Boogie Rookie - First We Take Manhattan

Synth-pop enigma Boogie Rookie takes Cohen to the club on new single ‘First We Take Manhattan’

In his take on Leonard Cohen’s 1988 synth classic, the Danish DJ turned producer takes his 80’s electro-pastiche to the next level with vocoders, mystical villain-speak and technicolor synths.

“It felt almost blasphemic covering a great like Cohen but I knew it had to be done. The song screams Cerrone and Moroder and I knew it would work in a slightly more clubby setting.” says the singer and producer.

The song is co-produced with another Danish synth-pop icon Niels Bagge Hansen better known as Vinnie Who. Bagge says “Once we dived into Cohen’s song there were layers and layers of synths and niceness to take from, so we tried to stay true to the original just adding a few roles that make the song ready for modern underground discos”

‘First We Take Manhattan’ comes off Boogie Rookie’s debut album for Music For Dreams, set to release in 2026.