Chic ink deal with Warners for first new record in two decades

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/feb/03/chic-ink-deal-warners-new-record-two-decades

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Chic will release their first new album in more than two decades this June. The followup to Chic-ism welcomes a newly signed contract with Warner Bros for the funk group, as well as a deal with Land of the Good Groove, the label formed by Nile Rodgers and music executive Michael Ostin.

“My relationship with Warner and Michael formally started with Like a Virgin,” Rodgers said referring to Madonna’s 1984 hit. “The album is double diamond, just like our friendship is.”

Related: 10 essential Nile Rodgers songs: a beginner's guide

The new album marks the next chapter for Rogers, who has spent the past few years at the forefront of a disco revival, producing music for the likes of Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Avicii, Disclosure and Sam Smith, and becoming a festival staple with Chic.

Last year, Nile Rodgers hinted at a new album, announcing that he was working on a new Chic track featuring “almost everybody” who has ever sung with him. As one of the most sought-after composers and session guitarists of the past 40 years, the list of potential vocalists include everyone from David Bowie to Madonna, Paul Simon to Robert Plant.

While little else is known about the forthcoming album, Rodgers has reportedly collaborated with electronic producers including David Guetta, Disclosure and Avicii, and has written material based on Chic demos from 1983, which were recorded while he was working on Bowie’s Let’s Dance. “I like to affectionately call [them] the ‘Lost Chic Tapes’ because they just disappeared until recently,” he told Digital Spy last year. “I’ve already written hooks to five of the songs. They’re so amazing.”

Related: Nile Rodgers brings past collaborators back for new Chic song

Chic scored five UK top 10 singles between 1977 and 1979. Their last studio release was Chic-ism in 1992, following the reformation of the group with bassist Bernard Edwards, who died in 1996.

The first new single from the as-yet-untitled record will come out on 20 March, and the band will support Kylie Minogue at her Hyde Park show in London this June.