Disco music
The story from its beginnings, influence, transcendence to its decline.
One of the
Most Remembered Genres
Disco music
One of the genres that we still remember with nostalgia and great joy today is disco music, so popular in previous decades and which gave way to popular culture icons, including actors, films and hit songs. Today in Retro Magazine, we take a brief tour of its origins and we show you its most important exponents, as well as some of the hits that marked history.
Disco music descends from rhythm & blues rhythms, as well as being influenced by soul and funk. It had its greatest boom during the 70s and was frequently played in discos and parties where people enjoyed performing extravagant dance steps.
originnes
The genre began in the late 1960s, when Soul dominated the music scene. It is at this time that several artists would emerge who would help shape what would finally be the album as we know it today.
The Soul from Philadelphia stands out, formed mostly by percussion from string instruments; a psychedelic sound that would later also be characteristic of a style as energetic as disco music. The current coming from New York was also decisive, to form the hits of the discos.
Barry White, a soul singer characterized by a deep and masculine voice, was one of the musicians who played an important role in the transition of both genres.
the golden age
It was not until 1975, that disco music was in full swing, offering us multiple hits and recognized artists. The record companies, seeing the success that the genre was having and that it was rising fast like foam, did not take long to impose on their most prominent groups and singers, the recording of various songs that were widely accepted at the time.
Others ventured into the style of their own free will, further enriching the wide repertoire of hits and, of course, serving to expand the fun in nightclubs.
One of the most famous groups was that of the Bee Gees, which we still remember today and of which we still remember very famous songs such as the popular "Stayin alive", which has become a hymn for lovers of music from the 70's.
The fusion of the album with very different genres was soon accepted, such as those that involved Latin rhythms such as sala and merengue, giving rise to energetic and flavorful melodies, which at the same time paved the way for endless choreographies.
Even some well-known rock groups had their slips, like the Rolling Stones with "Miss You" and KISS with "I was made for loving you".
The fall of the genre
Starting in the 80s, the marketing developed around disco music and the appearance of new musical stimuli, such as Dance and Techno, originated a strong feeling that flowed against the genre, however other sub-genres such as High Energy or Italo Disco continued to have strength mainly in clubs around the world.
Later came melodies from alternative music such as Hip Hop, R&B and different variations of pop, among which Punk stands out.
All in all, the album continued to bear fruit with different hits like Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Billy Jean", Gloria Estefan's "Conga", The Pinted Sisters' "I'm so excited" and Irene Cara's "Flashdance". , among others. However, it was clear that the golden years were behind him.
Musically speaking, the 60s had been the era of protest songs and the beginning of progressive rock, socially it had been the fight for civil rights of the hippie movement and its ideals, the creation of electronic instruments gave a new sound concept to what would be the basis of the rhythms of the 70s, which would be fundamental in the creation of disco music.
The musical rhythm was structured in a repetitive 4/4 time signature, some out of time with orchestral sounds based on string, piano and wind instruments also accompanied by a rhythmic base of percussions like the bass very well marked.
In the year 1977, the film "Saturday Night Fever" starring John Travolta, became a cultural phenomenon, as it portrayed a lifestyle completely based on disco music.
The songs, the clothing and the way of dancing influenced the young people of the generation instantly, making the genre to which many became followers even more popular. Likewise, the soundtrack was in charge of the Bee Gees, who thanks to their projection in the film, were able to position five of their songs in theBillboard Top 10.Something that no other artist has done so far.
It is said that Saturday Night Fever marked a before and after in the disco culture of the time.
The film was released onDecember 14, 1977in the United States, starring John Travolta as Tony Manero and Karen Lynn Gorney as Stephanie Mangano.
The film is about the life of Tony Manero (John Travolta), an Italian-American New York boy with a lot of personality, but also tough and sometimes rude to the ladies, who works in a paint store in his neighborhood; He also has a dysfunctional family, his parents don't get along with him or each other.
Tony's life changes every Saturday night dancing at the Odyssey 2001 nightclub, where he is a star, admired for his excellent way of dancing. At the disco, Tony meets Stephanie Mangano (Karen Lynn Gorney), who transforms into his dance partner to participate in a dance championship to be held at the disco.
Tony attempts a romantic relationship with Stephanie at their dance sessions and practices for the dance championship, but she turns him down despite being attracted to him; even so, she agrees to be his dance partner. The reasons why Stephanie does not want anything personal with Tony are several: she is more serious, educated and mature, lives in Manhattan with a friend and plans to move there to pursue a university degree and seek better life opportunities.
Tony's older brother, Frank Manero Jr. (Martin Shakar) abandons his career as a priest, among other reasons because he can't take priestly celibacy anymore, causing great discomfort to the parents, but making Tony happy for his decision. Family, love and youth conflicts intertwine to end some in tragedy. Annette has a huge crush on Tony, but he rejects her for being an easy girl.
Tony has his own gang, the Caras, which has dangerous disputes with other gangs in the neighborhood. One of Tony's friends, Gus, is attacked by the Barracudas, a Puerto Rican gang, so the Caras attack his club in revenge and hit them hard, but Gus later tells them that he is not sure it was the Barracudas who did it. they attacked him.
It's time for the dance championship at the disco; Tony and Stephanie win the contest; Convinced that a Puerto Rican couple danced better than them, Tony gives them first prize, goes berserk, hits Stephanie and tries to rape her in Bobby C's car. She manages to free herself and gets out of the car after kneeing Tony in the head. crotch.
Bobby C. had the serious problem of having impregnated a girl named Pauline and not wanting to marry her, despite the fact that his family and hers wanted him to. He is the driver of the Caras, since they all travel in his car. Finally Bobby commits suicide by throwing himself into the river, leaving his family in complete despair and Pauline a single mother.
After this tragedy, Tony leaves the Caras and decides to move to Manhattan to be close to Stephanie and change his life. He apologizes, they reconcile and agree to remain friends. Tony has matured and decides to follow Stephanie's example, to progress in life.
The most iconic disco
of history
Studio 54is a former and popular nightclub and discotheque in the New York artistic sector of Broadway, located on West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, famous in the late 1970s for being frequented by high-profile celebrities from the United States and Europe.
The nightclub was opened in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House, and over the years it changed its name and activity, being also used by CBS for the recording and transmission of radio programs, under the name of CBS Studio 52.
the site of the stars
Studio 54 was managed by American businessman Steve Rubell, a flashy and openly gay character, and his friend and business partner Ian Schrager, a low-key businessman. Together they had run another venue in the Queens area and it was Carmen D'Alessio, public relations officer for fashion designer Valentino, who suggested they "make the leap to Manhattan" by opening a club for the most chic circles in the city. She put them in touch with Andy Warhol, who would be attending the pre-opening dinner, as was Calvin Klein.
Carmen D'Alessio had valuable contacts between the European and American jet-set, and for the inauguration of the venue she sent invitations by mail to 5,000 people chosen from her lists of friends and illustrious acquaintances.
Opening
Diana Ross, Mick Jagger and his then wife, Bianca, Salvador Dalí, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Donald Trump and his wife Ivana, Debbie Harry, Brooke Shields and many more attended the inauguration. Several stars like Warren Beatty, Cher, Woody Allen and Frank Sinatra wanted to enjoy the celebration, but could not enter; It is said that several of them were rejected by the despotic control that was exercised at the door.
A week after the opening, Studio 54 opened in exceptional fashion on a Monday, for the birthday party of Bianca Jagger, who arrived on a white horse. Events like this strengthened the popularity of the venue among celebrities and gave rise to other parties that brought together audiences of different ages and tastes.
The Algerian designer Yves Saint Laurent, the artist Andy Warhol, the actor John Travolta, the model and singer Grace Jones (who sang her version of La vie en rose there), and various famous musicians and actors could frequently be seen around the venue. like Alice Cooper, Farrah Fawcett, Donna Summer, Eartha Kitt, model Gia Carangi, Al Pacino. It was also frequented by stars of the 50s and 60s such as Elizabeth Taylor, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Gloria Swanson and Bette Davis. In those years, Amanda Lear recorded a song about Studio 54 that ironized several of its illustrious clients.
The venue was such a success that Rubell declared in 1979 that he had made $7 million in a year, adding that "only the mob" had a more profitable business than his.
Under the name ofStudio 54the theater converted into a nightclub opened its doors onApril 26, 1977and was closed inFebruary 1980due to legal problems of its founders. Its heyday coincided with the fever for disco music and with a time of sexual freedom that was cut short by the appearance of AIDS. Later it became a theater on the Broadway circuit again.
The entrance to the club was chaotic, and only VIP guests could afford to enter without making the huge queue that was customary to see at the entrance of the venue. The hedonistic Rubell was known for handpicking patrons, choosing them from the gigantic crowd of people waiting outside, on the other side of the club's security tape, which was guarded by guards.
The specialty of the house in music was predominantly Disco however also sounded Soul, R&B and Funk.
Studio 54, as it came to be called, was adapted from the old theater that lasted until the 1950s. The boxes remained and became known for the frequent sexual encounters that took place in them. The use of drugs such as cocaine and marijuana was unlimited inside the compound. The wall of the dance floor was decorated with the image of a man-faced Luna, snorting cocaine with a spoon.
Steve Rubell & Ian Schrager
Dj Nicky Siano
Nicky Siano was a pioneer of dance music in the early '70s. He was the owner, designer and DJ of the legendary dance palace The Gallery, a club that inspired The Garage and Studio 54.
When Steve Rubell opened Studio 54, he asked Siano to be one of his resident DJs, to which he agreed, while staying at The Gallery on weekends.
Siano was a DJ during Bianca Jagger's infamous Studio 54 birthday party.
He was known for playing underground alternative music instead of the disco hits that dominated the nightclub scene. Siano was fired from Studio 54 after four months due to excessive drug use. He claims he was fired because Rubell wanted the club to be the star and not the DJ. On October 18, 2011, Siano reappeared at Studio 54 for the club's one-night reopening, hosted by Sirius XM Radio. He played all the 70's music from the original days of the club.
Reporter Daphins: Rubell chose at will people who were good looking or eccentric (such as drag) but who were not famous and put them together with her high-profile guests, following the logic that extremes or excesses are the way to perfection, or as he said: "The path of excess leads to the palace of wisdom", quoting the well-known maxim of William Blake.
In reality, the purpose of such a mix of public was more carnal than spiritual: Rubell offered his VIP clientele a "in tune" environment, full of sexually accessible young aspirants and all away from the hassle of the press and paparazzi. Despite this, Andy Warhol brought his Instamatic camera and captured everything he could.4 The few reporters who were allowed in were forbidden to take photos and those that were taken were not published unless those portrayed were posing and authorized their publication; the latter due to the close relationship between the editors with the owners of the club and their guests.
Excesses were daily: for example, in 1979 during a raid, the New York police found bags with money and illegal drugs inside the club and in its basements. The event triggered the fall of the club in 1980.
The reporter Marjorie Daphins, who managed to enter the club in 1979, narrated that all kinds of excesses were allowed inside the venue: According to her account, the few lucky enough to enter the Studio had to pay a very high cover. It was also common to see waiters with athletic and good-looking bodies, moving almost naked between the tables of the guests, and who only had a small garment to cover their genitals. In fact, it was common for the waiters to be groped by the assistants and many of them had sexual encounters right there.
Weekday nights were cold and monotonous, but the atmosphere changed radically during the weekends, when high-profile private parties were offered, since the guest offered a theme party and the venue was adapted to the discretion of the host for that purpose. 4 The club was famous among many parties, including the 30th birthday of singer Mick Jagger's then wife, Nicaraguan actress Bianca Jagger, who attended the event on a beautiful white horse.
The party was held on Monday, April 27, 1977, that is, the night after the opening of the club.
Donna Summer, a regular at the venue and frequent performer, once requested that the dance floor be covered in feathers, but was inconvenienced by attendees allergic to them to the point where she stopped singing at one point and left the stage afterwards. to give a loud cry. Another regular performer was the San Francisco group the Village People, who performed one night for Latoya Jackson and Truman Capote. Grace Jones also performed there with the presence of the Spanish painter Salvador Dalí.
sunset and close
Shortly thereafter, Rubell and Schrager were arrested for tax evasion of approximately $2.5 million. Rubell responded by accusing a high-ranking official of Jimmy Carter's government of having consumed cocaine in the basement of the premises. and money were found hidden behind the walls of the nightclub.
The Studio 54 closing party took place in February 1980 and was called "The End of Modern Gomorrah"; it was attended by Diana Ross, Ryan O'Neal, Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere and Sylvester Stallone. It is said that the last drink that was served was drunk by Stallone. Diana Ross was the one who closed the final show of the nightclub.
In 1981, the business was sold for about $2.2 million to another businessman, who in turn turned it over to nightclub owner Mark Fleischman for double the amount. Studio 54 reopened with guests including Calvin Klein, Cary Grant, and Gina Lollobrigida. However, the context had changed and was less liberal than before.
Madonna, Duran Duran and Culture Club performed at the venue, shortly before they became world stars. His clients in those years included Boy George, Janet Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Lionel Richie, Jean-Michel Basquiat, LaToya Jackson, David Lee Roth, Tatum O'Neal, Jennifer Grey, Cyndi Lauper, and the pornographic film actresses Ginger Lynn and Traci Lords4. When the lease expired in 1986, the premises closed again.
EXPONENTS OF THE DISCO GENRE
As it happens in all genres, the album had great exponents among which are those mentioned below.
MFSB, "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a band made up of more than thirty studio musicians based at Sigma Sound Studios in the city of Philadelphia. They worked closely with the production team of Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, both on their own recordings and recordings by Philadelphia International Records-linked artists such as Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, the O'Jays, the Stylistics, the Spinners, Wilson Pickett and Billy Paul.
In 1973, MFSB recorded the theme "TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)" known for being the theme song to the television show Soul Train. The song was the second single released by the band, becoming their biggest hit with its 1974 reissue, which reached number 1 on the Billboard pop and R&B charts. "TSOP " is considered a fundamental theme for the development of disco music. The album sold more than a million copies in the United States, being certified gold by the RIAA in April 1974 , and that is why it is considered the first theme of disco music.
Another group that was very successful both for their songs, and for the peculiar costumes that characterized them, were theVillage People. This sextet of men was characterized in the 70s, by assuming personalities through the use of costumes, which corresponded to the roles of police, builder, cowboy, military, motorcyclist and American Indian. This originated its identification as a group of homosexual inclinations, among its great classics is the song YMCA, which alludes to a Christian association that provides help to young people.
Another exponent of the album is the groupABBA, whose song «Gimme! gimme! gimme!«, from which only a few years ago, the intro for Madonna's song «Hang up« was rescued. This quartet from Sweden also ventured into the genre with very good results.
The Jackson 5, a group of which the singer Michael Jackson was a part along with his four brothers, is another of the most important influences of the genre. "Shake your body down (to the ground)" is one of their hits as well as a pretty famous song in the 70's, although the Jacksons' forte in the 70's was R&B and Soul.
One of the most influential groups of disco music of the late 70s without a doubt were thebee geesAs we mentioned before, the album Saturday Night Fever marked a before and after for the disco music genre.
We could not fail to mention the one who is considered the queen of the genre,Donna Summer, with a unique and sensual voice in 1975 lanzó
Love to Love You Baby. Summer later said that she had imagined Marilyn Monroe singing this song.
When recording the song Donna included daring gasps and moans typical of an orgasm and it is said that to record them she asked for an intimate setting: turn off the studio lights. This made us think that the sensations suggested in the song were real; magazine reviews Time y from other media came to quantify that the song had 23 orgasms. However, when Donna was asked "had she touched herself" or been stimulated during the recording, she replied: "Touch me? Yes, a leg”.
There were many exponents of disco music that marked history and here we have mentioned only 6 of the great list of exponents in this genre of music, also we cannot forget the sub-genres of disco such as Italo-disco, Euro- dance among others and the fusions to the genre that were very well received mainly in clubs such as Hi-NRG, Dance-Punk, Electro and Dance-Pop, the latter of great importance in the 80s.