The 'Drive' director pays homage to the late dance music pioneer, whose futuristic music became synonymous with the film's sexy-cool aesthetic.
BY NICOLAS WINDING REFN, AS TOLD TO SETH ABRAMOVITCH
Few songs are as inseparable from a film as Kavinsky’s “Nightcall” is from Drive. The haunting synth track became the defining musical signature of Nicolas Winding Refn‘s 2011 neo-noir, helping establish both the movie’s dreamlike atmosphere and Kavinsky’s international profile. Following the French musician’s death on July 28 at age 50, after he was found at his Paris home in what authorities are investigating as a suspected stroke, Refn — who recently revisited the making of Drive on THR‘s It Happened in Hollywood podcast — reflected on the serendipitous way “Nightcall” found its way into the film, the quiet man behind the music, and the enduring legacy he leaves behind.
I was in Los Angeles when I got the news. Gaspar Noé texted me from Paris before anyone else did. Because of the time difference, I had no idea what had happened. Then the messages started pouring in. It was one of those moments when the world suddenly feels much smaller.
To many people in America, Kavinsky will always be the artist behind the unforgettable opening of Drive. In France, he was much more than that. He was an icon of French pop music, a cultural figure whose influence reached far beyond any one song.
