Chic - Elegance on the dancefloor

Rodgers & Edwards

Pretty much everyone knows Chic, not just those who lived through the golden age of disco. And yet the importance of the New York band is often not fully appreciated: their name is usually associated with one or two global hits, overlooking the enormous influence and sway that Nile Rodgers and company have had - and continue to have - on popular music. Their body of work, in fact, was crucial in building a bridge between different styles and trends, thanks to a few distinctive traits: perfectionism in the recording studio; meticulous attention to arrangements in crafting a clean, dazzling sound; carrying the hippie gospel of "peace, love and freedom" into the discotheque; and reinventing funk and R&B with a refined, ambitious approach that went beyond mere entertainment. These are some of the achievements Chic reached during a period of great transformation, from the peak of the disco era, in the late 1970s, to the rise of new wave, which would dominate the early part of the following decade.

Chic are the product of a meeting between two musicians: Nile Rodgers (guitar) and Bernard Edwards (bass), both born in 1950, first crossed paths in New York in 1970 while working as session musicians. It was a bit like when John Lennon met Paul McCartney: the chemistry between the two was immediate, and both shared a sweeping musical vision aimed at reaching new heights. It was, after all, a period of great ferment for black music: bands like Sly & The Family Stone and George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic were transforming the soul sound of the 1960s, pushing it toward a politically engaged, bold rediscovery that, in the new decade, would take on the colors of an unrelenting, euphoric, powerful funk. Stevie Wonder too was gradually discovering the new formula, while in 1971 Marvin Gaye made a point of asking "What's Going On". There was a great hunger for change: the 1960s didn't feel over at all, and an entire new generation was still determined to stage a musical revolution - a revolution that, in the case of the band that would become Chic, was entirely peaceful and dancefloor-oriented, but a revolution nonetheless.

After briefly being part of an R&B doo-wop group, New York City, Rodgers and Edwards began shaping their own project. The main inspiration behind a certain glam aesthetic was Rodgers's obsession with the Roxy Music of the refined dandy Bryan Ferry (legend has it that Rodgers decided to form the group right after seeing the English band in concert). In 1977, the two recruited drummer Tony Thompson, who had previously played with Labelle and Ecstasy, Passion & Pain; Norma Jean Wright was brought in as female vocalist (though she would leave shortly after), completing the "core" of the first historic line-up. In the following years, female vocalists Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin joined as more or less regular members. In truth, though, Chic was an open project in pure 1960s collective style, in which Rodgers and Edwards brought in whoever was needed to best record the parts that mattered most to them. From the very start, and well beyond the "official" line-up, the band's recordings and live shows involved a whole host of musicians and artists, both famous and obscure, many of whom cut their teeth in that stimulating environment before becoming famous in their own right. The most striking case is that of vocalist Luther Vandross.
Chic's songs speak of love, of fleeting passions under the mirror ball of the dancefloor; they conjure up lavish parties awash with cocktails and glasses of champagne; they invite listeners to seize the day, to indulge in unrestrained fun and the pleasure of living in the moment, but also to socialize and mix with different kinds of people, all while celebrating the pure, simple beauty of music and making explicit the power it holds over people. Chic's sonic world is therefore quite far removed from that of the underground clubs where disco took shape over the course of the decade, and it isn't necessarily presented as a vehicle for the emancipation of an entire culture, even though it draws inspiration from it. In other words, Chic's music isn't "just" black music but is aimed at everyone, with a universalist outlook that potentially speaks to every segment of the population. As pure energy, pure feeling, an immediate form of joy, it means to draw everyone into the party it soundtracks - which is why, even today, their dancefloor anthems remain thoroughly current and enjoyable, without ever slipping into mere nostalgia.

"Ooooooh… freak out!"

1977 is the year of the debut. A pivotal year, one that saw the release of John Badham's "Saturday Night Fever", the film with John Travolta that marks the absolute peak of disco music's success, thanks in no small part to its famous soundtrack, largely written by the Bee Gees. The cultural phenomenon of disco is at its absolute height, and Chic arrive just in time to catch its dazzling tail end.
The debut album is simply titled Chic. The cover features two models, Valentine Monnier and Alva Chinn (who remained more famous for this than for anything else), one white and one black, bare-shouldered with whistles in their mouths. A cover that recalls the contemporary artwork of Roxy Music and immediately evokes their distinctive aesthetic. "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" is the American band's first landmark hit, in which the female chorus trades lines with a lush, dreamlike orchestral section over exotic, frenzied funk rhythms. The other celebrated track on the same theme is "Everybody Dance": another anthem to dancing, physicality and disco culture, built with masterful opulence. But the album hides other gems too: "You Can Get By", for instance, which sounds a bit like KC And The Sunshine Band, another formidable hit-making machine of the disco era; or the lush, tropical "São Paulo", an instrumental track with marked jazz influences, confirming the band's broad scope and wide-ranging musical openness.

The second album, C'Est Chic (1978), confirms the dazzling formula of the clean, celebratory funk style the American band was developing. It opens with "Chic Cheer", a genuine act of self-celebration that's also a brief instrumental odyssey, with sound effects and enthusiastic shouts flooding a repetitive, hypnotic groove. "I Want Your Love", punctuated by tubular bells, boasts one of their most infectious and quintessentially disco choruses, while "Happy Man" is the most underrated song on the album, and perhaps in their entire discography: a sumptuous slice of soul-funk with intriguing shifts, sinuous bass lines and a flawless lead vocal from Edwards.
But the mega-classic destined to live on in music history is the second track on the record: "Le Freak", sealed by its famous cry of "Freak out!". As Federico Romagnoli recalls in OndaRock's milestone feature, "according to Rodgers, the song grew out of a jam with Edwards, driven by a refrain that repeated 'fuck off': the insult was aimed at New York's famous Studio 54, since the duo had been denied entry during a party thrown by Grace Jones. They later decided to change it to 'freak out', thinking that such blunt profanity would hurt its chances on the radio. They finished it off with a French phrase: 'le freak, c'est chic'. An expression that seemed purely phonetic, given the assonance between 'freak' and 'chic', but was actually loaded with meaning for its authors: the freak was a dance style, among the most popular on the floor at the time." Embellished by a now-iconic guitar riff, "Le Freak" would remain Chic's best-known hit and one of the cornerstones of the entire disco era: in the United States it shot straight to number 1. It cemented a key idea: from then on, dancing to disco also meant being chic, elegant.

Another semi-legendary episode in Chic's career is undoubtedly "Good Times", the track that opens the third album, Risqué, in 1979. The chorus sung by Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin is universally known, as is Edwards's bass line, later sampled that same year by the Sugarhill Gang for "Rapper's Delight", one of the first famous hip-hop tracks. Another number one, the song remains an absolute disco classic, especially in its three-minute edit (the original runs past eight minutes). Its lyrics are inspired by songs from the Great Depression era, the 1920s and '30s: an idea that also shaped the album cover, on which the band's five core members appear in a black-and-white photo gathered around a piano, looking as if it had been taken right out of that period.
But other tracks leave their mark too, such as "My Feet Keep Dancing", with a certain new wave flair and a famous tap-dancing solo (you can actually hear the sound of tap shoes used as a percussive element, Fred Astaire-style); "My Forbidden Lover", another textbook disco cut; and the sweeping, melancholy orchestral ballad "Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)", so typically late-'70s it's almost startling.

Chic-isms

Chic survive the impact of the 1980s and withstand the anti-disco backlash of the decade's turn, as rock'n'roll die-hards openly sabotage airplay for the genre with the support of several radio stations, branding disco artists as "sellouts". This attitude culminates in 1979 in the infamous Disco Demolition Night, the most shameful and violent crusade against the genre, which saw thousands of records burned in Chicago.
Many leading names of disco music suffer from the resulting backlash, the Bee Gees among them; but Chic are spared, partly thanks to their intense production work for other artists (see below), meanwhile reiterating a tried-and-tested style that never fails to work, with a lineup that has by now solidified around permanent members Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Luci Martin, Alfa Anderson and Tony Thompson. The band's crystalline, opulent disco style carries over into the new decade and, while occasionally innovating, essentially sticks to reiterating the elements already familiar to the public: clean funky guitars, powerful yet imaginative rhythm parts, and female choruses that cheer and decorate as part of the whole, never the sole focus of the song. The singles no longer chart with the same success, but people keep listening.

With the albums, the band starts looking in different directions. On Real People (1980), perhaps the least successful record of this period for Chic, Rodgers plays around much more with rock'n'roll-style guitar solos, winking at Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Hazel. "Open Up", the title track, "Rebels Are We" and especially "Chip Off The Old Block" confirm the solidity of the sound crafted by the five members, while on the closing moments of the final track, "You Can't Do It Alone", the guitarist indulges in an elaborate acoustic coda, far removed from the usual lighthearted hedonism.

Take It Off (1981) follows a similar path, but proves more incisive, with more interesting, lively and colourful ideas, including a few tentative flashes of synth. Genuinely celebratory tracks like "Burn Hard" and "So Fine" alternate with the effective, contemplative experiment of "Flash Back" (sung by Edwards) or the intriguing urban feel of "Telling Lies", while the funk-pop of "Your Love Is Canceled" is probably the brightest moment of all.
This is perhaps the first Chic album on which one can stop talking about disco music in the strict sense, since the music clearly aims for a funk style that's more compact but also more open, without necessarily favouring the dance element. Many of the tracks are in fact intricate, complex, refined and meant for attentive listening, unlike the dancefloor hits of the late '70s.

Tongue In Chic, from 1982 (a pun on the English expression "tongue in cheek"), instead takes a step back, once again seeking out simply structured dance tracks, while at the same time introducing echoes, synths and far more modern sounds. Particularly notable is "Chic (Everybody Say)", a track that sounds like it was recorded live and includes calls to the crowd, celebratory shouts, whoops and applause, a disco flare-up that also plays like a tribute to the band's own history. The rest of the songs can't really be called successful, caught between shaky ballads and obsessive rhythms, a sign of a certain stylistic fatigue that, perhaps for the first time, becomes clearly apparent here.
The only truly interesting song is the closer, "City Lights", a fine funky texture that weaves a driving slap bass with orchestral pizzicato into an elegant semi-instrumental. Overall, certainly the least inspired Chic album.

In 1983 came Believer, which undergoes a complete transformation in favour of sounds influenced by pop and new wave. Rodgers's rhythms and clean guitar riffs are still central, but the songwriting leans more toward '80s chart sensibilities, far removed from disco reminiscences and happily skewed toward synthetic, plastic-sounding production. It's clearly audible on "You Are Beautiful"; on "Give Me The Lovin'", which sounds like a cross between Lionel Richie and Cameo; and on "Show Me Your Light", a thrilling and unexpected electronic spasm. The grand finale is "Party Everybody", a confident, cadenced rap (performed by Rodgers) modelled on the style of Kurtis Blow, tying in with the most innovative and modern trends in black music at the time.

Despite these evolutions, the band's project effectively grinds to a halt around 1983. That same year Nile Rodgers released his debut solo album, "Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove", and he and Edwards were simply too busy with other work as writers and producers to keep devoting their full attention to Chic, which by then had inevitably become a limiting proposition.
It would take almost a decade before a new record bearing the historic band's name would appear: in 1992 came Chic-ism, an album that works far better, unsurprisingly, when the songs are set up as nostalgia exercises — as on "Jusagroove" and "Doin' That Thing To Me", the two best tracks on the record — and less so when it reaches for a more modern approach, as on the rap of "Something You Can Feel". Worth mentioning too is the title track, which revives the classic live celebration with the band's name chanted over and over like an anthem, laying down a groove with a vaguely Latin flavour this time, though without being especially engaging in carrying forward what has by now become something of a tradition.

The recording story of Chic comes to a close (for now) in 2018, following Edwards's death in 1996 and under the sole leadership of Rodgers, who teams up with a string of contemporary artists to refresh and update the band's sound almost thirty years on from their last official album. It's About Time (2018) ties back to the very start of the group's history, as if closing a circle, once again featuring two models on the cover, one white and one black (Duckie Thot and Jazzelle). In truth, though, it sounds more like a modern pop-funk album that could have been crafted by Mark Ronson than an actual Chic record. The featured guests on the tracklist prove to be a poor fit, and the only constant link to the band's sound left is Rodgers's funky guitar, especially since the material is often doused in auto-tune, rap verses and electronic flourishes that, while signalling a move toward something more contemporary, inevitably taint what had for decades been a classic, widely imitated style. The best songs are "Boogie All Night" (feat. Nao), "Do You Wanna Party" (feat. LunchMoney Lewis), "I Dance My Dance" and "State Of Mine (It's About Time)" (feat. Philippe Saisse). Also worth noting is the reworking of "I Want Your Love" (originally from 1977) with Lady Gaga.
Overall, a solid pop-dance record, but only in part a Chic album in any real sense. More accurate to describe it as a Nile Rodgers solo album carrying the prestigious Chic name.

Collaborations and influences

So far, however, the Chic story has only been told halfway. Because from the very start, Rodgers and Edwards weren't content merely to play on their own records: they wanted full production control over the shaping of their musical style, and to extend its influence by playing on other people's records too. Almost immediately, a parallel career as producers and arrangers began for both of them, one that led them into the orbit of some of the biggest names in and outside disco; artists who, over the years, became part of an extended Chic "family", having absorbed that special sound into their own songs and/or having been deeply shaped by its influence. The first non-Chic project the band actively worked on was the 1978 debut album of vocalist Norma Jean, who would leave the group shortly after, making way for Luci Martin. "Norma Jean" was followed by Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" (1979), another record on which Chic wrote, produced and played every song, including the hugely overplayed title track, still instantly recognisable even today.

In the 1980s, Chic continued working on albums for other artists, with great success: Sheila And B. Devotion's "King Of The World" (1980), Diana Ross's influential "Diana" from 1980 (the album propelled to success by "Upside Down") and "Koo Koo", the 1981 debut solo album by Debbie Harry of Blondie, are all striking examples of the importance of Chic's work and of the eclectic scope it had come to encompass.
In 1982, Rodgers and co. contributed to the soundtrack of the film "Soup For One": a huge flop (a dreadful sex comedy) that indeed would only be remembered for its soundtrack. All the songs were written by Edwards and Rodgers except for one by Debbie Harry, and are performed among others by Carly Simon and Sister Sledge. The two Chic originals are remarkable, starting with the title track, an intriguing, modern-sounding funk number later reworked in 2002 by French duo Modjo for the famous house hit "Lady": even today, when Chic perform "Soup For One" live, they merge it into a medley with "Lady", given the renewed success the song found once reworked as an electronic sample. The other track worth highlighting is "Tavern On The Green", unique for Chic up to that point: a delicate baroque-pop piece with folk touches, a refined, at times classical-leaning composition that has nothing whatsoever to do with funk or disco, yet another testament to the two musicians' broad scope and deep musical grounding (they were, of course, also the producers of the entire soundtrack).

As the 1980s wore on, the band's activity grew less intense on the production side too, but Rodgers and Edwards each pursued a range of successful projects separately. Rodgers in particular went on to work with top-tier artists, international superstars he helped find a sound for (though often, in the end, these amounted more to stylistic detours) amid the vivid, unpredictable 1980s. Hence his production work on David Bowie's "Let's Dance" (1983), Madonna's "Like A Virgin" (1984), the vastly underrated Thompson Twins's "Here's To Future Days" (1985) and Mick Jagger's debut solo album, "She's The Boss" (1985).
The other name worth mentioning is of course Duran Duran, with whom Rodgers began collaborating when he found them freshly minted as new new wave stars following the release of "Rio" (1982). In 1984 he produced the English band's smash hit single "The Wild Boys", and in 1986 he was behind the strongly funky sound of "Notorious", a decisive change of direction for the Birmingham band. Following these legendary collaborations, his forays with famous artists became more sporadic and kept a lower profile. He contributed once more to Duran Duran in 2004 for another minor blockbuster album, "Astronaut" (many will remember the successful single "Reach Up For The Sunrise"), while, as is well known, in 2013 he was a prized guest on Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories"; by that point, after all, it was already abundantly clear how deeply the sound of the French Touch champions' duo had been shaped by Chic, one case among many; the album itself, moreover, is a grand tribute to disco music and the club sounds of the late '70s and early '80s. Rodgers could do nothing but claim his place as the godfather of all these contemporary offshoots of his sound, and he savoured the triumph by appearing on "Get Lucky", the album's flagship single, which went on to win two Grammy Awards.

And what about Edwards? In 1985 he produced The Power Station, a supergroup made up of Chic drummer Tony Thompson, Andy Taylor and John Taylor of Duran Duran (respectively the longtime guitarist and bassist of the English quintet's classic lineup), and none other than Robert Palmer on vocals. The project was very well received, and as a result Edwards also ended up producing “Riptide”, Robert Palmer's famous 1985 album featuring the smash hit “Addicted To Love”, veering in this venture toward a sound closer to hard rock, though still somehow wrapped in that faint aura of splendour the bassist carried over from his main band's musical recipe. He would go on to work with Abc, Air Supply and Rod Stewart, and in 1996 he made it in time to appear on The Power Station's second and final album, “Living In Fear”, this time as a full-fledged member (on bass, naturally).
Bernard Edwards died that same year from complications of pneumonia, following a dramatic performance at Tokyo's Budokan Arena alongside Nile Rodgers. And it was Rodgers himself who found him lifeless in his hotel room: it almost seems fated to have happened that way. Edwards passed away at just 43. He left behind a single solo album, “Glad To Be Here” (1983), while in 1999 “Live At The Budokan” was released (credited to Chic), containing the recording of that final, tragic concert. The live album — a great celebration of the American funk band's music — features special guests standing as lasting proof of Chic's influence across many different genres: Steve Winwood, Slash, Sister Sledge, and Gerardo Velez, percussionist for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock.

So many years after they began their career, the importance Chic's music has had in the history of music can be seen more and more, across the most varied fields, through the various funk revivals of recent decades but also in rock productions, sample-based hip-hop, and house music tracks. Nile Rodgers' funky guitar technique, with its clean, crystalline and imaginative style, has inspired countless guitarists who have tried to recreate its shine in all sorts of ways; one above all: John Frusciante. Likewise, Bernard Edwards' precise, full and eclectic bass playing has fired the imagination of many other four-string professionals: besides John Taylor of Duran Duran, one should also mention a certain John Deacon, who apparently drew inspiration for the hugely famous bass riff on Queen's “Another One Bites The Dust”, which he wrote, precisely from the famous, historic passage in “Good Times”.
Traces of the Chic style can still be found today in the pop productions of Mark Ronson, or even in songs by Tame Impala such as “Breath Deeper” (2020), not to mention early Daft Punk (“Digital Love” from 2001, for instance, is 90% Chic). The examples could go on forever. For those with ears to hear, Chic can be found everywhere in mainstream music of at least the last 45 years, and little else needs to be added to do full justice to their work. And recently the jury of the Polar Music Prize, considered the “Nobel” of music, did just that, honouring Nile Rodgers in Stockholm alongside Finnish classical conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen. The jury noted that “few, if any” have composed dance music “as sophisticated and subtly arranged” as Nile Rodgers, who “turned disco and funk into art forms and his band into a byword for elegance”. “His guitar-playing style, with its sharp chords, creates a hypnotic rhythm that has moved millions of people on the dancefloor,” reads the prize's citation, which also highlighted his compositions for artists such as Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna and Daft Punk.

Ride the wave of great music

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