Kavinsky, the French electronic musician whose oeuvre was heavily inspired by his love for movies, has died at the age of 50. A cause of death has yet to be determined, but French authorities have found nothing suspicious.
Born Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey on July 31, 1975, in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, Kavinsky was a part of a revolutionary music scene that included Daft Punk, Phoenix, Quentin Dupieux, and Jackson Fourgeaud. The character of Kavinsky was a zombie who crashed his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986 and rose from the grave in 2006. His first LP, “OutRun,” was released in 2013 and featured the song “Nightcall,” which was memorably used as the opening credits music for Nicolas Winding Refn’s critically acclaimed action film “Drive.” That song set the dreamy tone of the film and powered a soundtrack that is considered a classic of the form. All due respect to Refn, but it’s hard to imagine getting sucked into “Drive” without Kavinsky’s song over the titles. Many filmmakers and composers have tried to replicate its aesthetic, including Refn, but no one has come close to matching it.
Kavinsky’s second LP, “Reborn,” was released in 2022 to critical praise, and this album, sadly, will be his swan song. We lost Kavinsky far too soon, but his influence will be felt for ages.
Kavinsky perfectly set the ethereal mood for Drive with Nightcall
Opening titles can be a dazzling art form. Masters like Saul Bass, Maurice Binder, and R/Greenberg Associates were brilliant at setting the tone for all kinds of films. Think of the opening title sequences for classic movies like “Psycho,” “Halloween,” or “Alien.” They prime the viewer for a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience while showcasing music from all-time great composers.
Nicolas Winding Refn certainly hit the bullseye when he selected Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” to set the cool, elegiac mood for his existential action film about a stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) who moonlights as a criminal wheelman. Kavinsky’s song is an eerie duet between his zombie character and the ex-lover who moved on long ago, and it syncs up perfectly with Gosling’s melancholy expression as The Driver goes on a nocturnal spin around the roads and expressways of Los Angeles. In terms of capturing the nighttime mystery of the city, this is Michael Mann-worthy work (which isn’t surprising because Refn hired the filmmaker’s frequent title designer, Jay Johnson).
Kavinsky’s song underscores the ethereal feeling of Refn’s L.A., which Johnson heightens with a series of fades cued to the the music’s throbbing beat and rich, layered synthesizers. Everything down the font choice — done in Prince-like purple — lands. It’s a sonic and visual feast that prepares us for a heist tale that’s bound to go down twisted.
Kavinsky was so daunted by the overwhelming response to “Nightcall” that he took a break from the French house music scene for a time. “Reborn” is not quite on the level of “OutRun,” but it was close enough to suggest that Kavinsky added so much more to the French house music scene — and, given his deep cinephilia, more sensational movie moments to score.
