FRANKLIN Teams up with Cedric Gervais to Remix NILE RODGERS 'CHIC' Track 'Everybody Dance' | We Talk Music, Lockdown and NYE Resolutions
The legendary Nile Rodgers has teamed up with Global superstar DJ Cedric Gervais and rising talent Franklin to unveil a reworking of the CHIC 1978 iconic dance smash hit ‘Everybody Dance’. The new version includes brand new re-recorded guitar parts from the three-time Grammy award winner and global icon Nile Rodgers.
Sometimes the best things in life happen in entirely unexpected ways. When Cedric Gervais collaborated with Franklin, you already had an intriguing proposition. Gervais is a global icon of the house music scene with a Grammy Award to his credit for his remix of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness’ as well as 3.5 million monthly listeners at Spotify.
Meanwhile, Franklin is a multifaceted one to watch, having remixed Mabel, James Arthur and AJ Mitchell, topped the UK Dance Chart and collaborated on Karen Harding x Digital Farm Animals, which was highlighted as Radio 1’s Tune of the Weekend. Cedric discovered Franklin’s early remixes and work with Digital Farm Animals, and reached out to collaborate with one of the scene’s most exciting new underground talents.
Among music legends, Nile Rodgers is truly exceptional. He amplifies his legacy as a composer, producer, arranger and guitarist by constantly traversing new musical terrain and successfully expanding the boundaries of popular music. As the co-founder of CHIC and the Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Rodgers pioneered a musical language that generated chart-topping hits like “Le Freak,” (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records) and sparked the advent of hip-hop with “Good Times”. Nile’s work in the CHIC Organization and his productions for artists like David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Madonna have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide.
When the two producers planned to create something truly uplifting, they thought back to their earliest influences, and particularly to the artists who have that rare ability to take you somewhere else during the course of a track. They both gravitated to one band in particular: CHIC. They deployed sparkling pop synths and modernist house production to give ‘Everybody Dance’ a fresh energy without losing the essence of what made it a stone cold classic.
Back in 2016, Gervais had remixed the Sigala track ‘Give Me Your Love’, which featured Nile Rodgers. It had been warmly received, and Gervais took the opportunity to send his version of ‘Everybody Dance’ to the man who co-wrote it with his late bandmate Bernard Edwards.
Nile Rodgers loved it. And to help the track make the biggest impact possible, he re-recorded his funk-fuelled guitar parts and sent them back to Gervais and Franklin to create the new version of the track that you hear today. The result is a beacon of positivity: a track that provides a moment of joyous celebration to help bring people together at the end of a bleak year.
“I heard about Franklin after working with Digital Farm Animals on our single Touch The Sky. He’s a young, exciting producer and we both shared the same idea about the original sample from Chic ‘Everybody dance’ .. we went back and forth remotely and when it felt really good we were able to get the record to Niles. We just wanted his approval but he loved it so much that he said he wanted to replay the guitars and be part of the project. Its such fun record!” - Cedric Gervais
“Everybody Dance was the first song I wrote. More than 40 years later it still gets played thousands of times a day around the world and it still makes everybody dance. I love that Cedric and Franklin wanted to remake it while staying true to the CHIC spirit that Bernard and I put into everything we did together. I was therefore really happy to play and produce on it and bring it to a new generation of dancers.” – Nile Rodgers
Hi Franklin, tell us how the collaboration came about with Cedric Gervais and Nile Rodgers
Hi guys! It was a total coincidence that me and Cedric both had really similar ideas of using the same ‘Everybody Dance’ sample. A mutual friend of ours in the industry knew we had similar songs and suggested we got in contact with each other. Cedric and I figured it made sense to produce a new version together which we did online due to the lockdowns in place at the time. Once we were really happy with the track, the aim was to just get Nile’s blessings on the track before releasing it. Instead Nile got back to use straight away saying he genuinely loved it and wanted to be a part of the record! Within a couple days we had his newly re-recorded guitar parts on the record and it was ready. Fair to say I was BUZZING at this point...Still am to be honest
What’s the song about?
For me, everybody dance was always so instantly recognisable when you heard that Bernard Edwards bass riff. From there onwards, it’s just such a feel-good, dance floor anthem. I just couldn’t resist trying to reimagine the song in a more contemporary dance-crossover setting. When I heard Nile not only loved it but actually wanted to cut the guitars down himself, I genuinely didn’t believe it, I still can’t even believe it now!!
What was your experience of lockdown like – did it affect your creativity at all?
It definitely had an impact. Thankfully I got to spend a large chunk of it working on Everybody Dance with Cedric and Nile but there was a spell about 6 weeks into lockdown where creatively nothing was working for me. Not being able to do ordinary things that I probably took for granted prior to lockdown caught up on me by that point.
Were you a CHIC fan before this collab came about?
Of course, who isn’t a fan? Chic have albums worth of timeless classics.
How do you usually generate ideas for making tracks?
I don’t think there’s one specific way I approach it. Can be something as simple as accidentally hearing a melody of the chord progression in your head and taking it from there, or just being inspired by something you’ve heard on the radio etc. Having said that, I think the most exciting way for me personally is just accidentally stumbling onto a sound or sample that instantly clicks.
Tell us about some of your solo work
I’ve been releasing solo material for about 2 years now as Franklin. It’s been a big mashup between original releases, official remixes for amazing acts like Mabel, Steve Aoki and James Arthur as well as a couple ‘reimaginings’ like my latest release ‘Everybody Dance’ with Cedric & Nile.
With New Years around the corner, what are your NYE resolutions music-wise?
I think the first resolution would be to start doing some live-shows (Covid-19 permitting of course!). Other than that, I just wanna continue putting out more and more music throughout 2021. A cheeky hit wouldn’t go amiss either I suppose.
What advice would you give an emerging artist?
Keep at it. If you’re putting the hours in and truly believe in your craft, something will happen. Then from that something, something else will happen and so on and so on until it all starts to feel like it’s falling into place.No doubt about it. Also, if you’re having an ‘off-day’ or two or three, there’s no shame in taking a breather instead of working up stress over a slightly less productive day/s!
What is the weirdest or funniest interview experience each of you had?
Hmm, great question. The first thing that comes to mind is a recent zoom interview I did with Cedric & Nile about our new release. The host (Mistajam) was in his professional radio studio, Cedric was in his recording studio with plaques all over the walls and Nile was in his plush New York City apartment. Meanwhile, I was in my Dad’s sauna-looking shed/office in Norfolk being roasted by everyone for it. Was definitely one I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
What do you enjoy most about being a musician?
Sounds very cheesy but I love how ‘free’ I feel doing what I do. Honestly couldn’t think of a job I’d ever like more. Up till now, the saying ‘Do a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life’ is how I feel about it all.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
I love the industry I work in but it’s far from perfect. One thing I saw recently struck a chord (no pun intended). I can’t remember the exact figure but it was something ridiculous like just 4% of the UK’s entire music production scene is made up of females which is genuinely insane, in a very bad way. A more even playing field is needed to start rectifying this, it just isn’t right at the minute.
Interview by | Danielle Burbidge