Displaying items by tag: Disco

Out of chaos came creation. From the South Bronx came hip hop. From the Lower East Side, the thrashing guitars of punk.

After the success of Rock’n’Roll, many African American artists started to explore their musical heritage and look beyond blues and R&B for inspiration. The terms ‘funk’ and ‘rock’n’roll were euphemisms for sex, with the former referring to the smells of intimacy and the latter the act.

Platform shoes make an appearance from time to time on the catwalk. Of late these have become higher as ‘the flamingo look’ prevails.

Studio 54 was Sodom and Gomorrah with a disco theme, a place where celebrities and civilians alike reveled in unrestrained debauchery. Nothing was off limits when the club was in full swing, drugs, sex and rock and roll

Before we begin, some complaints.

© Words Matteo Sedazzari 

The Secret Disco Revolution is an ambitious, well structured, informative and entertaining  documentary made by Toronto born film maker Jamie Kastner.  Kastner has chosen a music genre and movement that in the year 2014 most people take for granted, not in a dismissive way, but the sheer fact that if any famous piece of disco music, such as Thelma Houston’s Don't Leave Me This Way, comes on the radio or at a party,

© Words Matteo Sedazzari

The origin of the 12” single originated from Jamaica in the late 50’s, and developed further into the sixties with the birth of ska, rocksteady, early reggae and sound systems, where party goers would dance to the beat of home grown talent that was longer than the three minute single. Furthermore, with the birth of disco in the 70’s, with the clubs of New York and such like, soul, funk and r ‘n’ b influenced tunes, in 4/4 time, with the bass pumping the music along, the disco dancers needed the groove to go on forever, beyond conventional airtime. 

© Words Matteo Sedazzari
It would unfair to say that Nile Rodgers is having a renaissance, as his music has never gone away nor has it aged, be it Sister Sledge or Chic, timeless classics that still enthral and pulsate any dance floor,  regardless of age.  I remember back in my days of clubbing, late eighties to early nighties, that Sister Sledge’s Thinking of You  became a club anthem, the smiles on the dancers faces were truly beautiful,

Watching Daft Punk collaborate with Kanye West at the Grammys underlined their many achievements. How did two faceless musicians dressed as robots make electronic music one of the most exciting live attractions on earth?