Listen to Jordan Rudess covering Giorgio Moroder's Chase from Midnight Express

By Natasha Scharf
( Prog )
published

Dream Theater keyboard wizard joins Rick Wakeman and Geoff Downes in prog-friendly album of Synthesizer Classics

Jordan Rudess
(Image credit: Getty)

Jordan Rudess has recreated Giorgio Moroder's Chase theme from Midnight Express as part of a collection of new recordings by some of prog's biggest keyboard wizards. The Dream Theater musician joins Rick Wakeman, Geoff Downes, Patrick Moraz and more on Synthesizer Classics, which is out via Cleopatra Records on August 12. 

The eight-track album contains exclusive cuts including modern versions of classics originally by Mike Oldfield, Kraftwerk and John Carpenter. Rudess' reworking is the first single from the collection – the original was used in the 1978 prison drama Midnight Express and earned Moroder the Academy Award for Best Original Score the year after its release. 

It's not the first time that Rudess – who's also part of the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment – has dabbled with soundtrack music. In 2021, he released an album called Rockestra that contained music specifically for use in film, TV and advertising. 

Synthesizer Classics is available on digital, CD and purple/black splatter vinyl. Pre-orders are now open. Stream Chase below!

Synthesizer Classics Tracklisting

1. Derek Sherinian - Tubular Bells
2. Rick Wakeman - Magic Fly
3. Geoff Downes - Pulstar
4. Jordan Rudess - Chase
5. Patrick Moraz - Oxygene (Part 4)
6. Thijs Van Leer - Escape From New York
7. Nyte Jewel - Tour De France
8. Larry Fast - Visitors 

purple splatter vinyl packshot of Synthesizer Classics

(Image credit: Cleopatra Records)
Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.