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WeGotDisco.com

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What Is Disco?

…Disco is not only music-it’s a lifestyle, a cult, a mood. The disco scene has set everyone dancing again, dancing in the old-new way, with a partner, following planned steps. Doing the hustle, doing the bus stop, doing the bump – As for disco music, it’s characterized by a steady rhythm, a driving beat reminiscent of the old Motown sound.

According to research by producer Carl Maults-By, all disco music fits into a metronomic range of 108 to 126 cycles per minute. It has its base in R&B, but it’s heightened by Latin and symphonic sounds as well. Probably the key element in disco sound is rhythm

The sound’s tinselly-strings, horns and cymbals are a vital part of it.

Disco, however, is much more than congas, strings and metronomic ranges. Van McCoy has described disco music as a “flashback”. The sound’s a reflection of what was happening ten years ago in Detroit.

The costumes tend to be nostalgic; many of the songs are old songs, slightly altered. It is happy, lightweight sound.

What is disco? Disco is the sound of the Sixties, changed and adorned, to provide the escapism of the Seventies.*

Facts about Disco:

Unofficially started in 1974

1974: One of the 1st disco hits was “Rock the Boat”.
1975: KC and the Sunshine Band had several hits including “Get Down Tonight” and “That’s the way I Like it”.
1976: Walter Murphy had a hit with “A Fifth of Beethoven”.
1977: Chic had a hit with “Everybody Dance”.
1978: Chic had a mega hit with “Le Freak”.
1977-1980 were the biggest years of disco, with numerous movies, being released including Saturday Night Fever, and Thank God Its Friday.

The 1979 Billboards top 10 contained mostly disco songs: Night Fever, Shadow Dancing, Le Freak, Stayin’ Alive, Boogie Oogie Oogie.

Popular Disco Fashion:
Bell-bottom pants
Platform shoes

Popular Disco Record Labels:
TK Disco
Salsoul
Prelude

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June 12, 1979

Some call July 12, 1979 the day disco died because of the Anti Disco event in Chicago called “Disco Demolition Night“. This was an event at the White Sox Stadium where fans could get in to see the game by bringing a disco record and paying 98 cents admission fee. The records were collected and ‘blown up’ in the center of the baseball field. This was a ‘protest’ against a radio station, WDAI, going ‘all disco’.

cd-discohustle

Disco went from being ‘cool’ to being way overdone in all media formats – Rock bands started doing ‘disco’ songs, TV commercials used ‘disco’ theme music, etc.

LA76-Disco

WKRP (80’s TV show) featured an Anti-Disco DJ “Dr. Johnny Fever”.

The music can never die.

WeGotRecords.com/Disco – Keepin’ Disco Alive

 

NAME THAT TUNE…

Question from a site visitor:

Posted June 2008
Hello – around 76/77 – I heard a track which I think was Funk poss Soul – on The Greg Edwardes show on Capitol. I cant remember who the band was or the label or what the song was called – but – the lyrics told a story about some guy that had gone to an old house in the country and one by one all the other guests started to disappear until there was only him left and then the cops arrived and arrested him as the suspect , but there was the suggestion that someone else was doing all the killing etc.

I know its a long shot but its been flying about my head for 30 years + now and I’d love to be able to track it down. If you know what the track may be or you could mention it to other collectors , I would be very grateful.
– David

List of Disco Movies:
Roller Boogie – Linda Blair 1979 Disco Movie
Can’t Stop the Music – 1979 Disco Era Movie
Saturday Night Fever – DVD 1977
Skatetown USA 1979
The Best Disco in Town
The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh 1979
The Apple – 1980 Disco Movie

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