In a new video produced by Fender, iconic record producer and guitarist Nile Rodgers recounts Daft Punk‘s collaborative pitch: “They wanted to do a record as if the Internet never existed.”
That concept alone was music to the classically trained musician’s ears. So much so that when Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter immediately tried to follow up their pitch by playing Rodgers some demos, he declined.
“I don’t want to hear demos. I make records on the spot,” Rodgers said of his approach at the time. “As a studio musician I make records on the spot. I don’t know what song I’m going to play before I get there, but when I get there what I try and do is try and come up with the most clever part as quickly as possible.”
That exact thought process led to the creation of “Get Lucky” in seemingly no time at all.
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The famed Chic guitarist recalls one of his first interactions with the duo was at the Discovery listening party, where Daft Punk quietly dedicated the album to Bernard Edwards, Rodgers’ bandmate who had recently passed at the time. The gesture left an impression on him, and planted the seeds for one of electronic music’s most impactful works to come to fruition years later.
Fender recently launched a new version of the Nile Rodgers Hitmaker Stratocaster, modeled after the 1960-era guitar upon which Rodgers made his trade. Check out the limited edition guitar model here and watch Rodgers’ interview with the legendary guitar brand below.