youtu.be/P1jXmJmmj3o https://youtu.be/P1jXmJmmj3o

the_other 4y ago
I'm rediscovering "Albedo 0.39" as a result of this news. I've had a copy for years but not played it for a long time. Absolutely love it.

skyechurch 4y ago

He wrote the theme song to the Carl Sagan series "Cosmos", both the song and the show had me transfixed as a kid. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7FW_wOUUTT8 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7FW_wOUUTT8

sebastianconcpt 4y ago
I feel you... :')
colomon 4y ago
To be more precise, he wrote the music which was used as the theme song for "Cosmos" -- it originally appeared on Vangelis's album "Heaven and Hell", five years before "Cosmos" came out. Apparently it was called Movement 3 from "Symphony to the Powers B", though on my old CD copy of the album it just appears in the middle of the track "Heaven and Hell Part 1". Really powerfully evocative music, takes me right back to being a 10 year old watching "Cosmos".

dancemethis 4y ago

I had no idea it was a _person_ named Vangelis. The word sounds like a band name. And really, the exquisite textures are a workload which would ordinarily require multiple talents. Guess he was THAT good.

nixass 4y ago
It's actually common Greek name. I was in shock (positively) when I got two new colleagues at work both named Vangelis. They remind me of the Vangelis every single day, funny stuff