How Donna Summer “I Feel Love” Impacted EDM
Donna Summer, “I Feel Love” may have been one of the most groundbreaking, influential songs that only existed due to the synthesizer, but it wasn’t the first. In truth, the use of electronic instruments in music goes much further back than that. The very first electronic instrument was ‘built’ by the Czech electrical researcher Václav Prokop DiviÅ¡ in 1748, who claimed to be able to recreate string and wind sounds with it. Accounts at the time, however, said it shocked you if you tried using it, so its viability as an instrument is questionable.
The man to lay claim to creating the first electric instruments specifically intended for music was Ivor Darreg. In the 1930s and 40s, he designed instruments called the Electronic Keyboard Oboe and Electric Keyboard Drum. In the very early 1960s, electronic pioneers began producing new analog synthesizers that created entirely new, unique sounds. That is when the true story of the synthesizer really starts! They begin to be recognizable as what we know as a synthesizer.
By the 1960s early synthesizers were experimented with by bands like The Beatles, Frank Zappa, and Brian Eno. These early instruments took up entire rooms and were strictly for studio use. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, electric instrument creators like Moog and Buchla began making commercially available synthesizers that were mobile. Musicians like Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre embraced the new instruments. They started using them to forge a fully electronic sound to their music. The first commercially successful album made strictly with synthesizers was Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” in 1974.
Disco Adopts the Synthesizer
The middle and late 1970s saw a huge expansion in the popularity of synthesizers in music. Disco music had a huge impact on this. When Disco started in the early 1970s it was heavily influenced by Funk and Jazz, but it tried to take a more orchestral approach. The synthesizer fit perfectly into Disco’s drive to be sweeping. Swirling, symphonic synthetic soundscapes were easier to produce with synthesizers. Disco already had a straight 4/4 beat pattern and the evolution over time was in the melody and harmony of the songs. Synthesizers took on a supporting role in the music to add melody. They were a key element but were not the lead sound. That all changed with Donna Summer “I Feel Love”.
Donna Summer, “I Feel Love”, took the synthesizer to the front of the musical arrangement. It made it the key instrument! “I Feel Love” is a release from 1977, at the very apex of the Disco movement. It is a coproduced by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte. Giorgio Moroder is now synonymous with synthesizer driven music, but “I Feel Love” is his masterpiece! It is the song that set things in motion. The song hit #1 in most of Europe and the UK and got to #6 on the Billboard Top 100 in the US. Regardless of the radio charts, that year it was the undisputed “Queen of the Dancefloor” in Disco clubs.
Donna Summer “I Feel Love” – The Song
Donna Summer “I Feel Love” is credited as “one of the most influential records ever made”, laying the foundations for Electronic Dance Music. In the mid-1970s, Summer moved to Munich where Giorgio Moroder’s studio was because she was in a production of the musical, Hair. Summer and Moroder had worked together before on her 1975 hit “Love to Love You Baby”. They had previously used orchestras to produce the backing music. Many Disco hits of the time used orchestras to produce the big, symphonic sound. It was what was so popular at the time in Disco. However, in “I Feel Love”, Moroder decided to steer away from those and instead used a borrowed modular Moog synthesizer. Moroder described using a synthesizer for the first time as “a revelation”.
The synthesizer use is what sets “I Feel Love” apart. “I Feel Love” uses the time honored Disco tradition of a strong, straight 4/4 beat to keep the dancefloor moving. It is the same beat pattern used by House, Trance, or NRG. With the dominant beat, Moroder added a rolling, repetitive synth melody that produced a “chase” effect. The sound was revolutionary and Moroder ended up copying it in many of his future productions, such as his hit, “Chase”! Add to that Donna Summer’s beautiful, ethereal vocals and you have a masterpiece. Take a listen and see why there’s all the hype!
Use this link to purchase the original 12-inch vinyl on Discogs:
https://www.discogs.com/master/1371551-Donna-Summer-I-Feel-Love-Theme-From-The-Deep-Down-Deep-Inside
The Impact of Donna Summer “I Feel Love”
Now that you have listened to “I Feel Love”, perhaps you have a sense of deja vu or vague, ambiguous memories of it. Even if you have never heard it, it should seem familiar to you! It is sampled, remixed, and covered a litany of times. Also, it is like our episode on Kraftwerk “Numbers” in that it has influenced entire musical movements and genres! It is sampled in 70 songs, covered in 52 songs, and remixed 13 times! Like I said, it also is influential beyond compare! House, Progressive House, Trance, Nu Disco, and Italo House all owe a great debt to “I Feel Love”!
Let’s take a look at how it is sampled in other songs. We will start with an early Rave track and follow up with a more current one. This first track is “I Feel Bass” and it is full of vibes that scream “I Feel Love”. It samples the bass and synth melody from “I Feel Love” but it also uses a “chase” style melody of the other elements to mimic “I Feel Love”! Here, take a listen to “I Feel Bass” by After Dark from 1991:
The 12-inch single can be purchased using this link on Discogs:
https://www.discogs.com/release/149008-After-Dark-After-Dark-EP
Another Sampled
Donna Summer “I Feel Love” continues to have its presence felt all the way up to present day. Throughout the 2000s the vocal, bass, and synth melody have been used individually or in combination! Dozens of songs sample it in the last 20 years. Following that statement, this song is from 2021 and is by Richard Grey and Lissat. It is called, “Feel the Love”. It uses multiple elements throughout the song, but at around 1:45 it completely transforms and uses the whole song from Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love”. Take a listen and feel free to scan in to 1:45 in where the influence is obvious.
The song is not available on vinyl, but you can get a digital copy on Amazon Music or Apple Music.
Covers of Donna Summer “I Feel Love”
Honestly, the songs that sample “I Feel Love” sometimes use so much of it that they sound like covers in parts. However, there are songs that a meant to be full remakes of the iconic song. As I said before, it is covered 52 times! That is a massive number and it shows how amazing the original song is! We are just going to play you one example of a cover, but feel free to do some research on YouTube by just typing in “I Feel Love” if you want to hear more… This cover was done in 2019 by Sam Smith. Donna Summer’s female voice is replaced by a high pitched male voice and there are effects on it as well, but is clearly a cover! Take a listen:
The vinyl is a beautiful picture disc of a diamond and is available on Discogs:
https://www.discogs.com/release/15830814-Sam-Smith-I-Feel-Love
Official Remixes
“I Feel Love” is remixed about a dozen times. Some of the artists that did the remixes are Afrojack, Benga, Glenn Underground, and DJ Sneak to name a few. The one that really stands out though is the 1995 remix by Rollo & Sister Bliss. It keeps the drive and energy of the original song but updates it for the 90s House and Rave scenes. The 12-inch single also has remixes by Masters at Work and Junior Vasquez. The picture at the top of this article is from the album cover for the release. Here, take a listen:
You can purchase the 12-inchg single on vinyl for your collection on Discogs:
https://www.discogs.com/release/88871-Donna-Summer-I-Feel-Love
Conclusion
Very few songs in the history of dance music have had such a profound impact! Between the samples, covers, and remixes, it is not hard to find a song related to “I Feel Love” that makes you feel the love! Let’s be honest…it’s one damn fine piece of dance music. An important thing to remember is how huge the impact is on future styles of music as producers seek to emulate the winning elements that make the song such a success.
We hope you enjoyed this episode on Edge of EDM and that you learned something fun! Dazzle you friends with your newfound knowledge. Be sure to go back and read any articles you missed. There’s some wonderful episodes! There’s an especially important post on our homepage you should read. It’s called Explanbation of EDM. Here’s the link. Check it out!
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