‘Avicii was the most natural melody writer ever’
Funk star and producer Nile Rodgers paid an emotional tribute to Avicii at the Amsterdam Dance Event last weekend.
Rodgers – whose career has seen him working with the likes of pop superstars David Bowie and Madonna – said his collaborations with the Swedish DJ and producer, who took his own life in April in Oman, were some of the most satisfying of his career. “As soon as I met him it was an instant love affair and we started playing together,” he said. “I remember telling a reporter once that Avicii is the most natural melody writer I have ever come across. You put me and him in a studio for two weeks and we could write every song in the Top 10.”
In a 45-minute session at the Amsterdam Dance Event, Rogers also discussed various aspects of his career and admitted to still being a student of his craft. “Staying hungry is so important,” he said. “Because once you get to that place where you believe you know it all and have got it all laid down, complacency is almost inevitable.”
That quest to try new things, Rodgers said, is what drove the current pop sounds of his band Chic’s latest album. Released in September, It’s
About Time finds the band moving away from their classic disco to a more pop and soul sound, with guest performers including rappers Vic Mensa and Steflon Don, as well as British R&B star Craig David. Rodgers said these cross-generational collaborations – which include Get Lucky, the 2014 Grammy award-winning track he co-wrote with Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams – are what keep him interested in a career he has followed for five decades. “I love working with new artists. They are the ones coming up with new ideas. That’s always inspiring,” he said. “So I always view such collaborations as a great learning experience, and we have a lot of fun, too.”
Rodgers urged artists to keep an open mind and always think about the listener. This was a lesson Rodgers learnt when studying with Ted Dunbar. He recalled the late jazz guitarist’s concern about the snobbish way Rodgers was approaching his work. Things came to a head when Rodgers bemoaned having to play Sugar, Sugar by The Archies for a covers gig. “I told him it was a bad song. He said, ‘Nile, that song was number one for six weeks. Let me tell you something and I hope you understand this; any song in the Top 20 is a great composition, because they speak to the souls of a million strangers.’”