LucratiV, Lord Nelson, Badjohn Republic get down in the disco

IT'S 44 years since the release of Robert “Lord Nelson” Nelson’s iconic tune Disco Daddy, which dominated the airwaves.

Now the legendary artiste has teamed up with Joel “LucratiV” Joseph and producer Kyle “Badjohn Republic” Phillips to create a modern interpretation of it.

The three-minute, 21-second track has elements of old-school kaiso and modern calypso/soca. From a smooth and groovy brass arrangement that almost invites you to dance, to the energy-packed, contemporary vocals, Lord Nelson himself has said he is in love with it.

It was written by Joseph, Phillips, Nelson, and Patrick “Vybe” Gordon. Phillips’ father, veteran producer Kenny Phillips, did the brass arrangement as well as live guitars.

The other musicians included Oral Rodriguez on tenor sax, Roger Jaguar on trumpet and David Jacob on trombone. Gena-Marie Bureaux did background vocals and it was mastered by Nikholai “NMG Music” Greene.

It was released on October 14 and is currently on YouTube and other digital music streaming platforms.

The track begins with the two artistes hailing each other out.

Joseph shouts, “Nello!” to which Nelson replies, “Aye, young boy!”

Joseph asks, “When last we make dem dance?” and Nelson replies, “Long time!”

The song follows the storyline of a man spotting an attractive woman at a disco party and inviting her to dance.

Joseph asks the woman when was the last time she went on “an adventure” and assures her it's about to be a night to remember as they “make a memory” there.

The hook goes, “When we down in d disco, dancing away d night/Start up d conga line/Come let we take the spotlight.”

The music video, directed by Camy Cam, also pays homage to Nelson’s original Disco Daddy, as it features rollerskaters. In the legendary track, Nelson sings about seeing an 80-something-year-old woman on rollerskates “doing she ferris wheel and disco splitting.”

The central theme of dancing with one’s lover remained the same, as well as the iconic synth toms.

Raised in a family of musicians and music lovers, Joseph began his journey by playing pan as a child. He said during his school days, he began dabbling in songwriting and then later singing, and it stuck. He also plays piano.

In addition to writing tunes for himself, he has written for Bajan soca artiste Marzville. He has worked in not just soca but also dancehall, afrobeats and hip-hop.

He said he always loved Nelson’s music, along with artistes like the Mighty Shadow, Sugar Aloes and others.

“I always had this vision of being able to do something that could go down in history and be remembered.

“Some years ago, I actually did a pan song with the late Ken 'Professor' Philmore that we both arranged, so to now be able to do something like this has been great.

"I never thought I would ever get the opportunity to work with
the Lord Nelson."

At the beginning of the music video, Nelson praises the tune saying, “This is going up class, baby. This new track I did – yeah, that is it! In the disco, we’re groovy. Get in that groove, man!”

Phillips told Newsday Nelson was ecstatic about the track. He said the intention was never for it to sound exactly like the 1980 tune.

“It's a new version, a new interpretation, a new, young version of that song. So it's not meant to sound as live or as crazy or as genius as that one is.”

As for Nelson’s opinion on the track, “He (Nelson) said, ‘It is a wonderful representation of my song. It feels like a modern-day Disco Daddy and I love it.'

“He's interested in it and how much he likes it. Although Nelson might be 94, because he is still very young at heart, he really felt this song.”

In addition to being the inspiration behind the track, a writer and his contributions to the intro, Nelson also did ad-libs.

Phillips is currently working on a project called Soca Revival and this track is part of it. He is hoping to mix old school with new school to provide a sound that is both fresh and nostalgic.

“And I have kind of experienced this for my entire life, because Kenny’s friends or clients would always be interested in me bringing a ‘younger’ sound. Sometimes Kenny would come and say, ‘Kyle, this song that I'm doing here feels a little bit younger than me. You could mix this or master this?’

“And to think about it, that’s Kenny Phillips, the man who(produced) (Ras Shorty I’s) Watch Out My Children and (Machel Montano’s) Soca Santa asking you for help on a song. That's a crazy achievement.”

He added, “Because it's my father, it sometimes doesn't seem as grand, but it really is.”

It’s his second time working with Nelson, the first being
on a track titled Bam Bam by Nelson and The Fatha.

Joseph said some of the feedback he has had on the track so far includes comments like, “It’s classy soca,” “It’s bridging the new and the old and taking us back to our roots,” and “I can’t help myself from dancing and moving.”

He added, “Even people who said they don’t particularly listen to soca said they loved the track.”

He is proud and happy, as he worked very hard, and praised Phillips for his extensive work.

He said the public can look forward to more releases from him in the upcoming months.

However, he also wants to join the movement of helping soca move away from its “seasonal” tradition, as he believes it is a genre meant to be enjoyed year-round.