France: DJ Kavinsky found dead at Paris home
The star of the French electro scene, whose real name was Vincent Belorgey, was best known for his 2010 single Nightcall which he performed at
The star of the French electro scene, whose real name was Vincent Belorgey, was best known for his 2010 single Nightcall which he performed at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. French DJ Vincent Belorgey, better known as DJ Kavinsky, was found dead at his home in Paris on Tuesday evening, French prosecutors confirmed on Wednesday. "An inquiry into the cause of death has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death, as first responders found no suspicious elements at the scene," they said in a statement carried by the AFP news agency. Belorgey was previously reported dead by Paris daily Le Parisien.
He would have turned 51 years old on Friday, July 31. The musician was best known for 2010 single Nightcall, which was featured in Nicolas Winding Refn's 2011 film Drive. Belorgey also performed the single at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. "With sudden loss of Kavinsky, France has lost one of her more unique voices," French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard said in a social media post. "Simultaneously danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to resonate across generations and borders." Who was Kavinsky? A self-taught pianist from Saint-Denis in the Paris region, Kavinsky launched his career in the early 2000s, notably serving as a supporting act for Daft Punk and performing alongside other emerging names in the electro scene, such as SebastiAn.
However, the major turning point in his career was "Nightcall"— a synth-wave hit with a dark atmosphere and a slowed-down tempo — which featured on the soundtrack of Drive, the Hollywood thriller starring Ryan Gosling. "Kavinsky is a character I created because just putting my face on a record sleeve isn't something that suits me," Belorgey said in an interview back in 2007. Belorgey described "Kavinsky" as someone who died in a car crash before returning as an undead DJ with blue skin and red eyes. "Showing my own face holds absolutely no interest for me … 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," Belorgey said. Edited by: Darko Janjevic Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button, so you'll always see our verified news first.
The BriefWire