Producer Mark Ronson has called on friends like the Scissor Sisters and Santigold to help him with the recording of his new solo album.
Entitled Introducing The Business, the album will be Ronson's first album since 2007's hit record Version, which featured covers sung by artists like Amy Winehouse and Robbie Williams.
'There's a lot of really good songs. I've collaborated and written with a lot of talented people and people I'm a big fan of the Scissor Sisters, Santi, Mike Snow,' Ronson, brother of celebrity DJ Samantha Ronson, told AAP from New York.
'There's no covers and it's definitely more about the songs.
'It was a bit daunting coming off Version, which was a covers record and I covered my 13 favourite songs of all time. It's like, you're never going to match that.'
The London-born, New York-based musician has helped produce best-selling and award-winning albums for the likes of Winehouse, Lily Allen and Daniel Merriweather.
Ronson has recently been in the studio with 1980s English chart-toppers Duran Duran, and said they had influenced the sound on the new album.
'It's a lot more analogue and synth-heavy,' he said.
'I've been working on the new Duran Duran record for the past three or four months and it's definitely rubbed off.
'I've learnt a lot about keyboards from Nick Rhodes as well.'
Ronson hopes to finish recording the album by the end of February and have it out in time for the US summer.
Meanwhile, his influence can be heard on a new song by Sydney band Danimals, who won a competition to write and record a track with him in New York for a Tooheys Extra Dry commercial, and he hopes to collaborate with Melbourne singer Merriweather again in the future.
But he isn't so confident about recording with Winehouse again.
'All I can say is that I'd like to, but I'm not holding my breath,' Ronson said.
http://bigpondnews.c...bum_419819.html