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Keith Forsey

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Keith Forsey is an English drummer, producer and songwriter, born in 1948 in London. He began as a drummer in the 1960s and in the 1970s worked mainly in Germany. He played in Udo Lindenberg's Panik Orchester, played percussion for Amon Düül II and was one of the busiest session drummers in the country. In this way he ended up in the circle around the Munich disco producer Giorgio Moroder. He played on records by Donna Summer, including Bad Girls, on No. 1 in Heaven by Sparks and on Call Me by Blondie. He also contributed to the early albums of Boney M.

Music and breakthrough

Under Moroder's influence, Forsey began experimenting with electronics and European dance rhythms himself. His solo album Dynamite (1981) was not a success, but as a producer he quickly broke through. In 1982 he produced Billy Idol's debut album and Icehouse's Primitive Man. On Idol's Rebel Yell (1983) he blended synthesizer pop with punk and heavy guitars. With Moroder and Irene Cara he wrote Flashdance... What a Feeling, which won an Oscar in 1984. He then co-wrote The Heat Is On for Beverly Hills Cop and the title song of The NeverEnding Story.

Influence

His best-known song is Don't You (Forget About Me) from the film The Breakfast Club (1985). It was offered to several artists before Simple Minds recorded it and had a worldwide hit with it. Forsey shows how the disco studios of Munich shaped the pop production of the 1980s: tight rhythms, synthesizers and a powerful, radio-friendly sound.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to I Feel Love by Donna Summer and notice the bass drum: it hits tightly on every beat, and it was played by Keith Forsey. Hear how that human rhythm coincides with the electronic bass line pulsing around it.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists