Nile Rodgers counts down to next week’s FOLD festival at Martha Clara

Music legend Nile Rodgers is a man on fire, a whirling dervish who wakes up on overdrive, bursting with ideas and details as he puts the finishing touches on the Freak Out Let’s Dance, or FOLD, music festival he promises will wow crowds of all ages at Martha Clara Vineyards next Tuesday and Wednesday.

But the flurry of interviews, recording sessions, speaking engagements, calls and scheduling demands is nothing new to a man whose award winning career includes chart-topping hits, accolades and a string of A-list clients, including Madonna.

Laughing, Rodgers remembers the time Madonna called him while she was on a plane in Morocco, asking if he could help her to upgrade her seat.

“This is the kind of turbo charger that fuels my engine,” he said. “I’m a producer, I’m a problem solver. I wake up in the morning and the world is basically imploding.”

Artists reach out at all hours for a wide array of issues.

“When I thought about it, I was flattered that I got that phone call, because Madonna thought of me as having her best interests at heart and knew I’d move heaven and earth to fix the problem.”

It’s the relationship he’s built with some of the top names in the music industry that’s led to the all-star lineup at next week’s FOLD festival at Martha Clara Vineyards, where Rodgers is bringing his legendary touch to the event.

The festival takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday; co-produced by music industry veteran Michael Ostin and Peter Herman of Nile Rodgers Productions, the FreakOut Let’s Dance Festival will feature some of the biggest names in the industry, including Beck, Pharrell Williams, Keith Urban, Duran Duran, Paloma Faith, Grandmaster Melle Mel, Chaka Khan, Janelle Monae, and Q-Tip. Nile Rodgers/Pharrell won a Grammy for Album of the Year in 2014 and Beck received the same honor in 2015.

Planning the event is a monumental task, Rodgers said. “My nerves are kicking in,” he laughed this week. Preparing for the show, he said, is a well-choreographed dance, with technical requirements, visuals, and elaborate performances all requiring careful planning and finesse.

The line-up, he said, “is ridiculous,” and not only is he curating the show, but Rodgers is also performing 28 songs that normally aren’t featured on his set list. “It’s going to be insane. Back to back hits.” Rodgers curates the play list, replicating the experience he had the first time he walked into nightclub and heard a DJ going from one song to the next. “I thought it was the coolest thing, all about the environment and the DJ’s ability to read the crowd — continuous music from the minute you walk in.”

That’s why, Rodgers said, no matter what time someone arrives for next week’s two-day show, the music will be “jamming. No matter what time, I’m confident that you’ll walk in and say, ‘Whoa, that’s my favorite song.’”

The aim, he said, is to do “something extraordinary and grandiose.”

Hopefully, Rodgers said, the event will resonate with the local community. “If million dollar talent can come in and I can pull this off, we can really change how we think about festivals in this local area.”

In Europe, he said, there’s a different mentality about festivals, with individuals going alone, “to be among people where they find the potential for a new affinity.” In the United States, he said, most people tend to go only if “their friends are going,” he said.

The aim is to recreate the “warm and loving vibe” of the last event he organized at Martha Clara.

Working with Riverhead Town and the Riverhead police, Rodgers said, has been seamless. During the last concert, there “was not one negative incident,” he said, with local officials applauding his parking plan.

As the concert draws near, Rodgers said the energy is amping up. “People are really excited,” he said.

While some might have been initially skeptical, Rodgers assured his close ties to the other musicians on the lineup guarantee a show to remember. “People look at the names and quality of talent and say they’ve heard about other festivals being canceled. If I give you my word, I’m there. The people I work with are my friends. They give me their word — and they’re there.”

At the last concert, Avicii flew in from abroad just to make the show, then stayed up till the wee hours with Adam Lambert and the crowd at the after party. “They didn’t want to leave. We had to peel them out at 4:30 a.m.,” he laughed.

This year’s event will feature a DJ tent, an “off the charts after party” at the Suffolk Theatre, with “superstar DJs”, Rodgers said.

All different age groups will find music to love and dance to in the wide-ranging lineup, he said. “”I think people are going to be shocked, surprised and happy at how well these seemingly disparate elements go together, at the love between these different artists, and how comfortably I can roll in and out of any situation and perform with all these acts. It’s going to be as smooth as a gravy sandwich.”

Rodgers, a songwriter, producer and founder of Chic, the legendary dance band behind megahits including “Le Freak” and “Good Times,” has collaborated with stars including Madonna, David Bowie, Duran Duran, and more recently Daft Punk, with whom he picked up three Grammy Awards in 2014, Pharrell Williams, Aviici and Disclosure. He shared his vision for the FOLD festival earlier in June.

Reflecting on the success of the last event held at Martha Clara two years ago, Rodgers said, “We’re going to try and top that. If last time was any indication, we’re going to get a loving crowd in an amazing location, with million-dollar talent and absolutely breathtaking artists and amenities.”

Ticket and event details

Riverhead will receive a special allotment of Festival tickets at a special local price of $95. “Local” tickets can be purchased with Riverhead Town issued ID, such as a driver’s license or birth certificate, at the Martha Clara Vineyard box office , 6025 Sound Avenue, or the Suffolk Theatre box office, located at 118 E. Main St. Riverhead.
All other FreakOut! Festival tickets may be purchased by going to ticketfly.com and searching “FOLD” festival.

Tickets come in three tiers: General admission, $137, includes free parking and shuttles from the Riverhead train station or the Suffolk Theatre; VIP, $399, which includes access to the “VIP Garden,” featuring a shaded VIP relaxation area, complimentary VIP appetizers and dinner with two drink tickets and a cash bar; and a Ultra VIP ticket, for $999, which includes access to the private VIP viewing area at the main stage, and artist compound, complimentary cuisine with top shelf open bar, massages, and bag check; access to the wine tent with tastings, private golf cart transport throughout the festival, access to the VIP Garden, private VIP rest rooms, VIP entrance and exit re-entry, dedicated concierge, and parking or transportation shuttle.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, Aug. 4

Parking opens at 4 p.m. (both days)
Doors open at 5 p.m. (both days)
Show starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. (both days)
Beck
Pharrell Williams
Keith Urban
Chuck D
Eric B.
Thomas Gold
Paloma Faith
The Martinez Brothers
Hosted by Nile Rodgers and Chic
Emcee: Grandmaster Melle Mel
Additional artists to be announced.

Wed., Aug. 5

Duran Duran
Chaka Khan
Janelle Monae
Grandmaster Melle Mel
Q-Tip
Slander
GTA
Snoh Aalegra
Nile Rodgers and Chic
Emcee: Grandmaster Melle Mel

Suffolk Theatre after party from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Free shuttles will run from 3 p.m. to midnight from the Riverhead railroad station and the Suffolk Theatre. Parking is also available downtown and at the railroad station.