What Exactly Is Deep Disco?

[Houseman]

Ran across this "new" buzz term "deep disco". Been looking around on the web for info but haven't found a clear definition. Anyone here know?

Houseman
www.VirgoLounge.com

[Videoskooter]

Honestly, I don't know :lol: I would say, the more heavy, underground sounds like f.i. Gino Soccio, CJ & Co.

I'm always amazed when the folks here are talking about all these categories. I usually think: oh is that so???? For me personnally Disco has two categories: mainstream (poppy, easy, catchy) and club (deep?, enchanting, trancing, moving) . :D

[neonlights]

I had no idea this term was catching on! I'm not completely sure myself, but I'd say it's like Videoskooter said; more underground, heavier.. This fits into the "underground" category as well, but I'd also include disco with a darker, moodier sound in that (ie. Tamiko Jones - Can't Live Without Your Love, Dennis Parker - Like An Eagle etc..).

I first heard the term on a site I loved called deepdisco.com; they used to spotlight underground disco stuff semi-regularly. Kind of a precursor to the mp3 blogs now.. Hopefully it comes back online one day..

[Disco Funk]

I haven't really gotten into the subcategories of subcategories when it comes to naming disco. I still prefer using more generic descriptions like 'funky disco', 'soul disco', 'reggae disco', etc...

Disco Funk

[Houseman]

I haven't heard of it before myself, but it does fit. House branched to Deep House for example. Why not Deep Disco, but a true definition needs to be developed.

For instance look at the term Garage, which can mean a gamut of things from UK to Rock Bands. Deep Disco could require a collection of criteria to be considered.
- Level of Obscurity
- Release Period
- String and Bass Arragement
- Vocal or Instrumental
- How much of the product was released or pressed

??????????

Houseman
www.VirgoLounge.com

[Paulo]

If these division labels had existed in the 70's, no one would take RINDER & LEWIS's LUST or CERRONE's SUPERNATURE or GINNO SOCCIO's DANCE TO DANCE in the same bandwagon as VILLAGE PEOPLES's MACHO MAN or BEE GEE's STAYING ALIVE.

[eddie]

I'm going through a similar sub-genre crisis in soul.
There's certain nomencloture that I believe is descriptive.
For example:

1)Quiet Storm-Defined 70's soul ballads much in the vein of the Smokey Robinson hit.

2)Urban groove-An album by Marcus Johnson that describes how 90's smooth jazz fuses elements of 80's soul with jazz

3)Retro nuevo-Describes adult oriented soul with heavy harmonies from mid 80's to mid 90's. Retro nuevo is also the name of the album that the Billy Vera hit "At this moment" is from. It took 5 years of regional play for it to be a major hit.

4)Black Rocca-Describes Black guitar heavy rock like Baby Huey, Buddy Miles, and Funkadelic. It's also the name of a soul rock Stax album by the Bar-kays.
5)Salsoul-Combination of soul with Latin as evidenced by Philly label of same name.
In summation, the best subgenre categories cite memorable songs or albums in that style. To base a category on obscurity, usually will not work. A label, region, or city may be less defining and not exclusive. For instance, Stax is mostly southern soul but by mid 70's they had dabbled in blues with Albert King and gave us the Philly sound with the Astors, Temprees, Madlads, and Emotions. Any thoughts on nomencloture?

I want to create a sub-category for artists in the 1978-82 era like Lakeside, Midnight Star, Cheryl Lynn but no name has stuck. Maybe "Paradise Garage" would be a good label for it.

[eddie]

Deep disco may refer to disco cuts that are more instrumental and do not have as many verses like Instant Funk's 12 inch remix "I've got my mind made up" or Gino Soccio's "Dancer".

It could also be based on a constant rythmn or a series of repeated phrases.

[remicks]

*****


If these division labels had existed in the 70's, no one would take RINDER & LEWIS's LUST or CERRONE's SUPERNATURE or GINNO SOCCIO's DANCE TO DANCE in the same bandwagon as VILLAGE PEOPLES's MACHO MAN or BEE GEE's STAYING ALIVE


I know . Thank GOD we didn't waste one nanosecond worrying whether or not a song was or wasn't disco ...... much less care what " category" of disco we were supposed to label each and every song that came down the turnpike under ..... :P :roll:

*****

[Houseman]

Originally Posted by remicks

*****




I know . Thank GOD we didn't waste one nanosecond worrying whether or not a song was or wasn't disco ...... much less care what " category" of disco we were supposed to label each and every song that came down the turnpike under ..... :P :roll:

*****

Back then, it was only Disco as the main and properly only source. Disco was a new brand and us "true" heads appreciated its value. Now, into the future, we have so many different types of Disco, House, Techo, Trance, etc. I think it is appropriate to distinguish. (?) thoughts?

Houseman
www.VirgoLounge.com

[Spellbound]

Wow, somebody really wants for us to check out their website

[remicks]

Originally Posted by Houseman

Back then, it was only Disco as the main and properly only source. . Now, into the future, we have so many different types of Disco......

Houseman

Really ? Which disco back then was the main and properly only source ? Was it the sound of Bohannon? Gloria Gaynor ? KC ? Maybe Earth ,Wind and Fire .... Donna Summer/Giorgio ..... The Isleys .... Meco .... Van McCoy ..... Patrick Adams ...Chic ....J Morali ..... LePage ..... Whitfield.... Ashford & Simpson .... Davis .... Orlando ...... Motown ..... Salsoul ..... Prelude .... TSOP ....... TK .....

*****

[discokicks]

Originally Posted by Houseman

*****
Back then, it was only Disco as the main and properly only source. Disco was a new brand and us "true" heads appreciated its value. Now, into the future, we have so many different types of Disco, House, Techo, Trance, etc. I think it is appropriate to distinguish. (?) thoughts?

I'm just not so entirely sure the categorizing and sub-categorizing of dance music has helped over these last couple of decades. There's been a lot of great new music that has got lost in the shuffle because it didn't quite fit a certain niche...mainly due to someone 'naming' it a certain sub-genre of club music.

For example, Hi-NRG has greatly suffered from this.....categorize any tune as Hi-NRG and it's immediately tossed aside as cheesy, worthless drivel. But if a certain hip DJ says it's 'progressive trance', well, now it may get some interest.

This categorizing is the main reason why there's such a plethora of remixed versions of a song...fitting the song to a certain market. Certain 'key' DJs only play tribal or whatever so let's remix to fit to their program. Forget about individualism or artistic expression...let's totally strip the song and re-build it in this sub-genre in order to gain recognition from an outside source.

Categorizing may help narrow down the choices from the overly-saturated market of club releases, but it keeps us musically limited and ignorant.

[JussiK]

Deep Disco is a term used to describe house-esque, politically correct, soulful 70's-style dance music or early 80's paradise garage anthems, canonised Larry Levan faves found in comps like the Nicky Siano Loft thing or any of the Danny Krivit/Joey Negro etc cds. NONE of that cheesy horrible euro stuff apart from a couple of exceptions like Don Ray is deep. In fact, most of the comps make sure you understand the music contained within is "not really disco as such, more like soulful boogie". Could it be the nasty word disco is only there in lack of a better term - according to recent interviews, maestros like Siano never really liked most disco tracks to begin with, too horrible, too euro, too unfunk...

[QUINNY]

Not everyone liked or played the Euro disco et al.

I really don't understand the need for ever more narrow genre splitting, especially by DJs. They may as well wear a straightjacket every time they play and punters who expect nothing but a certain type of music to be played, are total morons.

This is just the natural conclusion to the never ending search for ever more obscure records. If you're gonna dig around in the musical gutters, you have to give a sweetened name to whatever nasty dregs you might turn up. It's a way of making (sometimes) absolute shite, more palatable.