Disco music's sub-genre's (some help please)

[PeaceFroggy]

I'm doing an assignment for my music class in school on the disco movement, and I want to do a descriptive list of all the sub-genre's of the disco era, such as funk, synth pop, house, new wave, etc. but I'm not sure what some of these are or how to describe them!

[K-Bee]

wow - this is a big subject and it will take some hard work gathering all the information.

I had a very similar subject when I wrote my main thesis in library and information science in 2001. It was about the history and musical expression of dance music from 1980-2000, but since it's written in danish it won't be of much help.

However, these are some of the references I used for my research back then.

First of all - see if you can get a hold of the book "Energy Flash" by Simon Reynolds. It's the bible of dance music in my opinion. Another very interesting piece of work is "History Of House" by Chris Kempster....believe me, It deals with more than just house.
Another essential disco book is (of course) Alan Jones & Jussi Kantonen's "Saturday Night Forever: The Story of Disco"

These internet links proved very helpful to me as well. (some of them may not work anymore, I haven't checked)

A to Z of electro - http://www.thewire.co.uk/out/0698_1.htm

Dance music definitions - http://www.btinternet.com/~sully-olops/dance_terms.htm

There's a few good disco links here as well http://dancemusic.about.com/cs/disco/

The article about electro funk that's published on this site is also worth mentioning.

I guess it all comes down how much work you want to put in it and how much time you have on your hands but these resources should get you going.
Good luck! :)

[QUINNY]

PeaceFroggy: You should add the caveat that in the disco era, none of us bothered with such things in the UK at least. I think our American cousins may have done so 'cos they've always had to dumb things down for some reason. :lol: :lol: :lol:
In the UK, we merely played all types of danceable music in one glorious melee and all types of music were accepted and danced to.
The categorization of disco music has very largely been a retrospective thing, for those dumbasses whose lives need over clarification and strict regimentation. None of that existed in those heady days of the '70s and early '80s.
Therefore you could play all of the now recognised sub genres in an evening and entertain most of the crowd. None of us would worry too much if we happened to like records by say Disco Tex, War, The Salsoul Orchestra, The Players Association, Slave and Alec Constandidos as each record was treated on more of a one-off basis. There was no real thought given as to why we liked certain records or whether we should only like certain types of records although we obviously had our preferences. If we thought it was good we liked it. Perhaps music was more omnipresent then and had a stronger hold over us when all was said and done.
I think it is vital that you understand this.

[bobbchap]

Hey Peacefroggy, Good luck on your assignment. It sounds like you're gonna have fun. It's funny how people today do things. You're just one of many young people that I've heard that's doing this kind of thing about "Disco". I've heard of so many other classes in schools that did this study. It makes me feel old to think I lived in the days of disco, and had fun..danced..got drunk...just had a blast in the 70' and 80's and now kids are doing school work on the subject....where has the time gone???? Anyway, Quinny is right about the music. I also never really remember it being broken down in sooooo many areas, funk, hi-eng, etc.etc.
All I remember is "disco". Just dancin' to some good music. It wasn't till later on that I started to see different names for it. Somewhere in the 90's companies started to put stuff out on CD's with songs in certain categories. Why???
It's goona be hard to put "one" song in one area without it crossing over into many others. Anyway kiddo, have fun, and just tell your teacher and classmates to "Shut up and dance".....

[PeaceFroggy]

Thanks for your input and help everybody!

Well I'm glad I got to choose what I did, because knowing my music teacher who is an ex-punk and into thrash metal, I wouldn't have much fun studying that kind of stuff, although the punk - disco conflict is a big part of what I am going to be researching too. Because I've always loved disco music and researching the history is something I would do on my own accord, lucky I can also use it to gain some credits for my qualifications!

Also, I need to do small pieces on the major bands/artists of whatever period I study, and I was wondering what you guys think are the most well-known and influential artists of the time. So far I have Chic, Donna Summer and KC & The Sunshine Band (although the latter isn't that big it's my personal favourite so I wanted to do them anyway :))

Any other things you think I should research and cover in my assignment would be great! I'm planning to start it from 1970 with funk edging into popularity, go straight through to the decade and then finish with some of the early 80's euro stuff!

Also, an important part of it is discussing those who disliked it and why. So I'm going to do the rock/punk "Disco Sucks" movement and the diehard conservatives who didn't like the interracial and mingling and the gay scene.

[QUINNY]

PeaceFroggy: All I can add is that if you trawl your way through past threads on this site, you'll probably get a better idea of what disco was, what it meant and which artists were important than any books out there will be able to give you. At least here you'll get a few different opinions rather than just the writer's.
BTW: KC not big or important?..........I'd say they were very influential as they did have many major disco and pop hits, their sound was fairly unique (did any other Florida bands manage to do successful carbon copies?) and they were successful over a relatively long time frame. It was some of the happiest, most infectious music I ever played and in the eyes and ears of your average Joe Bloggs they'd be one of the bands that typified disco music (even though they weren't typical disco). Look how many compilations have a KC track on them.
BTW: Their first record in the UK had one of the classic spelling mistakes of all time, which showed that no-one in the record company knew their roots. It had KC & the Junkando Sunshine Band instead of Junkanoo Sunshine Band.
I think you'd be wise to stick to three or four bands/labels/producers, otherwise where would you stop?

[bobbchap]

Good idea about doing only 3 or 4 groups/labels etc. Where would you stop???? :)
Stay with the ones you picked: "KC & the Sunshine Band" most certainly.
"Chic", "Donna Summer" and I'd add "Bee Gees"
Labels I'd go for would be "Casablanca" {a biggie of the times} Now that label is one lots of people in your class might know, {maybe} but I'd throw in some they might not, like-
"Venture records" - "O" Records" - "TOJO Records".
Thinking of producers I'd go for -
Giorgio Moroder
Patrick Cowley
Steven Greenberg
Alec R. Costandinos - {these are what I'd do} Good Luck, and let us all know how you do. 8)

[Bernie]

BTW: Their first record in the UK had one of the classic spelling mistakes of all time, which showed that no-one in the record company knew their roots. It had KC & the Junkando Sunshine Band instead of Junkanoo Sunshine Band.

Quinny,

Originally KC and the Sunshine band was known as KC and the Sunshine Junkanoo Band. Junkanoo was a type of Caribbean music with lots of whistles in it.

[JussiK]

The categorization of disco music has very largely been a retrospective thing, for those dumbasses whose lives need over clarification and strict regimentation. None of that existed in those heady days of the '70s and early '80s..

Well, I for one sure beg to differ! :-) But of course there were true fans everywhere and with fandom comes the classification. Naturally we all - British disco bible Record Mirror's James Hamilton included - discussed FUNK DISCO (Brass Construction: Movin') and DISCO JAZZ (Brick: Dazz), demanded more and more EURODISCO (anything by Cerrone, Costandinos or Amanda Lear), could not get enough of NEW YORK DISCO ( lush orchestral productions by John Davis), loved AFRODISCO ( Soul Makossa by Manu Dibango) and so on.
Weird subcults flourished. Records were also filed by genres, like space disco, jungle disco or morning music. Take TELEFONO off Two Man Sound 1980 Latin Wave album, the best Tijuana disco track I have heard. It is 1966 meets 1979 but quite today. The trumpet melody will remind you of Herb Alpert ; picture him leaning against a beach buggy doing A Taste Of Honey, dressed in a canary yellow poloneck and turquoise slacks, while birds in bikinis frug on the sand. The rhythm is very hot. There is another fingersnapping good title on the lp called LA MUSICA LATINA, a fast relentless groove like a speeded-up QUE TAL AMERICA, only better.
How about latin disco rock? On the sleeve of his CYCLES WOMAN Cerrone thanks the musicans of The Carlos Santana Band for collaborating on this 1983 recording. I was reluctant at first fearing for an electric guitar but there isnt any. The percussive track is superb, like a jazzier Give Me Love, quite timeless. I heard dj Eugene spin this in Seattle a couple of months back , he mixed it with house and afro grooves and it sounded wonderful. Check Cycles Woman out.

[QUINNY]

Bernie: Junkanoo was specifically Bahamian or Bermudian music wasn't it?. I can't recall exactly which.
Jussi: I knew you'd come back with that. Records may have been loosely classified for review purposes and possibly just to give oneself an idea of what would go with what, but you have to admit that we didn't really care that much. I hadn't heard of Eurodisco (applied to the period) until I stumbled upon this site and its then, Euro dominated threads. I couldn't believe the original top 500. It was largely foreign to me and my perceived memory. You obviously moved in much different circles.

[NickNack]

Additional producers: Boris Midney, Gregg Diamond

More labels: Salsoul (a must!), TK/Marlin (out of Florida)

I'd take Quinny's suggestion --- a lot of information is on this site. You should, time permitting, try and go through it.

[mrbill]

Howdie all,

Just my 2-bits.... There were several disco catagories when I was a tike...though quite a few songs crossed boarders and never really could be catagorized.... Catagories were never a big deal to me. As other have said, you played what sounded good or made you/crowd dance. Gendres were used to give the record buyer/listener a general idea what the song might sound like for theme sets and mixing ease. Here are a few genres I used:

Euro-disco:

Munich Machine
Trident
BoneyM/Jumbo/Silver Convention (earlier more funky)
AC/Love and Kisses
Peter Jaques Band

Salsoul/Philly:
Alot of TM
Vincent Montana

Park Ave:
Gloria Gaynor
John Davis
Andre True Connection
Cory Daye
France Joli
Metropolis
Jackie Moore

California:
Grand Tour
Hott City
Stuff on Butterfly Records

Spanish/Latin:
Santa Esmerelda, etc
La Flavour
Don Armando 2nd Ave Rumba Band

Pop:
Davis Naughton
Donna Summer
Chic
Michael Jackson
EWF
KC
Rupert Holmes
Top Ten POP stuff falls here

Early:
Gene Page Orch
Black Light Orch

Jazz:
Herb Albert
Herbie Mann
Earl Kluge
Crusaders

Funk:
P/F
Jimmy Castor Bunch
T-Connection
Al Hudson and the Partners
Uncle Louis
Issac Hayes (love Shaft! He's a bad...)

Remakes:
Wing and Payer
Coney Island Girls
Carnival

Big Hits:
Edwin Starr
Front Page
Richie Family
Pamala Stanely
M
Sylvester
AKB Band


This just scratches the surface and only names groups and artists that specialized in certain areas. Most artists dabbled across genres after time. Most of theses genres blend so well together that skipping back and forth was easy to do and kept the crowd interested in what is playing (not monotonous background junk). Moods could be shifted by creatively and skillfully selecting cuts from different catagories (a skill TOTALLY lacking in you current nightclub DJ - IMHO). Most songs were unique and it was magic when mixed properly together at the correct locations in the songs (another lacking skill). You could energize a crowd or bring the floor to a crashing halt. Songs werent made with the same sequence boxes and drum lines as today. It was skill to mix song correctly even though they had similar BPMs.

So there is my 2 bits...
The "Mr Bill" Disco Show...

[BrunoRepublic]

Howdie all,

California:
Grand Tour

...which was a Canadian act, courtesy Three Hats Productions... actually, they'd be a good choice as producers, having brought us THP Orchestra, The Immortals, The Skatt Bros., Southern Exposure, and a few others...

[mrbill]

I love this production co...I always though GT was a California group since it was on Butterfly. I use to track down all the Butterlfy groups after I discovered Saint Tropez.

[Nano]

Hi PeaceFroggy,

about the punk/disco relationship, take note that they're not opposites really, in fact they share several things in opposition to the art & "progressive" rock of the day:

-didn't care for being "cool" or "elegant" to standard rockers;
-ditched solos, subtle lyrics and arty arrangements;
-many artists didn't try to be stars and even did not have name credit on the records;
-most material came out on independent labels;
-both genres were heavily criticized by mainstream rockers and the rock media back in the day;
-both genres started representing the taste of minorities (white trash the punk movement, blacks, latins & gays the disco phenomenon);
-both influenced (in fact revived) the mainstream rock movement with time.

Of course, this is MHO. BTW, Sid Vicious was a big ABBA fan. In fact, the Sex Pistols met ABBA in some airport on those days. Legend has a fascinated Sid in full trashy fashion running to Anni-Frid to express his admiration, and the Swedish running away in panic! (I can give you more reference if you're interested.)

Good luck!

[PeaceFroggy]

Thanks for that perspective Nano. Perhaps the hostility was more between the rock crowd and the disco crowd. Only my music teacher mentioned that he was an ex-punk and he used to wear teeshirts with things like "death before disco" written on them.

[JussiK]

As a matter of fact the gang who hung around the Sex store of Vivienne Westwood all frequented discos as well as punk clubs. My good mate a London film journalist used to be part of that scene and has written about it all in recent works on Punk. After a Sex Pistols gig they'd stagger out in torn t-shirts, wipe of the snot and beer and be off to Soho to boogie to Meco. After a couple of years they'd lose all interest in punk and become total disco freaks full time.

[Leanmean]

Peace-Froggy -

Whatever you do, don't follow the advice to include the Bee-Gees as a disco group. They were a POP group who did a few disco-like songs. Those songs probably sold more than any of their pop hits combined, but that does not make them a disco group. At the height of disco fever, "everyone" did "disco": Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones, Diana Ross, Barbara Streisand, Cher. None of these were "disco artists" yet each rode the $$$$bandwagon.

If you're doing musicians from the era of course there's
Donna Summer
Chic
Gloria Gaynor
Bionic Boogie

I agree with QUINNY: Back then (in the United States, too) we did not sub-label the music. At first, it wasn't even called disco. It was just whatever the DJ played in the gay bars that we danced to. You couldn't necessarily say that Parliament Funkadelics' "****, Goddamn, Get Off Your Ass & Jam" was disco, yet our DJ mixed it in and we danced to it (1976 or 1977).

If I was you, I would stick to the years 1974 through 1979 because you could drive yourself crazy trying to figure out what constituted disco before or after that. Besides, looking back at 1980 to present is when people started sub-dividing the music. We all have our opinion as to what song was the very FIRST "disco" song looking back. Oh, was it Eddie Kendrick's "Girl, You Need a Change of Mind" or was it Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Bad Luck"? Or Earth Wind & Fire's "Mighty, Mighty"? Or something else altogether? Who knows? It's subjective.

Not all disco used real instruments either. Some of it used electronic violin elements, which sounded exquisite: Donna Summer and Silver Convention come to mind.

Another book for you to check out is "Last Night a DJ Saved my Life." It has a good timeline and explanation for all the genres and sub-genres.

I'll bet this post will raise the ire of someone or two people on this board, but really we all have a common bond - We love disco!
Good luck.

[BrunoRepublic]

Not all disco used real instruments either. Some of it used electronic violin elements, which sounded exquisite: Donna Summer and Silver Convention come to mind.

Which Silver Convention tracks used electronics? Most of what I've heard from them is all conventional instrumentation.