Vangelis, the Oscar-winning composer and musician born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, died on 17 May. He was 79 years old.
A eulogised figure long before his passing, Vangelis was famed for creating evocative and emotionally-charged soundtracks for films such as Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire – the latter of which earned him an Academy Award in 1982. He started out in rock bands Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child in the 60s and 70s before turning to composing music for film and TV.
Away from film, he released over 20 solo studio albums that, much like his work for screen, forever altered the direction of electronic and ambient music. He also collaborated with vocalist Jon Anderson of prog-rock group Yes on numerous projects, and released his last solo album Juno to Jupiter – which was inspired NASA’s mission to Jupiter via the Juno space probe – in 2021.
Prayer is a London-based producer with links to labels such as Black Acre, Grade 10 and Hooversound – the latter of which he jumped aboard today (7 June) to release his latest EP, A Love So True. His catalogue is a cross-stitch of tear-in-the-club euphoria, forward-facing UK club sounds and more cinematic and classical inclinations. Here, he offers a tribute mix comprised of just some of Vangelis’ groundbreaking works.
“Vangelis’ approach to electronic composition relies on treating the synthesiser as a vessel for conjuring a world of sound. However his music’s success owes a massive amount to his own knowledge of instrumentation and musicality – not just down to the hardware he’s using,” says Prayer. “This is easy to forget when hearing his signature pads and synths. For my mix, I’ve put together tracks [that showcase the] variety of his output. I’ve also tried to tell a story in the same way that his music does.” RIP.
Vangelis: Mixed by Prayer
Vangelis: Mixed by Prayer
Vangelis, the Oscar-winning composer and musician born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, died on 17 May. He was 79 years old.
A eulogised figure long before his passing, Vangelis was famed for creating evocative and emotionally-charged soundtracks for films such as Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire – the latter of which earned him an Academy Award in 1982. He started out in rock bands Forminx and Aphrodite’s Child in the 60s and 70s before turning to composing music for film and TV.
Away from film, he released over 20 solo studio albums that, much like his work for screen, forever altered the direction of electronic and ambient music. He also collaborated with vocalist Jon Anderson of prog-rock group Yes on numerous projects, and released his last solo album Juno to Jupiter – which was inspired NASA’s mission to Jupiter via the Juno space probe – in 2021.
Prayer is a London-based producer with links to labels such as Black Acre, Grade 10 and Hooversound – the latter of which he jumped aboard today (7 June) to release his latest EP, A Love So True. His catalogue is a cross-stitch of tear-in-the-club euphoria, forward-facing UK club sounds and more cinematic and classical inclinations. Here, he offers a tribute mix comprised of just some of Vangelis’ groundbreaking works.
“Vangelis’ approach to electronic composition relies on treating the synthesiser as a vessel for conjuring a world of sound. However his music’s success owes a massive amount to his own knowledge of instrumentation and musicality – not just down to the hardware he’s using,” says Prayer. “This is easy to forget when hearing his signature pads and synths. For my mix, I’ve put together tracks [that showcase the] variety of his output. I’ve also tried to tell a story in the same way that his music does.” RIP.
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