Roosevelt and Nile Rodgers release new single Passion, a spangly ode to Studio 54

You could argue that much of Roosevelt’s work falls under the influence of disco, but now he’s going all-in on the sparkly ‘70s theme with Passion, a collaboration with legendary Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers.

Inspired by the decadence of places such as New York’s Studio 54, the new track was a co-write between Roosevelt (AKA Marius Lauber) and Rodgers, who provides trademark licks throughout. It also features Bim Amoako-Gyampah on backing vocals.

“Nile has been one of my biggest influences over the years, so working on a track together with him was an absolute dream come true,” says Lauber. “The track had many different shapes and forms over almost two years, so I'm happy to finally have a version that I'm happy with.

Explaining the production process, Lauber says: “Nile and I worked on the track remotely via phone calls and emails, before I finally met him in LA to celebrate the completion of it. The man is a living legend to me, and just talking to him about the early disco days was such a big inspiration. Passion is an ode to Studio 54, a homage to the energy and ecstasy of late-70s disco.”

Passion follows the release of Polydans, Roosevelt’s 2021 album, and he’s about to embark on a European tour.