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The Playlist Special: Top Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10
Nile Rodgers: Disco

"I watched this sweeping change where New York morphed from dangerous to wonderful, a hip mosaic," recalls Chic's mastermind. "Inside a club, it was nirvana."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen: Nile Rodgers' Top Disco Songs

  • 1.
    "Girl You Need A Change Of Mind" | Eddie Kendricks, 1973

    This is disco's Big Bang. So many breakdowns, so intricate.

  • 2.
    "Love To Love You Baby" | Donna Summer, 1975

    It was over-the-top erotic, and it was life-changing. It opened my mind to this new music.

  • 3.
    "Cherchez La Femme" | Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, 1977

    A retro record that reeked of the big-band music I loved as a child. This was the essence of the Chic formula – an experience that transformed you back to a different era, but you were still in modern times.

  • 4.
    "Good Times" | Chic, 1979

    It was the "disco sucks" summer, but this was a hit anyway.

  • 5.
    "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" | Santa Esmeralda, 1977

    It sets this magical Spanish guitar to a big, building groove.

  • 6.
    "My Love is Free" | Double Exposure, 1976

    They wrote about the economy and politics, breaking away from just love and dancing.

  • 7.
    "Supernature" | Cerrone, 1977

    It felt like art: Dalí or Picasso with a groove. Later, we ripped off the bass line for "I Want Your Love."

  • 8.
    "In the Bush" | Musique, 1978

    This guy just did crazy harmonic stuff. His records were half the foundation of what I've written the rest of my life.