Disco music today vs disco music in the 70's

**Funky Dude** · July 22nd, 2002, 08:54 AM

I noticed that a lot of techno dance music is sounding more like disco rather than that dreadful "I Wanna Be A Hippy" type of techno style back in 1995. And some songs sound almost late 70's even eg "Groovejet" by Spiller which sampled Carol Williams's 1977 track "Love Is You".

However to myself it's just not as good as the 70's. I have my reasons and they are:

1 - Too pop oriented.

2 - Not quite as funky as it was in the 70's with the exception of a few like "I've Changed My Mind" by Quannum and some of Moby's work and maybe a few others.

3 - A lot of it sounds like barby doll music e.g. Kylie Minogue (I still like her music though), Spice Girls etc... and I'm not trying to be a chauvanist or a sexist pig saying this, it's the way the music sounds and the way the clips are, in other words it's a bit souless.

4 - The awful boy bands like Nstink, Backstreet Boys, Human Nature doing boy band style dance songs, I find their style very uncool and very wussy, I should call it barby boy music :lol: .

5 - Funk these days is too much in rap and hip-hop and I hate most modern rap/hiphop crap as they rap on about the usual stuff and you's know what I'm talking about.

6 - Too much resampling and not enough original instruments.

To make today's dance music more funky, what should be brought back in is the discreet instruments such as the drums, the bass, the guitar, the horns, the congas, the arp synthesizer. It would be good if modern dance groups have the discreet instruments co-existing with the modern computer technology so it gives it the real sound of funky music.

Basically a lot of the modern dance pop cannot ever beat disco songs like:

Cerrone - Cerrone's Paradise/Love In C Minor 1976
Commodores - Midnight Magic 1979
Paradise Express - Dance 1978
Archie Bell & The Drells - Everybody Have A Good Time 1976
Eastside Connection - You're So Right For Me 1977
Brass Construction - Movin' 1975
Muscle Shoals Horns - Born To Get Down 1976
Donna Summer - Spring Affair/Summer Fever 1976
Fatback Band - Street Walk 1972
Carrie Lucas - You've Gotta Keep Dancin' 1977
Gloria Gaynor - How High The Moon 1975
Miami - Party Freaks 1974
Ultra High Frequency - We're On The Right Track 1973
Esther Philips - What A Difference A Day Makes 1975
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Bad Luck/Tell The World How I Feel About 'cha Baby 1975
Salsoul Orchestra - Salsoul Hustle/Tangerine 1975
Olympic Runners - Keep It Up/Get It While You Can 1978
Boney M - Love For Sale 1977
Double Exposure - 10 Percent 1976
Ultrafunk - Kung Fu Man 1974
MFSB - It's Summertime & I'm Feelin' Mellow 1976
MFSB - TSOP 1973
First Choice - The Player 1974
Creative Source - Who Is He & What Is He To You 1973
Isaac Hayes - Groove-A-Thon 1976
JB's - Blow Your Head 1974
etc...........

Those songs sound more natural and have a lot better sound than the pop stuff I hear today.

And modern hip-hop/rap never can compare to these super hard funky songs of the 70's:

Betty Davis - This Is It 1975
Isaac Hayes - Chocolate Chip 1975
Brass Construction - Dance 1975
Dynamic Corvettes - Funky Music Is The Thing Pt's 1 & 2 1974 (Pt 2 especially because of that killer arp synthesizer wah wah sound)
Bar-Kays - Son Of Shaft 1972
Brothers Johnson - Get The Funk Outta Ma Face 1976
Sylvers - Don't Stop Get Off 1978
The Rappers - Krunchberry Beast 1973
Lyn Collins - Rock Me Again & Again X6 1974
Kool & The Gang - Funky Stuff 1973
Pleasure - Glide 1978
Jimmy Castor Bunch - E-Man Partay/Maximum Stimulation 1977 (Now THAT's guitar funk)
Dennis Coffey - Scorpio 1971
Eddie Kendricks - Keep On Truckin' 1973
Parliament - Side Effects/Mothership Connection/Ride On/Give Up The Funk 1975
Jackson 5 - Body Language 1975
James Brown - Funky President 1974
Blackbyrds - Happy Music 1975
Commodores - Slippery When Wet 1975
Commodores - I Feel Sanctified/Gonna Blow Your Mind 1974
Bar-Kays - Shake Your Rump To The Funk/Too Hot To Stop 1976
Sandra Philips - Miss Fatback 1975
Curtis Mayfield - Junkie Chase 1972
Johnny Pate - You Can't Even Walk In The Park 1973
Soul Searchers - We The People 1972
Temptations - Happy People 1974
etc............

Now that's what I call REAL funk, it is so cool, not like that hip-hop rubbish we have today.

There's one a few songs of today that sound as funky as the 70's and one to mention is Quannum's "I've Changed My Mind", that song sounds like 1974 style funk with a bass rhythm that sounds a bit like George McCrae's "I Get Lifted".

Other than that most of today's dance music I've heard sounds too barby doll pop, souless, and unfunky for my appreciation of it although I don't mind some of it. That's just my opinion. It's obvious that if it were a choice of today's pop or 70's disco/funk I'd choose 70's disco/funk any day.

So what's your opinion on today's dance music oppose to the 70's disco/funk music? And which do you prefer?

**The Lord of Flatbush** · July 22nd, 2002, 09:19 AM

Personally, I don't like the 2002 version of songs that were either taken from the seventies re-edited or those that were filtered to make a more, modern sound. I'll take the original versions over the re-issues anyday. As an exception, I just picked up a re-edit of Carl Davis and the Chi-Sound Orchestra - Windy City on Glimmer Records. This was taken from the 1976 original mix and I must say that "It's interesting, indeed"!

**Blaxman** · July 22nd, 2002, 11:36 AM

70's disco/funk rules!!!!! :grin:

Real people playing the instruments!! The bass, guitars, horns, strings, synths, etc...

No one can beat that!!! There are good works around, but never better than 70's style. IMHO.

Peace

**SandraDee** · July 22nd, 2002, 03:06 PM

There just doesnt seem to be the imagination or money around to make the classy, exciting music that was around in abundance between 1971 & 1989. I wish I knew back then how lucky I was to have such good music as I somewhat took it for granted & thought it would always be around (like dear friends who we lose).
Oh god I've gone all gooey & emotional; must be my hormones.

**Sweet Meat** · July 23rd, 2002, 02:47 AM

I think it will go back to that sound eventually. It has to,house and garage have nowhere else to go. I am a producer and try to capture those vibes from the 70's and 80's. I have songs online.

**jazz_pilgrim** · July 24th, 2002, 05:59 PM

I do like to keep up with the modern stuff ..

I did experiment by buying Jamiroquai - they have a 70's disco feel, but, to me, the production sounds a bit "hollow". Why buy Jamiroquai, when you can buy real Seventies disco???

Much more interesting is Alicia Keys with "Wit' You". Now that does DEFINIELY have a 1972 Isaac Hayes funk feel to it ...
Hmmm. The jury is out on that one ..

And it is nice to see that some of the old guard are still making decent music in 2002!! Check out the 2002 LPs by THE MAIN INGREDIENT and THE O'JAYS ...

But, of course, you can't beat the original Seventies stuff, can you?? NO WAY!!!

Now, if only I had a time machine ....

**jericho** · July 24th, 2002, 08:17 PM

My problem with the newer stuff is that it's too "loop oriented",ie the same riff going round & round, maybe filtered a bit, but the only changes in the tunes tend to be in the vocal line. My favourite 70s and early 80s tunes tend to have wierd structures, or a long jam at the end of the record - usually the best bit. I love synth/electro music, but I generally hate the crossover when people try to pass samples off as real musicians. That said, sometimes if a musician takes the best bit from a fairly average disco tune it can work - I prefer Armand Van Heldens "You Don't Know Me" to the original "Dance With Me" by Carrie Lucas (I think that's the artist, posting at work so I can't check)

**saborioca** · July 31st, 2002, 07:47 PM

Well, I prefer real disco sound, naturally, I have heard a lot of remixes of classic disco tunes, or disco samples into house music, but only a few times I liked the result.
Two months ago a dj friend of mine was playing a new remix of "The Player" by First Choice and I think the tune was respected.
There are some deep and garage house tracks that use real acustic instruments, each time more, like bass, percussion, saxes, trumpets, organ, pianos, etc. , but only the drum and some percussion instruments make the groove with loops. May be in the future drummers will play more in the house disco oriented music, but also will be a little bit quantize the beat.

**ruoffended** · July 31st, 2002, 09:18 PM

Somebody was talking about that SPILLER track , its funny that sounds like the 70's , i use to like it a lot ,but for some reasons i got tired of it very fast , for some reasons something is missing , i think its soul
the people are missing too much puter stuff , when i listen to disco or funk or soul i feel alive i can feel the vibe of all the musician working to make a goodgroove , i like my music with people on it , scratching guitar playing flute rolling drums HAVING FUN thats my opinion anyway .....its a good thing that they are releasing those albums back again for my generation.......Diiiisssssccoooo will never die......RU

**DeepBeat** · August 1st, 2002, 02:43 AM

Aside from Spiller and some other such tracks that have become big hits, there have been excellent productions using a sample from an old tune and transforming in a way that really works funk-wise.

As for the lack of soul, I think that most US vocal house has a great deal of soul and there are great house tracks that are song oriented. I consider Spiller etc pop/dance acts who can only be compared to the pop/disco acts of yesteryear.

If an artist has soul it will come out in his/her music regardless if he/she uses a computer or live instruments.

Candido may have been a unique percussionist but today's Osunlade (for example - a New York based house producer) has managed to create some great afrobeats that move you just the same.

**markydefad** · August 1st, 2002, 02:56 AM

I bought far too many SHITTY DJ compilations in the 1990's trying to keep current with the times, to NOT BE BITTER. I HATE these mixed compilations with a passion. A pox on Danny Tenaglia and Junior Vasquez and their ilk. Crappy songs devoid of any soul, just repetition of a phrase over and over and over and over. Someone once told me the DJ is "working the best part of a record TO DEATH".

Yes, and this is considered a "GOOD THING???"

BORING.

"I want my two hundred dollars back" to quote Miss Tatum.

Actually a damn sight more than that. I'm just wondering if there will be a market for this crap in the future? Will anyone want to listen to a Danny Tenaglia CD in 10-15 years??? Will this music sound as thrilling as listening to a Tom Moulton Mix from the 1970's still does? I seriously doubt it.

Bitter Gramps Defad Has Spoken Again!!! :lol:

_________________
Make My Feet Wanna Dance!

Markydefad

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: markydefad on 2002-08-01 02:58 ]</font>

**Blaxman** · August 1st, 2002, 09:58 AM

You're quite right, Marky. :sad:

Peace

**Blaxman** · August 1st, 2002, 10:02 AM

On 2002-08-01 02:43, DeepBeat wrote:

If an artist has soul it will come out in his/her music regardless if he/she uses a computer or live instruments.

Candido may have been a unique percussionist but today's Osunlade (for example - a New York based house producer) has managed to create some great afrobeats that move you just the same.

But, Deepbeat, computer has not soul yet!! The instrumental part of a song is quite important. As much as the vocal part, sometimes more!! The players had to be soul too!!

Peace

**DeepBeat** · August 1st, 2002, 12:08 PM

Machines certainly don't have soul (although my car wouldn't agree to that) but the people who operate them do.

My point is that it doesn't matter what you use to make music - if you got soul it will show in your work.

I come from the old school myself, but when I managed to clear a dancefloor full of 20 year olds by playing a classic I decided that I either had do give up music and just stick to the old stuff or try to find what's in the new stuff that inspires people to dance.

It wasn't an easy task because there's a lot of garbage out there but what I found out is that the basic principles that make people move haven't changed. The production style has.

**Blaxman** · August 1st, 2002, 12:23 PM

On 2002-08-01 12:08, DeepBeat wrote:

My point is that it doesn't matter what you use to make music - if you got soul it will show in your work.

I must agree with you in this point, anything can be used to make music.

What I dont like is the fact that in most of cases the people keep just doing programms, the computer makes all by itself. That sounds terrible, huh? :sad:

Peace

P.S.
Hey, watch out with this car!! :lol: