BBC Radio 2 - The Record Producers: Nile Rodgers

MP3 EXTRACTS:
The Making of "Le Freak"
The Making of "Good Times"
Major thanks to Luke Barker for these mp3 extracts of the broadcast!

Listen to the full program


Radio 2’s hour-long documentary on Nile Rodgers, originally broadcast last Monday January 1st is now (finally) available online. It should be available, at least for the next week or so on the show’s website.. It's since been one week and the program is now taken down from the BBC site, but the full program (in Real Audio), as well as the mp3 extracts (courtesy of Luke), are now available for download above.

This last show is the latest installment in their ‘Record Producers’ series, hosted by Richard Allinson and Steve Levine. I’ve been listening to it for the last couple of days and I highly recommend anyone who loves Chic’s music, like I do, to take a listen.

Nile Rodgers gave them exclusive access to some of his multitrack masters, most notably for Chic’s “Le Freak” and “Good Times.” They then proceeded to deconstruct the masters, analyzing and isolating some of those small, but key elements that made those records as amazing as they are.

Just being able to hear them isolate the drums and bass of “Le Freak” alone was worth it. Also, hearing Nile talk about the concept behind “Good Times” as well as hearing it's isolated strings, guitars and bass only affirms why "Good Times" is one of their most iconic, if not one of the most iconic records of that time.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is probably the first time I’ve heard Chic’s sound taken apart, analyzed and put back together in this way. After 1979/1980, being one of the biggest victims of the disco backlash, hearing a program like this certainly speaks to the respect and credibility they’ve gained over the past 30 years or so.

Although I’m focusing on Chic, Nile Rodgers’ career, of course, went well beyond. Part of the program goes past his 'Chic Organization' work with Bernard Edwards and into Nile’s solo productions in the 80’s, particularly David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Duran Duran’s “Notorious,” and of course, Madonna’s “Like A Virgin.”

Additionally, hearing Nile’s commentary and his anecdotes was also a major highlight. I had a good laugh hearing some of the stories around the Sheila & B. Devotion project as well as his working experiences with Diana Ross and David Bowie.

If anyone wants to hear more, Nile Rodgers previously did an interview with the BBC in January 2005, for Radio 4’s “Front Row.” On this particular show, they talked about some other elements of “Good Times” and the Chic sound which weren’t discussed on this latest ‘Record Producers’ program. The Front Row broadcast is still available for listening on the Front Row website (fast forward to 13.10 on the Real Media file).

LINKS:
BBC RADIO 2 - THE RECORD PRODUCERS: NILE RODGERS (JANUARY 1, 2007)
BBC RADIO 4 - FRONT ROW: INTERVIEW WITH NILE RODGERS (JANUARY 6, 2005)

WIKIPEDIA - NILE RODGERS
DISCOGS - NILE RODGERS
ALL MUSIC GUIDE - NILE RODGERS
ALL MUSIC GUIDE - CHIC
THE CHIC TRIBUTE
WIKIPEDIA - CHIC
CHIC INTRODUCTION AND PICKS

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CATEGORIES: INTERVIEWS, DISCO NEWS