Questions and Answers
Each era of american history roughly correlates to a musical phenomenon in the 50s it was rock and roll in the 60s it was the music of woodstock and in the 70s it was disco today we're going to take you through the rise and fall of disco first what exactly is disco music disco music is a conglomeration of musical elements pioneered by the lgbtq plus black and latino communities in the 60s that disco rhythm that you are likely familiar with is one called 4 on the floor which is a b in 4 4 time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat in common time this is what makes disco so effortlessly danceable and catchy in addition to the 4 on the floor beat disco uses synthesizers electric rhythm guitars string sections horns electric pianos and syncopated bass lines to create its unique sound disco in the united states has its origins primarily in philadelphia and new york city in philly r b and soul music created by black and latino musicians laid the groundwork for disco music and in new york city disco found its beginnings in underground dance clubs where the lgbtq plus community could safely congregate essentially disco music which was originally created by marginalized groups was predominantly listened to by the members of those groups disco wasn't just music for them it represented being able to freely express oneself without fear of racist or homophobic discrimination this discrimination was evident the reason why dance clubs where disco music was played were underground was because there were laws across the united states that made it illegal for people of the same sex to dance together in a place that had a liquor license it became nearly impossible for the lgbtq plus community to express themselves together in public additionally racism was rampant and typical bars and clubs did not provide safe spaces for people of color to be in them comfortably therefore underground clubs became places where these marginalized groups could come together and listen to the music that their communities were making in a free environment in the mid to late 60s across the us the lgbtq plus community protested against sodomy laws specifically the ones that were criminalizing displays of same-sex relations these protests primarily occurred in new york and new jersey and led to the overturning of the discriminatory laws our location and timeline now centers itself in new york city in the early 70s gay bars started to open up and disco was the predominant music playing while disco had primarily been an underground subculture in the late 60s it rose in popularity as dance clubs opened up across new york city the loft paradise garage and the gallery were some of the most notable nightclubs in the early 70s founded by david mancuso the loft was the first of the real disco clubs to set a precedent of what the disco experience should be like the dj short for disc jockey was perhaps the most essential part of the disco club while music at dance clubs had previously been supplied by live bands djs at disco clubs would use their multi-record turntables and dj mixers to create a continuous mix of songs in order to prevent any interruptions in the dancing each song had a seamless transition into the next without any break in the music djs had complete control over the atmosphere as well in addition to the music they control the lights speakers and even the temperature all from their booths popular djs like nicki ciano david mancuso and larry levin were praised for their ability to get people on their feet and dancing for hours on end and overall providing an exciting and entertaining night the dj was also the unofficial salesperson for disco music outside the club since disco was never played on the radio in the early 70s it was the job of the dj to indirectly sell the music to the club attendees what would happen is the people at the clubs would hear the dj playing a song and if they liked it they would go to the record store and buy the record this slowly.
