Listen to a previously unreleased David Bowie “Let’s Dance” demo featuring Nile Rodgers
The recording has been unearthed to celebrate what would have been Bowie’s 71st birthday.
January 8 would have been David Bowie's 71st birthday. To celebrate the date, Parlophone has shared a previously unreleased demo version of his iconic 1983 hit "Let's Dance"" recorded with Chic's Nile Rodgers. The newly mixed version was made in in Montreux, Switzerland in 1982 by a band consisting of Bowie, Rodgers, Turkish-born guitarist Erdal Kizilcay, and an unidentified local guitarist and drummer,
Rodgers shared a statement about the recording. “I woke up on my first morning in Montreux with David peering over me,” he said. “He had an acoustic guitar in his hands and exclaimed, ‘Nile, darling, I think this is a HIT!’” He explained that the demo became a blueprint for the song as well as the entire Let’s Dance album. “The time we spent mixing it just before Christmas was full of tears as it felt like David was in the room with us. Happy Birthday David, I love you and we all miss you!”