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Written By Bernard Lopez of DiscoMusic.com
What follows is a very opinionated and entertaining primer on Disco music. It is not meant to be a reference article.
The Roots and Origins of Disco:While trying to pinpoint a definitive song or time that marked the beginning of the Disco era is rather difficult, many seem to settle on 1971 - 1972 as the start of Disco along with songs such as "Woman" by Barrabas, "Shaft" by Isaac Hayes and "Jungle Fever" by The Chakachas as well as the outgrowth of the Philly sound along with Salsa, Latin and even Jazz.
It should be noted that Disco at first was not really a style of music, but a way of playing music. Early Discos and nightclubs played a variety of music that was suitable to dancing and/or setting a mood that was conducive to having a good time or partying. It was not unusual to have early DJs such as Francis Grasso, David Mancuso or Nicky Siano play Rock, Motown, Soul, Blues Jazz and even some tribal sounds and chants during the course of the evening. It was the age of free-form and anything went. It wasn't until around 1973 - 1974 with Barry White's "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby" and the production work of Meco Monardo with Don Downing and Gloria Gaynor that we see a slew of music specifically tailored for the dance floor. Remixer Tom Moulton had a hand in this by extending the basic 3 minute single into 5-7 minute versions with a new technique called "the Break," which added a stripped down instrumental bridge. From this point on there was no stopping Disco as it swept across America and Europe.
News Flash:
Disco continues to thrive and be popular for the simple reason that it never went away and has been able to grow and evolve over the years. It has influenced all types of dance and popular music since. For all the criticism about Disco being phony or sounding all the same . . . it was for the most part created with actual instruments (even members of the LSO played Disco) and offered tremendous variety. Disco managed to incorporate emerging technology. Things that we now take for granted came about from the pioneering days of Disco. Such as the extended single, the concept of multiple mixes or remixes (which itself dates back to the 60's Dub scene in Jamaica), the Break, mixing between songs (as opposed to a simple segue) and sampling all came about or were popularized by Disco. It also brought about improvements in sound with the introduction of the higher fidelity twelve-inch single which is still with us today. More importantly, Disco is the foundation of all modern dance music and a force that shook up the establishment and tore down many socio-economic barriers. People of all incomes, races and sexual preference were able to enjoy Disco and have fun.
What Kinds Of Music?Everything from Pop, Techno, House, Rap and even Alternative have covered, sampled or just been plain influenced by Disco music. Everyone always likes to find out who or what influenced their favourite artist or group. Listen to some Disco and you'll hear it. Listen to all those filtered House tracks. What do you think is sampled throughout?
Why Did They Change The Name Disco To Dance Music?
Stupidity? Why was New Wave changed to Modern Rock/Alternative or Rap to Hip Hop. Dance music, Techno and House are just the logical evolution of Disco-period.
Are There Different Types Of Disco Music?
Of course, one can have Euro-disco ( Cerrone and Giorgio Moroder of Donna Summer fame) which itself can be broken down into Hi-NRG (Lisa, Pamala Stanley and the late Patrick Cowley who had influenced such groups as The Farm, New Order and The Pet Shop Boys.) Synth/Industrial . . . (Kraftwerk,Telex,Landscape, New Order andYazoo). There's even something many call symphonic or conceptual-orchestral Disco (Alec R. Costandinos and Boris Midney) where the artists used an entire album side or two to build upon a theme as in movements in Romantic or Classical music. It was complete with strings and horns interwoven with synths. The arrangements were very lush and layered. As a matter of fact, Boris Midney was one of the first to use 48 track recording to compose these works. How about Disco with a Jazz tinge? Try Vincent Montana, Laurin Rinder, Roy Ayers, Herbie Hancock... Of course there's plain old Disco (Lime, Grace Jones, Saint Tropez, Michael Zager, La Flavour and just about anything on theSalsoul, TK or Prelude record labels). Oh, how about Disco with a Funk/R & B feel (Jimmy "Bo" Horne,Cameo,Parliament /Funkadelic,Trussel, Undisputed Truth and Peter Brown) and . . . and . . . and . . . When one gets down to it, the lines between them all start to blur. In other words, it doesn't matter, just enjoy the music that is Disco!
You Haven't Mentioned The Bee Gees or Saturday Night Fever, Why Not?
That's it. I'm going to have to go postal on you. The Bee Gees and Saturday Night Fever are to Disco what New Kids On The Block are to Rock. It's cute, it's bouncy and yes, even fun-at times and I do enjoy the Bee Gee's in moderation, but to base an entire category of music on them or associate it to his movie is ridiculous. There is more to Disco than this. Please, if this is what you think Disco is, then it's time to expand your horizons. Look at every page of DiscoMusic.com. Lastly, what about Rick Dee's Disco Duck? Please . . .
What About Disco On The Radio?
Back in the '70s it was all too easy to find Disco on the radio dial. I can still remember hearing Jonathon Fearing, Ted Currier, Tony Humphries, Aldo Marin and other top DJs mixing on New York radio. That's all changed now. New York City no longer has WPIX, WABC, WXLO (99X), WSOU (89U), WBLS (still around, but not the same) and of course the "grand daddy" of them all, the original WKTU known as "Disco 92." What a magical time it was.
"Disco 92" came on the air in July of 1978 playing Donna Summer's "Last Dance" as their first song. They had suddenly switched formats from Rock and needed Disco records desperately to play on the air. Armed with only an American Express card, the radio station personnel went out and bought the records. They became the number one station in New York City within weeks.
My discovering it one day was a sort of coming of age experience. I recall that at the time I always had a portable radio with me wherever I went. I was just getting fed up with WABC's same ten records when I was surfing the dial and heard this music that just kept me tuned in. It's funny, but I was actually a little embarrassed that I liked it. I would turn back to the other stations, but I always came back to the new Disco station. By the end of that fateful day, I was a Disco music lover. The fever was on and many people said Rock was the cure. Did I listen?
As what happens to all music twenty years after it's debut, the renaissance of Disco and the 1970's is on and shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. Disco revival concerts, movies on Disco . . . So here we all are and we still want more Disco, on our iPods, car stereos and lastly on the radio. Luckily, today's radio has caught the Disco nostalgia bug as well. Long live Disco!
The End
Written by Bernard F. Lopez (Oct 31, 1996)
http://www.discomusic.com
Copyright © 1996 by Bernard F. Lopez
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