Released: October 14
Godfather of Disco Cerrone collaborates with the biggest names in dance music for a revised set of his classic hits and fan favourites.
Celebrating his 50th anniversary as an artist, the set sees the pop great revisit 16 singles and fan favourites, reworked by guest collaborators and all mixed by Cerrone himself.
Opening with the 1977 cut Give Me Love, the album covers cuts from his expansive repertoire, which boasts an impressive 23 studio albums, released between 1974 and 2020.
With the productions brought bang up to date, what stands out across the set is the enduring quality of the music, which sounds as fresh and relevant today as it did back in the pop legend’s heyday.
That, of course, is the mark of a good song, and as the current disco revival continues the album serves as a reminder of the brilliance of tracks such as Love In C Minor, Je Suis Music and – of course – the UK Top 10 hit Supernature.
His late 1970s work charted new territory for disco music by merging electronic synthesisers and traditional symphonic orchestrations in a way that hadn’t been heard before, and what’s sometimes lacking on ‘Cerrone By Cerrone’ is the raw brilliance of those early recordings, with the new versions – while sonically slick – often sounding ‘airbrushed’ in comparison.
Throughout his four-decade career, Cerrone has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Nile Rodgers, Toto, Laura Branigan, Jocelyn Brown, LaToya Jackson and Axelle Red, with his works being sampled and interpolated by acts including Daft Punk, Modjo, Bob Sinclar, The Beastie Boys and Run DMC.
In celebration of the project, he releases the brilliant new single Summer Lovin’ in collaboration with one of today’s hottest producers and remixers, Purple Disco Machine, proving the disco legend still has the music in him.
“I have had the privilege of being sampled a lot of times throughout the years, and this track means my music now crosses five generations, thanks to the many talented artists and producers that have been a part of my work,” he smiles.
“I was immediately seduced by Purple Disco Machines’s work as soon as I first heard it. With this collaboration he succeeded once again in helping spread the spirit of disco.”
While revisiting Cerrone’s catalogue is a nice exercise in nostalgia, the new material has us itching for what’s (hopefully) yet to come – we’re ready and waiting!
‘Cerrone by Cerrone’ is available now.