Roosevelt Drops New Single, "Luna," Another Nod to Nile Rodgers of Chic

Influence from century to century continues, as Germany's Marius Lauber channels the Chic disco sounds of the '70s!

Speaking about his new (released June 29, 2023) double-sided single (how retro! Actually, “Ordinary Love” was released in May, and has already amassed over a million Spotify streams), Roosevelt told Koolrockradio.com: “‘Luna’ started as a jam with a bass line [which you can hear particularly at the beginning and end of the song] 2 years ago – it was laying on my hard drive already when doing my last album, Polydans, and it never really developed into a song.

“I’ve reconnected with some of my old equipment and a stripped down setup in the last months and finally made it work, turning it into a funk driven dance track”:

FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE has been on Roosevelt, now, for the last couple years of his now decade-long career. So, it was with great pleasure to be alerted early to the unveiling of this new single by the 32-year-old German native, Marius Lauber (who calls his musical project, Roosevelt, and currently lives in Cologne).

If you’re unfamiliar with Master Lauber, please discover him through our previous article of appreciation, here:

His pop-forward songwriting style in the current synth-pop lane makes him a bit of an anomaly, as so many of his contemporaries seem to noodle endlessly with one, maybe two, notes on their bank of synthesizers and intrusive drum track.

Not Lauber, who is not only armed with crafty ear-worm-worthy composing prowess, but carries a guitar, and employs the “wocka-chocka” chucking style made popular now and in the ‘70s by disco legend, Nile Rodgers. In fact, you can hear that style quite clearly toward the end of “Luna” (just before the 3-minute mark).

Lauber has learned from the masters, and one of them heard him. Rodgers produced Roosevelt’s 2022 “Passion”:

In our above article, we shine a spotlight on how giddy the former Chic (“Le Freak”) songwriter/producer was last year to the point of producing some sessions with Roosevelt!

Here’s Rodgers (front and center) with his Chic on NBC’s The Midnight Special around late 1978 or early ‘79. They’re playing their #1 smash, “Le Freak,” written by Rodgers and his songwriting partner (and Chic co-founder in 1972), Bernard Edwards (seen on screen right).

Mad props, also, should go to Chic drummer, Tony Thompson, who passed away in 2003 at only 48 years old. Thompson played with Diana Ross, David Bowie, Sister Sledge, and The Power Station, among others, in his career.

Do not overlook Edwards’ bass playing on this live track. It’s hard to determine just who and what influenced Roosevelt more…Rodgers’ unique guitar styling, or Edwards’ thunderous (and no less influential on the genre) bass playing!

Here’s a break-down and lesson on how to play Nile Rodgers’ “Le Freak” guitar part:

From 2016, Rodgers tells the origin story of “Le Freak” (Warning: Profanity)

Roosevelt has a U.S. tour planned for fall, followed by a UK and European winter tour (tour dates at very bottom of article). Along with his past high-profile collaboration with Nile Rodgers, Lauber has also collabbed with Classixx (below) and Washed Out, and had major remixes for the likes of Taylor Swift, CHVRCHES, Glass Animals, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, according to Music-news.com.

On “One More Song” (or, “1 More Sng”….oh, those texting kids!), Classixx and Roosevelt deliver, what Lagasta.com calls, “an infectious summery jam, ‘One More Song,’ full of sun-drenched vibes that has been on repeat on our car stereo”:

Roosevelt’s last full-length album, the 2021 Polydans, earned widespread acclaim from the music press, with Billboard declaring that it “balances ‘80s-inspired synth, disco, driving beats and cinematic textures into a musical amalgamation that simultaneously manages effervescence and heft,” with Pitchfork adding that “Lauber’s music vokes an earnest sweetness, forming crisp melodies around his smooth vocals”: