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Kavinsky

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(Redirected from 1986 (Kavinsky EP))

Kavinsky
Kavinsky in 2007 in Paris, France
Kavinsky in 2007 in Paris, France
Background information
Born
Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey

(1975-07-31)31 July 1975
Barbès, Paris, France
Died28 July 2026(2026-07-28) (aged 50)
Paris, France
Genres
Years active2005–2026
Labels
Websitekavinsky.com Edit this at Wikidata

Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey (31 July 1975 – 28 July 2026), known professionally as Kavinsky, was a French DJ, record producer and actor.[2] His production style is reminiscent of the electropop film soundtracks of the 1980s.[3] Kavinsky said that his music was inspired by thousands of films he watched as a young boy and he grabbed the best parts from them, consolidating them into one concept.[4]

Kavinsky has been compared to French house artists including Danger and Daft Punk. He achieved greater recognition after his song "Nightcall" was featured in the 2011 film Drive.[5] His debut studio album, OutRun, was released in 2013, followed by Reborn in 2022.

Career

[edit]

Belorgey was born in the Parisian neighborhood of Barbès on 31 July 1975.[6] After years as an actor, Kavinsky's musical career started in 2005 after he was inspired by his close friends Jackson Fourgeaud and Quentin Dupieux. He acted in Dupieux's 2007 film Steak [fr]; the film also included Kavinsky's music. During this period, Kavinsky produced his first single, "Testarossa Autodrive", inspired by the Ferrari Testarossa (one of which Belorgey drove in real life).[4] Kavinsky presented the single to Dupieux, who in turn presented it to a record label he had access to because of his filming career, and Kavinsky signed with Record Makers.[4][7]

Kavinsky went on to release three EPs on the Record Makers label: Teddy Boy in 2006, 1986 a year later, and Nightcall with Lovefoxxx of CSS in 2010.[4] Kavinsky toured alongside Daft Punk, The Rapture, Justice, and SebastiAn in 2007.[8][better source needed]

The SebastiAn remix of "Testarossa Autodrive" off the 1986 EP is featured in the video games Grand Theft Auto IV and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue.[9] Kavinsky's single "Nightcall" was featured in the opening credits of the film Drive, and became a major hit soon after.[8] In December 2012, he released "ProtoVision".[10] On 25 February 2013, he released his debut studio album, OutRun.[11]

In November 2021, he returned from a seven year hiatus with the lead single "Renegade" from his second studio album Reborn.[12] The song is produced by Gaspard Augé and Victor Le Masne. In March 2022, he released "Zenith", another single from Reborn which features vocals from Prudence and Morgan Phalen.[13][14]

At the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in Paris, Kavinsky performed Nightcall alongside Phoenix and Angèle.[15] The performance triggered a significant global resurgence for "Nightcall", leading to a new official studio version featuring Angèle and Phoenix released in September 2024. This version achieved a diamond certification from SNEP and reached number 3 on the French singles chart. The track's enduring status in popular culture was further solidified in 2025 when the Irish rock band Inhaler released a guitar-driven cover of the song for Triple J's Like A Version, which was subsequently released as a physical seven-inch single.[16]

Persona

[edit]
Belorgey in character as Kavinsky, 2012

Kavinsky was a stage persona used by Belorgey. The character had red eyes and blue skin. The fictional backstory is that Kavinsky crashed his Testarossa in 1986, then reappeared in 2006 as a zombie that makes electronic music.[7] Kavinsky's songs are intended to tell the character's story. Belorgey explained, "'Night Call' is just about the zombie guy [who] goes to his girlfriend's house and says okay I'm not the same, we need to talk", referring to the resurrected Kavinsky going to find his former girlfriend, who has already moved on with her life.[4] "Kavinsky is a character I created because just putting my face on a record sleeve isn't something that suits me. [...] Showing my own face holds absolutely no interest for me. I'd much rather make music and tell a story, because for me music is linked to images. When I'm making music, I have images in my head of films and television shows I liked when I was little. So I created this story that mixes all those memories together."[17]

Equipment

[edit]

Kavinsky started making music on an old Apple computer given to him by his friend and fellow musician Quentin Dupieux.[4] He stated in an interview that the entirety of Teddy Boy was written and recorded on a Yamaha DX7, which is associated with the synth-pop sound of the 1980s.[18]

Death

[edit]

Belorgey was found dead at his home in Paris on 28 July 2026, three days before his 51st birthday.[19] French president Emmanuel Macron posted a tribute, saying he was "a source of French pride forever".[20] French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard said, "Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders".[21] Others such as the Weeknd, and the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, also wrote tributes to him after his death.[22] The cause of Belorgey's death is not known, and there is a pending investigation, but a police source said that a stroke is suspected.[23][24] He had reportedly been complaining of headaches in the preceding days.[20][25]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Album details Peak chart positions
FRA
[26]
BEL
(FL)

[27]
BEL
(WA)

[28]
GER
[29]
SCO
[30]
SWI
[31]
UK
[32]
UK
Dance

[30]
US
[33]
US
Dance

[34]
OutRun[35] 2 37 28 38 159 8 156 5
Reborn[36]
  • Released: 25 March 2022
  • Label: Record Makers
  • Formats: CD, digital download, vinyl
13 172 20 56 64 32 [A] 3
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

[edit]
Year Title Release date Label
2005 Teddy Boy[37] 10 December 2005[38] Record Makers
2007 1986[39] 3 March 2007[40]
2008 Blazer[41] 1 July 2008 Fool's Gold Records
2010 Nightcall[42] 27 March 2010[43] Record Makers
2011 Nightcall (Anniversary Edition)[44] 11 November 2011
2013 ProtoVision[45] 26 January 2013[46]
Odd Look[47] 6 April 2013[48]

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
FRA
[26]
BEL
(FL)

[27]
BEL
(WA)

[28]
SCO
[49]
SWI
[31]
UK
[30]
UK
Dance

[30]
UK
Indie

[30]
US
Dance

[50]
"Nightcall"
(featuring Lovefoxxx)[51]
2010 1028167237603729[B] OutRun
"Roadgame"[55] 2012 12[C]74
"ProtoVision"[45] 52
"Odd Look"
(featuring SebastiAn)
2013 46[D]
"Blizzard"[56] 167
"Odd Look"
(featuring The Weeknd)[47]
181046 Odd Look and Kiss Land
"Renegade"[57]
(featuring Cautious Clay)
2021 Reborn
"Zenith"[58] 2022
"Nightcall"[59]
(with Angèle and Phoenix)
2024 3
[60]
184 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Remixes

[edit]
Year Artist Title
2007Klaxons"Gravity's Rainbow"[61]
M.I.A."Roder" (A-Trak Re-work)
2008Sébastien Tellier"Roche"[62]
2011SebastiAn"Embody"[63]

Music videos

[edit]
Year Title Director Release date Label
2006 "Testarossa Autodrive"[64] Jonas & François 23 June 2006 Record Makers
2009 "Dead Cruiser"[44] February 2009
2012 "ProtoVision"[65] Marcus Herring 12 December 2012
2013 "Odd Look"[64] 6 August 2013
2021 "Renegade"[64] Alexandre Courtès 19 November 2021
2022 "Cameo"[66] Filip Nilsson 25 March 2022

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Director Role
2001Nonfilm[67]Quentin DupieuxPattt
2003Aaltra[68]Gustave Kervern and Benoît DelépineAgent SNCF
2004Atomik Circus, le retour de James Bataille[68]Didier Poiraud and Thierry PoiraudBoon / Ricardo Bello-Radio Skotlett
2005Ultranova[69]Bouli LannersVerbrugghe
2007Steak[37]Quentin DupieuxDan

Notes

[edit]
  1. Reborn did not enter the UK Albums Chart, but peaked at number 45 on the UK Album Sales Chart.[30]
  2. "Nightcall" did not enter the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, but peaked at number 5 on the Dance Single Sales chart.[52]
  3. "Roadgame" did not enter the Wallonie Ultratop 50, but peaked at number 32 on the Ultratip chart.[28]
  4. "Odd Look" did not enter the UK Single Sales Chart, but peaked at number 84 on the UK Physical Singles Chart.[30]

References

[edit]
  1. Christopher Higgins (29 July 2014). "The 7 Most Essential Synthwave Artists". Nerdglow.com. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  2. "Kavinsky Game Lands on Google Play, French House Music and Ferraris Forever". www.droid-life.com. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  3. Cooper, Leonie (2 March 2012). "Portishead's Geoff Barrow to release 'Drive' soundtrack on vinyl". NME. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kavinsky on BIGSTEREO". This.bigstereo.net. 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  5. Buyanovsky, Dan (6 March 2013). "Kavinsky Makes a Run for It". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  6. Wolfe, Jonathan (29 July 2026). "Kavinsky, French D.J. Best Known for 'Nightcall,' Dies at 50". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 Rhoads, Celeste. "Kavinsky – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. 1 2 Linkedin, & Slideshare. (28 January 2012). Kavinsky (Speech transcript). Retrieved 12 December 2012, from Slideshare website
  9. McDermott, Thomas (29 April 2008). "Full GTA IV radio music listing revealed". DarkZero. Archived from the original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
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  11. Kavinsky (21 December 2012). "FEB . 25th 2013". Retrieved 20 January 2013 via Facebook.
  12. Middleton, Ryan (19 October 2021). "Kavinsky Announces New Album 'Reborn,' Single Arriving Next Month". Magnetic Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  13. Ross, Gemma (15 March 2022). "Kavinsky: "I want people to talk to me about something other than 'Nightcall' now"". Mixmag. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  14. Yopko, Nick (4 February 2022). "Kavinsky Releases Sequel to Iconic 2010 Song "Nightcall": Listen to "Zenith"". EDM. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  15. Zemler, Emily (20 September 2024). "Phoenix, Kavinsky, Angèle Share New Version of 'Drive' Track 'Nightcall'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 20 January 2026.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
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  23. Guy, Jack (29 July 2026). "Kavinsky, French DJ behind hit track 'Nightcall,' found dead at home in Paris". CNN. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  24. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (29 July 2026). "French music producer Kavinsky, known for Drive soundtrack hit Nightcall, dies aged 50". The Guardian. UK.
  25. "French DJ Kavinsky found dead in Paris home, local media reports". France 24. 29 July 2026. Archived from the original on 29 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
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  61. "Klaxons - Remix". Discogs. 2007.
  62. "Roche (Kavinsky Remix) by Sébastien Tellier on Apple Music". 12 December 2008.
  63. "SebastiAn's 'Embody' reMixed by Kavinsky". electronic rumors. 30 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
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  66. "Filip Nilsson". Directors' Library. Archived from the original on 6 June 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
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  69. "Casting de Ultranova (2005)". SensCritique (in French). Archived from the original on 23 January 2026. Retrieved 1 August 2026.
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