For Episode 22 of the UNSUNG podcast Dom Dronska (General Manager, Audiomovers) & Matt Soczywko (Head of Marketing, Audiomovers) were joined by music legend Nile Rodgers at Abbey Road Studios in London.

In this very special episode, Audiomovers’ Chief Collaborator & Chair of the Advisory Board Nile Rodgers offers an incredible journey through his legendary career. Starting off with his work on Duran Duran’s “The Reflex” in 1983 and getting back in the studio with them over 40 years later, he opens up about the challenges of dealing with record label pushback and the impact of the “Disco Sucks” movement, alongside the clever tactics he and Bernard Edwards used to navigate their first record deal. Nile shares his philosophy on collaborating with artists, crafting hit records, and how his experience with small budgets fostered his “one take” recording philosophy in his early days which inspired the writing of certain tracks. He discusses the unconventional method Chic used to break their first hit, “Dance, Dance, Dance,” and dives into the technical side of his studio process, discussing his experience with digital and analog recording. He recounts fascinating stories from his diverse discography, including the iconic bassline of “Good Times” and his work on films like “Coming to America” and “Beverly Hills Cop III.” The conversation also explores Nile’s first experiences with Hip Hop alongside Blondie’s Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, growing up in Alphabet City, and his early access to musical education. He also touches on his experiences working with legends like Sister Sledge, Diana Ross on “I’m Coming Out,” and Carly Simon on “Why,” as well as the story of almost working with Aretha Franklin. Finally, Nile closes on his enduring passion for making music better for others and his commitment to philanthropy through the We Are Family Foundation.➡️ Follow Nile on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nilerodgers➡️ Hear some of Nile’s work – https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO24hDkk?si=aGNcI_SnRa6eP586ADWF4A➡️ Learn more about Audiomovers – https://audiomovers.com/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Content&utm_campaign=UNSUNG_Nile_RodgersTimecode0:00 – 0:34 Intro0:38 – 4:56 Working with Duran Duran and the Story of “The Reflex”4:56 – 6:28 Dealing with Pushback from Record Labels6:28 – 7:57 Staying in Touch with Artists While Moving from Project to Project7:57 – 10:36 The Bassline of “Good Times”10:36 – 11:20 How Working with Small Recording Budgets Made Nile So Efficient11:20 – 14:05 Digital Recording vs. Analog Recording14:05 – 15:25 Does Nile Prefer Recording Analog or Digital?15:25 – 22:27 Nile & Bernard’s First Record Deal22:27 – 23:38 The Impact of the “Disco Sucks” Movement23:38 – 23:53 How Nile Decides Whether He’ll Work with an Artist23:53 – 26:57 (Almost) Working with Aretha Franklin26:57 – 28:52 Wanting to Be a “Self-Contained Band”28:52 – 32:26 How to Get a Hit Record32:26 – 34:32 Working on Commercials to Pay the Rent and Meeting John Landis34:32 – 40:43 Working on “Coming to America” & “Beverly Hills Cop III”40:43 – 42:51 Eddie Murphy Story42:51 – 44:45 “Alphabet City” & the Beginnings of Hip Hop44:45 – 47:17 Nile’s First Experience of “Hip Hop” with Debbie Harry + Chris Stein47:17 – 52:36 Growing Up in Alphabet City + Nile’s Early Access to Musical Education52:36 – 55:44 Working with Sister Sledge55:44 – 58:00 Working on Diana Ross’ Album “Diana” (1980)58:00 – 1:04:00 The Story of “I’m Coming Out”1:04:00 – 1:04:40 Intermission1:04:40 – 1:12:34 The Story of “Why” by Carly Simon1:12:34 – 1:14:32 What Nile Cares About When Working on a Song1:14:52 – 1:15:26 EndUNSUNG is a podcast from Audiomovers. Our software LISTENTO is used on countless GRAMMY-winning records and Billboard 100 hits. Alongside LISTENTO, we have a whole suite of other groundbreaking pro audio software tools.Join us.#nilerodgers #podcast #music #musicproduction #audiomovers