December 21, 2006 9:30

Duran Duran team-up with Justin Timberlake

New album sees them work with Timbaland too

Duran Duran have teamed up with Justin Timberlake on their new album.

The untitled follow up to 2004’s ’Astronaut’ sees the band collaborating with Timberlake on the track ’Night Runner’.

It is one of three tracks done with producer Timbaland.

Keyboardist Nick Rhodes said of working with Timberlake: “All of us have admired his work, particularly on his first solo album. He’s a real talent. It was quite natural for him and Simon (LeBon) to be working together on vocal arrangement and melodic structure.”

The two other Timbaland collaborations on the album are ’Skin Divers’ and ’Zooming In’.

The album will also feature the tracks ’48 Hours Later’ and ’Transcendental Mental’.

Speaking about the stylistic differences between the album’s tracks Rhodes said: “With (the Timbaland tracks) you can tell there was another hand in them for sure. Although they are a slight change of direction in that some of the others are a bit more guitar-heavy or indie sounding, Simon is the glue that holds them all together.”

Guitarist Andy Taylor’s departure in October led to the band’s change in sound. Rhodes told Billboard: “I truly wish him well. You never say never with these things. We may end up playing with Andy another day in the future.”