Ready, Set, DISCO!
WHen thinking about or hearing disco, one usually imagines a large disco ball, a club full of dancing people, and of course, disco music! This music started out in the 70s in New York. Disco music gained popularity among young people and the music was widely accepted by the gays. While Disco was new, it was a familiar genre because it included sounds from funk. The sounds of disco were associated with film, freedom, and fashion.
Characteristics and Future Influences
Characteristics of this music inlcude horns, electric guitars, and intense bass lines. Additionally, it was fast tempo with orchestral components to help strengthen the melodies. Once again, it was very similar to funk, but often Disco was called dance music because people could not help but to do so when they heard it. You can hear these components in popular disco songs such as Upside Down and I’m Comin Out by Diana Ross, Celebration by Kool and the Gang, And the Beat Goes on by The Whispers, and Love to Love You Baby by the queen of disco herself, Donna Summer. Beyonce even sampled her music in her song Naughty Girl. Therefore, one can see how Disco music influenced artists of today.
The End of Disco Music... or not so much.
The downfall of Disco music was likely due to too much freedom. People were on drugs the times that Disco music was popular. Also, AIDS was becoming recognized as a real health issue. Disco music was not the cause of peoples’ behavior, yet there was backlash from other genres that placed Disco music as a heavy influencer of that behavior. Disco was most popular nearly 40 years ago, but the songs that made it are known as classics today and will transcend time.
