In one corner, we have Duran Duran, one of the biggest British pop and new wave acts of the 80s – in the other, American guitarist and producer Nile Rogers, founding member of Chic, an iconic figure in the history of funk and disco music. While both acts had their heydays in the 20th century, neither have been remotely quiet in the 2000s – Duran Duran have consistently released quality albums, while Rogers has enjoyed immense success with his Chic-revival live shows and chart-conquering singles like those with French house duo Daft Punk.

Duran Duran have worked extensively with Rogers, since both parties met at a Blondie concert in 1982. Rogers said of it “From the moment we met, we loved each other, we were running around the venue like little kids.” Rogers remixed the band’s 1984 song ‘The Reflex’, which shot to the top of the charts in the UK and US, becoming Duran Duran’s first American number one single. Rogers later produced and played guitar on their 1986 album ‘Notorious’, as well as contributing to their 2015 single ‘Pressure Off’, and has described Duran Duran as his “second band”.

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In a news bulletin on their website last June, Duran Duran shared that they had entered London’s famed Abbey Road Studios to record new music with Rogers. Last week, they began teasing the project, revealing the song would be called ‘Free To Love’ and would premiere on BBC Radio 2 at 7:30 this morning, the 23rd of April. The promotional material hinted at the music video being inspired by the BBC’s famous-but-retired chart show Top Of The Pops, a TV programme remembered fondly for the aesthetic style of its 70s and 80s designs. Both the music video and song are certainly a throwback. The video, which is produced by Grammy-winning director Jonas Åkerlund, is a beautiful pastiche of Top Of The Pops, starring DJ Clara Amfo as a presenter, while the song itself captures Duran Duran’s timeless pop sound within a sexy, disco groove driven by Roger’s signature funk guitar playing.

Duran Duran’s members write about the single on their site, with singer Simon Le Bon saying “Free To Love is disco for the 2020s. It’s up-beat and up-tempo; it’s about freedom; it’s about loving the modern world instead of hating it, and that is something we need right now. Be free! Be free to love!” Keyboardist Nick Rhodes mentions their joy at working with Rogers again, adding “Every time we plug in and play with Nile, the electricity he generates could light up a whole city. We share a common belief that music is a force for good and something that brings positive energy into the world. ‘Free To Love’ is our call to all the people out there who want peace, hope and understanding to prevail.” Their post also includes a quote from Nile Rogers, who says “True love is free and unconditional. My love for Duran Duran and what our music together has always been about, is the love we share for our song’s deepest meanings. Whatever chaos is going on outside, inside the studio we’re free to love our peace.”

‘Free To Love’ is out now on streaming platforms, ahead of Duran Duran’s blockbuster BST Hyde Park show on the 5th of July. Scissor Sisters have been announced as special guests on the bill, with further acts to be announced. Nile Rogers is playing in the UK this June and August, with full dates and tickets on his website.

Original members Steve Scipio (bass) and Patrick Patterson (guitar) had previously jammed together in the jazz fusion group Metre. The love affair with music began when Scipio had followed his family as a young boy from Guyana to Balham in South London in 1963, soon befriending Patterson who at the time was developing a real passion for rock music. Scipio, however, was a jazz lover, and took up bass. Before they knew it, they were enlisting other members to join them on their quest to tackle the British jazz circuit.

After a series of gigs at universities and working man’s clubs in the north, the dream had seemingly been snuffed out after drummer Phil Gibbs upped sticks and moved to Australia, pushing the duo to find a more permanent home – this time, at the prestigious Ronnie Scott’s in Soho. The pair were discovered by British R&B singer John Schroeder after he had stumbled upon them upstairs during rehearsals. Schroeder decided to take them under his wing, recording some of their demos and convincing Janus Records to sign them.

Cymande’s name derives from the calypso word for ‘dove’, which also shares the same name and lies in duality with one of their more known tracks, which followed their first single ‘The Message’. Once released into the ether, the group quickly began to make a name for themselves across the pond, with the song charting in the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B charts in the United States – a quasi-jazz-funk groove with hints of reggae that captured their essence perfectly. This quickly extended into invitations to tour with iconic American acts such as Al Green, funk-rock band Mandrill and jazz musician Ramsey Lewis.

Despite all of the buzz surrounding them, disagreements on style began to creep to the surface. Original lead singer Ray King’s departure pushed him to guide other artists on their journeys to success, including the formation of The Specials, and inevitably led him to be replaced by Joey Dee.

With a mixed Afro-Caribbean heritage, there was a real sense of community, with sometimes up to eight or nine members of the group interchangeably. Boasting a rich cultural identity and symbiotic relationship, the group were able to explore their sound a little deeper. ‘Brothers On The Slide’ was then born, and the group began to take over. Unbeknownst to them, Cymande had become the soundtrack to summer outings in the park, sticky basement jams and nightclubs throughout New York. By the turn of the 90s, their sound had grown particularly popular during the dawn of the hip-hop and house scene and had spread across numerous genres, with musicians like the Fugees and Wu-Tang Clan scrambling to sample them. Flattered by the recognition from different artists, the group have been promoting a specially curated Spotify playlist that includes all of the songs that have sampled their music.

Fast-forward to 2024, Cymande have embraced the digital age with open arms, taking to Instagram to announce their 2024 European and Australian tour, as well as a performance at O2 Shepherd’s Bush in London on April 20. The group said: “Our April show at @abconcerts in Brussels is now SOLD OUT. Thank you all very much. It’s been thrilling to see the excitement from all of you around this tour. Tickets are moving very quickly for Amsterdam and London so don’t miss out!”

The first page in a remarkable new chapter, the band have also unveiled the upcoming release of their own documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande which was first launched at film festivals in 2022. Directed by Tim Mackenzie-Smith, the documentary is said to tell the ultimate musical survival story, transporting you from 70s Brixton to 90s New York to a present revival decades later.

Showcasing their legacy, influence and cult following throughout the ages, it will also feature interviews with Mark Ronson, Laura Lee and Mark Speer (Khruangbin), DJ Maseo (De La Soul), Jazzie B (Soul II Soul), Cut Chemist, Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Louie Vega and Kool DJ Red Alert.

Getting It Back will touch down in UK and Irish cinemas on February 16 2024, with tickets available to pre-book now. The film will be screened in select theatres, including BFI (Southbank), Bertha DocHouse, Ritzy, Ealing Picturehouse, Picturehouse FACT, Hackney Picturehouse, Picturehouse Central, West Norwood Picturehouse, and many more to come.

Sharing their excitement surrounding the film’s premiere, the band commented: “We are thrilled to announce that Getting It Back: The Story Of Cymande will premiere at @britishfilminstitute Southbank in London on February 13th! That event will feature a Q&A and an after party as well...Come celebrate with us!”

An inspiration to musicians around the globe, Cymande’s discography has clearly stood the test of time, and with bands like Ezra Collective being crowned Mercury Prize winners, it appears there is a welcomed return of jazz and funk to the UK soundscape. Voiced in a statement posted on their official website, the band are said to be “currently working on new music to be released later in 2024.” You can listen to and browse through Cymande’s musical history here.

The tour will see Squid travel to North America for the fourth time following visits in November 2021, March 2022 and September 2022, and will commence in Austin, Texas on February 2nd 2024 and will conclude in Los Angeles, California on March 1st. The tour will be the first time Squid have the chance to showcase live performances of tracks from O Monolith for their American and Canadian fans.

North America we’re coming back. Tickets on sale Friday at 10am: https://t.co/OqnuoPfCSZ pic.twitter.com/uwiuTHqnXu

— Squid (@squidbanduk) April 18, 2023

The highly anticipated new album has already been performed live in the UK (see below) and will see a continuation of Squid’s experimentation with a multitude of differing rock genres. Speaking to NME, Ollie Judge, the group’s lead singer and drummer, states that the band have been “leaning a lot more into experimental song structures“, further adding that the album is “quite proggy – for better or worse“.

See O Monolith being performed live below:

Judging from their latest release, “Undergrowth“, “quite proggy” seems quite the understatement. An initial simple drumbeat and bassline is interrupted by a funky guitar section before Judge begins with his abstract lyrics, his vocals seemingly Hugh Cornwell-esque as we get into the chorus. The bassline returns along with the introduction of the brass and keyboards, and then returns the funk-rock of the guitars, and, slightly further on, a Black Midi-esque noise-rock section encapsulates us. All this and we are halfway through the six minute thirty five seconds song.

Watch the music video for “Undergrowth” below:

O Monolith will therefore be an expression of experimentation, blending together post-punk, art-rock, funk-rock and prog-rock to create an immaculate example of artistic brilliance.

Squid were formed in Brighton in 2016, releasing their first EP, Town Centre, in 2019 and their debut album, Bright Green Field, in 2021, the latter of which receiving widespread critical acclaim and reaching number four on the UK Albums Chart. The group consists of Ollie Judge on lead vocals and drums, Louis Borlase and Anton Pearson on both guitar and bass guitar, Arthur Leadbetter on keyboards and strings and Laurie Nankivell on brass.

Pre-order O Monolith now here.

See below for North American tour dates:

02/02/2024 – The Parish – Austin
03/02 – Dada – Dallas
05/02 – The Basement East – Nashville
06/02 – Terminal West – Atlanta
08/06 – 9.30 Club – Washington
09/02 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia
10/02 – Brooklyn Steel – Brooklyn
14/02 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston
15/02 – Sat – Montreal
16/02 – Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto
18/02 – Thalia Hall – Chicago
19/02 – Fine Line – Minneapolis
23/02 – Revolution Hall – Portland
24/02 – Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver
25/02 – The Crocodile Showroom – Seattle
27/02 – Regency Ballroom – San Francisco
29/02 – The Observatory OC – Santa Ana
01/03 – The Belasco – Los Angeles

Buy tour tickets here.

The Parliament-Funkadelic legend originally announced his retirement from touring almost two years ago, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, his UK farewell tour had to be put on hold.

Clinton stated to NME at the time “This has been coming a long time, anyone who has been to the shows over the past couple of years has noticed that I’ve been out front less and less.”

“Truth be told, it’s never really been about me. It’s always been about the music and the band. That’s the real P-Funk legacy. They’ll still be funkin’ long after I stop.”

Last year, Clinton also joined Cypress Hill on the Pubic Enemy track “GRID”. Taken from the iconic rap group’s 15th studio album, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?, “GRID” envisages a post-apocalyptic world where digital communication has been eradicated.

Filmed in the desert, the track’s accompanying music video starts off like a Zoom chat, with each member of the group, as well as Cypress Hill’s B-Real, situated in different locations. Footage of a joint performance from Public Enemy with George Clinton also features throughout.

He released his last album Medicaid Fraud Dog back in 2018 and now, the 80-year-old has announced he and Parliament-Funkadelic will hit the UK next May for a short run of dates. The tour will begin in Nottingham and then go on to London, Glasgow, Bristol, Manchester, Margate and Scarborough.

Tickets are on sale now here and you can see the full list of dates below.

George Clinton Tour Dates:

05/22/22 Rock City – Nottingham
05/23 O2 Forum Kentish Town – London
05/24 O2 Academy – Glasgow
05/26 O2 Academy – Bristol
05/27 Albert Hall – Manchester
05/28 Dreamland – Margate
05/29 Open Air Theatre – Scarborough

Pray comes as a kickstart to Joe Armon-Jones’ own label Aquarii Records, which will serve as an outlet for all his own releases. The website states “Aquarii is the new label from London-based keyboardist, composer and producer Joe Armon-Jones, officially launched on May 4th, 2021 with his new solo single ‘Pray’. Aquarii will be a home for all of Joe’s forthcoming solo releases and collaborative work.” With an active music year from Joe, releases on Aquarii are set to roll in at a steady pace, with the inclusion of physicals. The new single currently has a 10” vinyl that is available on 2^nd August for purchase including an exclusive bonus track only on the vinyl release of the single titled ‘Nothing Move’.

The single artwork for Pray was done by frequent collaborator Divya Scialo, it depicts three men in a studio praying with the backdrop of the night sky. Along with the single artwork is a new logo for the label animated by Hamil Industries, a “Multidisciplinary studio providing sensory tidbits for your futuristic cravings”. The studio have animated the logo in a way that it responds to the new single by transforming the logo into a sound wave. The logo in action can be found on the labels Instagram here. Whilst we await further music from Joe Armon-Jones, make sure to stream the new single Pray available on all major platforms below.