Roger Taylor Recalls Duran Duran Facing Challenges Due To Disco And Rock Combination

As Duran Duran travels North America for their current tour, drummer Roger Taylor recently took some time to speak with Catalyst about the band’s history. From a tour stop in Austin, he shared experiences from their early years and the difficulties they faced due to their blend of genres.

The drummer brought insight into the strict boundaries of the music industry in the ’80s scene by saying:

“When we grew up and when we were young, music was very compartmentalized, You were either into rock, or you were into ska, or you were into punk, or you were into disco, and it was all very tribal. And you couldn’t cross over its lines. And if somebody who liked rock heard a record that was influenced by disco, which we were in the early days, ‘Aw, man, that sucks!'”

Then, he mentioned the situation’s effect on the group:

“It was very hard to cross over the lines, which is what we were doing. We were embracing rock, and we were embracing electronics; we were embracing disco. We just kind of came up with this sound, I think was original. Although we were drawing on a lot of different obvious influences, we did create something that was quite original, I think.”

Duran Duran’s latest album, ‘Future Past,’ contained several elements that reflected their signature style. The record, including its third single, ‘Anniversary,’ featured the electronic-dance pop and funk rock sounds associated with the band, with a connection to their ’80s work.

According to Taylor’s 2021 statements reported by Newsweek, the band tried to protect their sound and style with every new project, as he explained:

“When we make a new album, it needs to be a Duran Duran album. But it needs to feel contemporary as well. So striking that balance often can be quite tricky. And once we’ve achieved it, if we’ve got it right, that’s sort of the heart of what we do. And with this album, I think we’re pretty confident that we have hit that criteria.”

Duran Duran is currently working on a new record with Andy Taylor. As John Taylor announced a few months ago, the guitarist will play in the studio with the rest of the band despite his health issues, but the release date of the upcoming album is unknown.