Nile Rodgers is the legendary American musician, songwriter, and record producer whose prolific career has left an indelible mark on the landscape of popular music. Rodgers’ path to stardom was laid after co-founding, and playing guitar for, the influential funk and disco band CHIC, one of the top acts of the late 70s and early 80s, with several hits to its name.
The 71-year-old New York City-native will be performing alongside CHIC on September 17, at the stunning UOB LIVE, Empshere. It promises to be one of the most compelling nights of musical entertainment in Bangkok throughout all of 2024, as Nile and co. are known to put on a superb live show featuring his band’s hits and covers of songs he has produced.
Globe recently had the opportunity to interview the multi-talented icon, who shared some insight of his experience working with David Bowie, Beyoncé, and Madonna, what fans in Bangkok can expect at his show, and why he’s excited about the potential of AI for music.
If time allows, we want to perform every hit record I’ve ever been a part of, from CHIC and Sister Sledge through to Madonna, David Bowie and Daft Punk. Meaning, all the gold and platinum records that we have. My group and I are old school, so everything we do is live. We don’t use backing tracks, or anything – It’s all about playing and singing the real thing. Thailand is one of the countries I have visited over and over again. Back in my party days, I had so much fun there. I used to go to Bangkok all the time, but I also visited islands like Phuket and Koh Phi Phi…to go surfing, diving….just being out on the boat, and having fun! Bangkok is one of the most lively places. I love everything about it!…except for the traffic.
I honestly love making music. I cannot help it. It’s the kind of thing I will definitely be doing until I can no longer do it. If you look up on YouTube or anything like that, you will see that I am having just as much fun performing now, as I did when I was a teenager. I hate to say this, but CHIC is now much better than it has ever been. I feel like as I get older, I also get smarter, write better, play better, and of course, create even more music! This year, I have a few songs with Coldplay, two songs with Kygo, and two different albums with Beyoncé! It never stops. It is in my DNA. I can’t remember a time where music isn’t a part of my life.
Consider me not only as a guitar player but also as a songwriter and, more importantly, as an arranger. I am always thinking of ways to make the song more interesting than it would be without my contribution. If you remove me from those songs, they become completely different. For example take songs such as “He’s The Greatest Dancer” by Sister Sledge or “Gettin’ Jiggy With It” by Will Smith. It is the same song, but if you take out the guitar part, it becomes an entirely different song. The same goes for “Le Freak”, the CHIC smash hit.
I love Daft Punk. They are my big heroes. I really, really love them. I’m not sure if you have seen the video for “Lose Yourself to Dance”? It is the first single they ever released which was just guitar, bass and drums! No keyboard was used. The only time you hear anything that sounds like a keyboard is during the part where they sing, ‘come on, come on, come on’, but that’s actually a vocoder – for Daft Punk, it was revolutionary. I think we will see a comeback. What is great about them is that because of their iconic appearance they can return, and look the same as they did before! They won’t have grey hair to contend with.
Hip-hop is probably the most interesting genre, not just because of the lyrical content and the way artists drop bars, but also because of its musical innovation. What’s so fascinating about that is hip-hop artists can take music from different styles, change the beat, change the keys, and do all sorts of things that I would’ve never dreamed of. For example, I could just turn on a song and think, ‘Wow, I like this Billie Holiday song. It’s really incredible. But it’s a ballad. What if I move the song’s key up to B flat and set it at 128 beats per minute?’
I believe AI can take music production to a whole new level. When artists truly understand the confines and restrictions of music, they’ll also be able to go beyond them. If only I had had the same kind of gear back in the ’70s that they have now, can you just imagine what I could’ve done – I mean, it would have been limitless. Everything I did back then, I had to think of on my own. AI is so unbelievable. I wrote the song “At Last I Am Free” when I was just a teenager. I think I was 17. If I had the gear they have out now, I cannot imagine what it would sound like. Because it is important to remember that I am an old-school musician so I’m not tied to a machine. I could use the machine, and now create to go along with it.
Nile Rodgers and CHIC will hit the stage of UOB LIVE Bangkok on Tuesday, September 17. Visit: www.livenationtero.co.th or call: 02-262-3838 to catch these icons performing live!
