Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution

Episode 1

Rock the Boat

Tue, Jun 18, 2024

The genesis of disco is discussed, specifically the factors that led to its rise from 1969 to 1973. Somewhat an offshoot of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, it is the dance music of the disenfranchised in the US, most specifically homosexuals, blacks and Latinos. Most specifically with homosexuals, it was all the more important because same-sex dancing in public was illegal, dancing which gay bars generally did not allow to stay under the radar of the police. David Mancuso could overcome many of these prohibitions by hosting by invitation only private dance parties in what was then the decaying inner city West Village neighborhood of Manhattan, the music played what was then considered danceable rhythm and blues. His and similar such underground parties, which became the "in" social gatherings, brought the rise of the DJ, whose goal was to maintain a continuous dance without breaks, leading to what would become the extended mix. A distinctive sound which would become associated with what was eventually coined disco (shortened from discotheque, where much of this music was played) emerged and largely credited to drummer Earl Young. As this music became increasingly popular, it started to break out from its underground status to become mainstream.