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20th Century Disco

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14/12/2023

Happy Christmas everyone x

06/09/2023

Back at it....
Volume 7 of music you forgot you liked, all in one 67 minute mix

26/06/2022

Why Can't We Live Together?
Timmy Thomas - 1973

This was number 5 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the week Roe Vs Wade was handed down, a seminal track from Timmy Thomas - who was inspired after listening to the nightly deathtoll from Vietnam. Timmy Thomas passed away just a couple of months ago, and here we are full circle with a war in Ukraine, and Roe Vs Wade struck down. Why can't we live together?

22/06/2022

S*x Pistols at the Disco.
Norway 1977

S*x Pistols perfom in Trondheim Student Union in 1977

*xpistols

03/06/2022

27/04/2022

A war is raging, and an oil price shock has sent inflation to 9%
Yes, it's 1973 all over again ...

During the war torn year of 1973, and Arab embargo of oil to the west sent inflation rocketing in USA and Europe, and has shades of 2022. It was also the year we can say Disco as we know it started, as everyday New Yorkers found a release from life at The Loft in Manhattan. An exclusive venue started by David Mancuso, that inspired and set the scene for all great venues to come. Colour, lights, great sound, and a wonderful audience.

#1973

$Life During Wartime 4\The Parisian Zazous had their own signature style, "‘The young men wore dirty drape suits with ‘dr...$

18/03/2022

Life During Wartime 4\

The Parisian Zazous had their own signature style,

"‘The young men wore dirty drape suits with ‘drainpipe’ trousers under their sheep-skinned lined jackets and brillianted liberally their long hair, the girls favored tight roll-collar sweaters with short flared skirts and wooden platform shoes, sported dark glasses with big lenses, put on heavy make-up and went bare-headed to show their dyed hair, set off by a lock of different hue.’

Simone de Beauvoir

#1941

$Life During Wartime 3\Even the dancing was a form of rebellion in Paris in WW2.Refusing to keep their heads down like mo...$

16/03/2022

Life During Wartime 3\

Even the dancing was a form of rebellion in Paris in WW2.

Refusing to keep their heads down like most Parisians, the Zazous would also draw attention to themselves with some signature choreography. Even in front of town halls and national monuments guarded by sentries and draped with the Sw****ka flag, they would yell ‘Swing!’, hop on the spot, scream, ‘Zazou hey, hey, hey, za Zazou!’, slap their hips three times, shrug their shoulders twice, and finish by turning their head to the side.

12/03/2022

Life During Wartime.

We've seen amazing, and inspiring images from Ukraine where culture and the arts are being protected and the musicians keep playing. There is a direct thread here to the birth of Disco.

Nobody ever seems to wonder why dancing to records is a French term ...

In WW2, live jazz was banned in Paris, so the French resorted to dancing to records in what became the Discotheque - the library of discs

So here are a couple having a rave time in their Converse Chuck taylor specials in Paris, 1941

(yes, Converse really are that old)

$Classic Labels 4\Island RecordsThere have been quite a few iconic variants of the Island Records label - but this one re...$

26/02/2022

Classic Labels 4\
Island Records

There have been quite a few iconic variants of the Island Records label - but this one remains the disco classic. Invoking the tropical sunset, from the golden era of Island when they had disco acts, rock, reggae, pop, and more

$Classic Labels 3\PerfectoThis is the original Perfecto design, before the football crest "P" arrived. I remember buying ...$

25/02/2022

Classic Labels 3\
Perfecto

This is the original Perfecto design, before the football crest "P" arrived. I remember buying this 12" just because I loved the look of the label. Duotone printing with that striking image round the center hole - this is an underrated classic label design.

$Classic Labels 2\MCAThe Music Corporation of America had a very similar look to Salsoul at one point when they too went ...$

23/02/2022

Classic Labels 2\
MCA

The Music Corporation of America had a very similar look to Salsoul at one point when they too went for the bright sunshine rainbow label through the 80s. The iconic MCA label has to be the black rainbow however, which was resurrected for Bob Sinclar in 2000 for I feel for you.

$Classic Labels 1\Salsoul RecordsThe demise of the physical format has led to the passing of "cover art", and the beauty ...$

21/02/2022

Classic Labels 1\
Salsoul Records

The demise of the physical format has led to the passing of "cover art", and the beauty of the record label. A great label would embody the sound of the roster, and the best example of this was from New Yorks Salsoul Records. The Salsoul sound was one of uplifting happiness, and well orchestrated disco, embodies in their rainbow sleeves.

Salsoul are still going strong today, continuing to spread rainbows on dance floors.

13/02/2022

Holler 1979
John Davis & The Monster Orchestra

In the nascent days of hip hop, it was not uncommon for a disco record to have a bit of shouty speaking on it, and this is a great example from 1979. The B-Side to Love Magic, Holler.

Sadly the production was awful, and the recording is muffled and confused

#1979

11/02/2022

The Stardust Hotel & Casino, 1979

09/02/2022

Las Vegas, 1980

Driving down the Las Vegas strip, 1980

$Bourgie Bourgie 3\Gladys Knight and the Pips, 1980Sadly I can't share the final outing of Bourgie Bourgie due to it bein...$

07/02/2022

Bourgie Bourgie 3\
Gladys Knight and the Pips, 1980

Sadly I can't share the final outing of Bourgie Bourgie due to it being blocked - however, it was a perfect combination of the Ashford & Simpson soul, with John Davis disco to make it on Gladys Knights best known disco tunes

#1980

13/01/2022

Mao Ishikawa in Okinawa, 1977

10/01/2022

Yokosuka, 1976
Photo: Greg Girard
#1976

07/01/2022

Tokyo 1977
Photo: Greg Girard

05/01/2022

Meet Daisuke Inoue, the man who invented Karaoke.

Unlike a lot of the globe, Japan didn't really have a big Disco culture (with the exception of the amazing Pink Lady), thanks to a ban on dancing after 1am. However, this quirk of moralism gave rise to a whole new craze.

'kara' comes from the word 'karappo' meaning empty or void and 'oke' comes from the word 'okesutura' or orchestra - so karaoke really means "empty orchestra"

To quote the father of Karaoke himself...

“The desire to sing is common to a majority of people, I believe, and karaoke gave them the opportunity to feel like a star,” he says. “And when I see someone singing, that’s what I think of.”

01/01/2022

Happy New year!
Wherever you are in the world, and I hope your 2022 goes with a bang.

Thank you to everyone who follows me, and supports 20th Century Disco xx

#2022 💥

28/12/2021

20th Century Sixties
A new mix of old music for the new year.

If you are allowed to have a New Year party where you are, then hopefully this will bring a bit of swinging sixties to your night.
I've actually been sitting on this for a while, not quite sure if it worked or not - anyway, you can be the judge.

https://www.mixcloud.com/20thCenturyDisco/20th-century-sixties/

24/12/2021

Disco News 4/
Madrid, Spain

This magical, mystery opening from Spanish TV was in use throughout the late 70s

23/12/2021

22/12/2021

Disco News 2/

I knew there had to be more ...

After a little hunt I found this funky intro from Oman Television News from 1980. It appears to have been made for the programme, but still, a great opening bit of Disco before the news

21/12/2021

A handy explainer to what a Disco is

11/12/2021

Mudd Club, 1979 Swipe

10/12/2021

Empire Roller Disco, 1979 Swipe

09/12/2021

Electric Circus, 1979 Swipe

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Videos

67 minutes of music you forgot you liked. On @mixcloud now

Richie Havens with his seminal classic #disco #retro #vinyl #dancing #partytime #music #dance #nightout #djs #funky #nightlife #80s

Why Can't We Live Together? Timmy Thomas - 1973 This was number 5 in the Billboard Hot 100 in the week Roe Vs Wade was handed down, a seminal track from Timmy Thomas - who was inspired after listening to the nightly deathtoll from Vietnam. Timmy Thomas passed away just a couple of months ago, and here we are full circle with a war in Ukraine, and Roe Vs Wade struck down. Why can't we live together? #disco #roevswade #timmythomas #music #history #supremecourt #hammond #vintage #instadj #mixtape #soul #organ #pop

KC & The Sunshine Band 3\⁠ The best disco band you forgot about.⁠ ⁠ One of the bigger hits from KC - and sampled again in the 90s. Get Down Tonight from 1977, again, with about four sentences of lyrics⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #disco #music #1976 #kc #sunshineband #instadj #mixtape #retro #vintage #pop #seventies #cool ⁠ #musicproducer #dj⁠ #dancing #partytime #party #dance #nightout #djs #records #nightclub

Holler 1979 John Davis & The Monster Orchestra In the nascent days of hip hop, it was not uncommon for a disco record to have a bit of shouty speaking on it, and this is a great example from 1979. The B-Side to Love Magic, Holler. Sadly the production was awful, and the recording is muffled and confused #rap #disco #hiphop #music #retro #vinyl #1979 #holler #12inch #dj #discomusic

Las Vegas, 1980 Driving down the Las Vegas strip, 1980 #disco #vegas #lasvegas #lasvegasstrip #vegaslife #sincity #lasvegaslocal #vegasbaby #lasvegaslife #vegasstrip #nevada

Disco News 4/ Madrid, Spain This magical, mystery opening from Spanish TV was in use throughout the late 70s

Disco News 3/ If the news didn't scare you, then this opening will. The avant garde electronic sound of Bernard Estardy with "Night Express" from 1973 is used as the opening of the Luxembourg News in the late 70s #disco #disconews #news #report #bass #drums #dancefloor #70s #music #retro #vintage #video #archives #newscast #history⁠ #housemusic #discomusic #funk #clubmix #dancemusic #dj #discofever #clubscene

Disco News 2/ I knew there had to be more ... After a little hunt I found this funky intro from Oman Television News from 1980. It appears to have been made for the programme, but still, a great opening bit of Disco before the news

A handy explainer to what a Disco is . . . . . . . . . . . . . #disco #disconews #news #60minutes #report #studio54 #bass #drums #dancefloor #70s #music #retro #vintage #video #archives #newscast #newyork #history #housemusic #discomusic #funk #clubmix #dancemusic #dj #discofever #clubscene

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