It is a genre of disco and dance music and the beginning of its popularity was in the 1970s. It has its origins in clubs for African-Americans, Hispanics, gays and other subcultures of New York and Philadelphia from 1960 - 1970.Disco music and clubs were a reaction of these subcultures to the dominance of rock music.… Read more
As for the music from which the style crystallized, the greatest influence came from the genres of funk (musicians of African descent combined soul music, jazz, rhythm and blues, creating a new rhythmic and energetic musical style enriched with a psychedelic sound) and soul (it originated from rhythm and blues, and was originally part of it). The background of disco songs is mostly made up of strings, trumpets, piano, or electric guitars. In solo melodies the flute is often used, and very rarely the guitar (in contrast to rock). The beginning of the popularity of this genre was in the late 1960s, but significant differences from other genres formed in it only in the 1970s, and their main feature was the large number of different types of instruments used in their creation.
A little history
Connected with the term Disco is "Disco". This name used to refer to places where live music was not performed. They were first created in the United States after 1960, and it was connected with the popularity of the dance "The Twist" and the song of the same name, which was performed by Chubby Checker. A certain style was associated with disco clubs and disco music. The Disco Era was the era of nightclubs, in the 1970s, Studio 54 was undoubtedly the most famous club in the world. This club played an important role in shaping the development of disco music and culture and nightclubs in general. Dances popular during this period were: "Bump", "Penguin", "Boogaloo" Watergate "and" Robot ", and from 1975 we have the very sexy and sophisticated Hustle dance, which lived to see several variations in the form of Brooklyn Hustle, New York Hustle and Latin Hustle. As a result, there were numerous dance competitions, and clubs also offered the opportunity to sign up for a course. A pioneer and expert on disco dancing was Karen Lustgarten, who in 1973 published a complete guide to disco dance styles and how to distinguish them from other line dances. The book became so popular that it was translated into Chinese, German and French.
Disco fashion
Disco fashion is now perceived as kitschy, but it should be remembered that contemporaries of this style dressed very expensively and branded. Characteristic were bright colors, shiny fabrics, a large amount of expressive jewelry, in the case of men, in addition, the obligatory shirt unbuttoned on the torso.
Not only music
A negative aspect of this culture was the great popularity of drugs among its representatives, especially those designed to make dancing more comfortable. Worse, especially in those days, was the prevalence of premarital and extramarital sex, very often in toilets, stairwells, and dancing was supposed to be only a stage of hunting and seduction before the planned main course.
Disco music and movies
On the wave of popularity associated with this music genre were also created films, there were the unforgettable"Saturday Night Fever" from 1977, for which the music was created by the group Bee Gees. This was followed by "Thank God it's Friday" (1978), "Roller Boogie" (1979) and "Xanadu" (1980).
Decline in popularity
The decline in popularity of this genre took place in the 1980s, it was supplanted by the new wave genre, or more precisely its sub-genre new romanitc. There was even a fight against Disco music and style, and this was most clearly depicted in the form of the 1979 Chicago stadium riots, when disco music records were burned.
Disco and other music genres
There is no denying that disco music has had a considerable influence on the development of electronic music. Some elements of the disco style have been adapted by groups from outside this circle, such as the Disco Group, The Rubettes and others. ABBA Some elements of the disco style have been adapted by groups outside this circle, including The Rubettes and others. Even such rock artists as The Rolling Stones, Kiss and Rod Stewart recorded songs and albums in this style. From disco evolved such styles as Euro Disco, Italo Dis co and our native Disco Polo.
DJs
Not only famous performers are associated with disco, but also DJs. They were the ones who gave shape to disco music, and one of the most famous was Francis Grasso, who used several turntables to seamlessly mix genres such as soul, funk and pop at discotheques. Also, women have made their mark in this category and, among others, the first female DJ Karen Cook.