A homage to Chic!

As previously mentioned here in Downtown this summer in Cork brings us an amazing amount of soul and r&b gigs with many of the biggest names in music performing here. Already we had a cracking gig from Candi Staton last weekend and with Al Green, Michael McDonald, Booker T and Martha Reeves all in store, it’s fair to say anticipation levels are very high. This week I’m gonna preview a show in late May from one of my favourite acts of all time, Chic, who play live at the Savoy!

Chic are quite simply one of the most influential groups of all time. I would have said till quite recently they were one of the most under-rated groups but I have noticed that their status and indeed recognition level has increased in the last few years. In this country they stole the show at last years Electric Picnic at a show which seemed to be full of more Cork people than anyone else, and their arrival here later this month is sure to attract a lot of interest. It’s always with slight trepidation that I go and see one of my favourite bands, especially one which peaked so long ago, but I have to say, Chic were better than ever.

Bernard Edwards is now sadly departed but Nile Rodgers has assembled a superb band and with himself being one of the best guitarists and indeed producers of the last 30 plus years, you know you are in good hands. One of the reasons why Chic have received a lot of recent interest is because the amount of sampling that has taken place with their music and in the live show they played excerpts from hits such as “Love like this” and “Lady”, which used distinctive hooks from Chic hits such as “Chic Cheer” and “Soup for One”. In truth, modern dance and hip-hop would be a lot different without Chic and back in the day the first ever global hip-hop hit “Rappers delight” was itself a replayed version of their “Good Times”.

Nile Rodgers was of course a massively successful producer for other artists aswell and David Bowie, Madonna, Diana Ross, Carly Simon, Duran Duran and Debbie Harry were just a few who benefitted from Chic’s magic touch, with Sister Sledge basically becoming almost a Chic mark 2 for their most prolific era. Rodgers himself remains an infectious character an his forthcoming autobiography is one of the most anticipated music books of all time. He knows practically everyone in the music business and despite one or two setbacks he remains as enthusiastic as ever on stage and in the studio. Previously, a book called “Everybody Dance, the Politics of Disco”, has put Chic at the heart of an important changing landscape in music in the late 70’s, with some very significant analysis of some of the racial and homophobic obstacles that artists of the disco era faced. Thankfully, we live in more enlightened times now, and Chic are bigger than ever. Here is my tribute to the legendary Chic download here

i've decided to mix up some of my favourite tracks from Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards and co. I kept it mainly to their classic era even though I rate plenty of the work they did afterwards too, but you can only do so much in little over an hour! This music is the soundtrack to my life and I hold all of these tunes dear, as in nearly 20 years of djing i've been spinning the hell out of them. I urge you to go and buy all of their albums, if you haven't already. in the meantime, enjoy the some of the greatest music of all time!

Saturday Norma Jean Wright
Spacer Shelia B Devotion
Everybody Dance Chic
Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) Chic
Got To Love Somebody Sister Sledge
We Are Family Sister Sledge
I Want Your Edit Chic
Soup For One Chic
Let´s Dance David Bowie
my old piano Diana Ross
You Fooled Around Sister Sledge
My Feet Keep Dancing Chic
High Society Norma Jean
Chic Cheer Chic
Strike Up The Band Chic
Le Freak Chic
Lost In Music Sister Sledge
He's The Greatest Dancer Sister Sledge
I'm Coming Out Diana Ross
Upside Down Diana Ross
Good times Chic
My Forbidden Lover Chic
Open Up Chic
One More Time Sister Sledge
Pretty Baby Sister Sledge
Thinking Of You Sister Sledge
Reach You Peak Sister Sledge
What About Me Chic
Why edit Carly Simon
Easier To Love Sister Sledge
Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song) Chic

And here's some more classics!