The eternal return of Disco

The return of the kings (and queens) of disco

With ABBA's big comeback to the front of the stage, disco keeps getting reborn! But has it ever died?
One thing is for sure, since the release in 2011 of Random Access Memories, Daft Punk's album that highlighted the aesthetics of the 1970s, disco is once again trending on the dance floors. Tracks like “Lose Yourself To Dance”, or “Get Lucky” have rejuvenated the disco genre . With the participation of icons like Nile Rodgers (the guitarist of Chic) the French duo has revitalized a musical trend that had been losing ground since the '90s.

ABBA's classics, such as “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” (also sampled by Madonna in her hit “Hung Up”) are still classics of the genre if you're trying to get your party to the next level.

By the way, the four Swedes of ABBA, who will now take the stage in form of their digital "ABBA-tars", have recently released tracks that evoke the atmosphere of the golden years of the disco era.

When the emergence of synthesizers shook the disco world in the '80s

As the saying goes: "Synth is coming to town! The popularity of these instruments has grown steadily since the emergence of the first disco records accompanied by synthesizers in the late 1970s.

Among the pioneers, it's worth mentioning artists like Cerrone (“Supernature”) or Giorgio Moroder. The latter, whose duo with Donna Summer still hasn't aged, will certainly create a delightful and dynamic atmosphere on the dance floor. Tracks like “I Feel Love” or “Love To Love You Baby” have helped to shape music production, especially electronic music.

If you don’t have the –often expensive—hardware that was used by the synth masters of the time, don’t panic! The compositional wonders of these tracks work just as well on a straight piano. This is the secret recipe for making a hit, they get it right, no matter what.

Was the king of pop also one of the kings of disco?

Since his early days as a member of the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson has taken the musical currents of his time to shape them in his own unique way. So it's only logical that the disco era would also benefit from the legendary talent of the King Of Pop.
With tracks like “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough” or “Wanna Be Startin’ Something”, the star was able to leave his mark on all genres, including disco.

Feel-good disco, or how to make your guests smile

“September” by Earth Wind & Fire, or “Freak” by Chic, there are many tracks that were created with the intent to put you in a good mood at a party. However, few can claim to be so excellent in their composition and their knowledge of music as the groove masters, Chic. Will you be able to dance the whole night on disco in 2022? Nile Rodgers would surely accept that challenge.

Let’s not forget the modern iterations of the mix between disco and funk, some of these tracks are still majors hits today. Among them, the golden hips award goes to the US Funk group Vulfpeck. With a discography that includes “1612”, these apostles of positive groove will help you, with their bass drum kicks, to turn your evening into a friendly moment to remember.

In this somewhat challenging time for clubs and concerts, we would be remiss not to mention the track that symbolizes the condition of the musician in 2022, the legendary “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees.

Now that your setlist includes the above-mentioned tracks, all you need is a quality beat to make any audience jump out of their seat. You're in luck, all available songs on Karaoke Version are broken down track by track. Whether it’s to create the right atmosphere for a dance party or to better understand the harmonic and rhythmic structure of these tracks, we’ve got you covered!

Published on: 12 January 2022