French music producer Kavinsky, known for Drive soundtrack hit Nightcall, dies aged 50 — SkimNews
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- Kavinsky (real name Vincent Belorgey) died at age 50, with a police source telling Le Figaro the suspected cause was a stroke; he had complained of headaches recently and was discovered at home after a concerned neighbor alerted emergency services, with authorities confirming "no suspicious elements" were found.
- Nightcall, co-produced with Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and featuring Brazilian singer Lovefoxxx on vocals, became his signature track after landing in the opening credits of Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film Drive — amassing more than 500 million Spotify streams, 350 million YouTube plays, and a French Top 10 entry on release.
- Belorgey performed Nightcall at the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony backed by French band Phoenix and Belgian singer Angèle on vocals, with that version climbing to No. 3 in France.
- His debut album OutRun introduced the Kavinsky alter ego — a young man who crashes a Ferrari Testarossa in the 1980s and returns zombie-like in the 2000s — and peaked at No. 2 on the French album charts; his follow-up Rebown arrived in 2022.
- Part of the French "blog house" scene that also spawned Justice and SebastiAn, Belorgey was signed to the Record Makers label, released five EPs and two albums, and drew heavily on 1980s synth influences; The Weeknd appeared on his track Odd Look.
- President Emmanuel Macron called him "a source of French pride forever," while culture minister Catherine Pégard said France had lost "one of its most singular voices" whose work spanned from Drive to the Paris Olympics.
Why it matters: Kavinsky's Nightcall — co-produced with Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo — crossed from the French blog house underground into the global film canon via Drive, racking up more than 850 million combined Spotify and YouTube plays and earning a closing-ceremony slot at the Paris 2024 Olympics. His death at 50 removes a rare figure who bridged niche French electro with mainstream cultural moments, from the Drive soundtrack to the Olympic stage.
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