Bernard Edwards R.I.P.

It’s fifteen years ago today since Bard of the Bass and all-round rapper’s delight, Bernard Edwards, died of pneumonia following a gig with Chic in Tokyo. He had reportedly mentioned to bandmate Nile Rodgers that he was feeling unwell, but couldn't be persuaded to cancel the concert. Nile found him dead in his hotel room only hours later.

There are a great many ‘Nard moments to rave on about, but I will always be particularly transported by his solo in ‘Le Freak’ (the extended mix). This is ‘Nard centre-stage, nailing it down with minimum sweat and maximum poise. Who else could play the same riff for over a minute and make it sound so spellbinding? I love those dizzying, ever-ascending strings that swirl around him like a blizzard, and also the layered handclaps that appear just as you're about to burst with anticipation for the chorus. When he drops that little slide in at 3.47, it’s almost like an exclamation mark (fuck!) and a quick gasp of breath before his outro lick and then we’re back in. Sexual.

Apparently, when he was starting out, ‘Nard used to drop his plectrum all the time, so he developed a technique (nicknamed ‘chucking’) that involved using his fingernail as though it were a pick. This meant, unusually, that ‘Nard’s downstrokes had the brightness and attack of a picked note, whilst his upstrokes had the warmth of a thumbed note. This unique hard/soft combination is perhaps best illustrated on the jaw-dropping intro to ‘Everybody Dance’.

Why not give it a whirl at home?