Beat Box: Moroder, Van Dyk Highlight Dance Summit

With the 11th annual Billboard Dance Music Summit right around the corner (Sept. 20-22 at the Union Square Ballroom in New York), we are incredibly happy to announce that legendary producer Giorgio Moroder is confirmed for the Pioneers of Dance/Electronic Music panel, while top international DJ/producer Paul Van Dyk is confirmed for The Billboard Q&A.

To paraphrase Ruth, Anita and June, we're so excited.

Moroder, who hails from Ortisei, Italy, and resides in Los Angeles, was one of the aural architects of disco music. His solo albums ("Knights in White Satin," "From Here to Eternity," "E=MC2") remain templates for today's electronic artists and producers.

Of course, he was also instrumental in the international success of Donna Summer.

Moroder, along with Pete Bellotte, helmed numerous Summer classics, including "Love to Love You Baby," "Try Me, I Know We Can Make It," "Summer Fever," "MacArthur Park," "Last Dance," "Hot Stuff" and "I Feel Love."

Moroder and Bellotte also masterminded the self-titled Munich Machine album.

On his own, Moroder handled Summer's "On the Radio" and Grammy Award-winning "Carry On." And with Gary Klein, Moroder produced Summer's duet with Barbra Streisand, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)."

Along the way, he collaborated with other artists. They include Madleen Kane, the Three Degrees, Sparks and Philip Oakey.

Moroder also worked on several soundtracks: "Midnight Express," "American Gigolo," "Flashdance," "Top Gun" and others. These films included hits by Blondie ("Call Me"), Irene Cara ("Flashdance . . . What a Feeling") and Berlin ("Take My Breath Away").

Altogether, Moroder owns three Grammys, three Oscars and four Golden Globe Awards.

And then there is Van Dyk, whose own productions have surely been influenced by Moroder.

The German artist's most recent Mute Records album, "Reflections," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart last year. It has since spawned three club hits ("Time of Our Lives," "Nothing but You" and "Crush").

Earlier this year, Van Dyk took home DanceStar Awards for best non-U.S. international DJ, best use of music in a TV commercial (Motorola) and best U.S. event (New York's Central Park SummerStage 2003).

Van Dyk also rocked the stages at the Ultra Music Fest in Miami and the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.

He begins a 19-date Rock the Vote Presents Paul Van Dyk tour Sept. 4 at the Space club in Miami. On one of his rare days off, he will fly to New York specifically for the summit—where I will interview him one-on-one.

And yes, questions from summit attendees will certainly follow.

For more info about the summit, or to register, visit billboardevents.com.



CHANNEL SURFING: The fifth season of Showtime's "Queer As Folk" series begins shooting in late September for episodes that will air next spring.

The show's music supervisor, Michael Perlmutter, of SL Feldman & Associates in Toronto, is looking for rare and not-yet-released dance/electronic tracks.

Perlmutter says he is searching for titles that will be commercially available between February and June 2005.

He is also keen on showcasing rare or commercially unavailable remixes.

For more info, e-mail him at perlmutter@slfa.com.

Ready for a reality TV show about Las Vegas' Ice Meta Club? If so, prepare yourself for the Oct. 12 premiere of "The Club" on Spike TV. Auditions were recently held for dancers and DJs. International DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold is confirmed to appear on the show.