Music/Society Modern Wrld (W7)
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DiscoGayRights.pptxDisco, Dance Music, and Gay Rights
Disco
Simplified funk; fueled gay rights mvmt.; all night dance parties, drugs, sexual openness; Studio 54; embodied narcissism of decade
Debate about first disco record;
Manu Dibango “ Soul Makossa ” (1972) Cameroonian sax, singer, songwriter
Eddie Kendricks’ “ Girl You Need a Change of Mind ” (1973, for Motown)
MFSB’s “ Love is the Message ” (1973, for Phil. Int.)
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Kendrick’s – member of temps; “Just my imagination” “the way you do the things you do”
MFSB, mother, father, sister, brother
Gloria Gaynor - “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1975)
Donna Summer - “ Love to Love You Baby ” (1975); sexually provocative, mimicking orgasm on song
The Village People - dressed as stereotypes of American males; “YMCA”, “Macho Man” (1978 and 1979) gay anthems
The Bee Gee’s - soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Disco originated by Black artists, but later co-opted by white artists
Chic, dance Le Freak (1978)
Sylvester - Af-Am openly gay artist; “ You Make Me Feel Mighty Real ” (1978) (gay rights anthem)
The Secret Disco Revolution (doc film)
Disco, Club Culture & Sexual Expression
Early 1970s – NYC, David Mancuso, The Loft, dance parties celebrated diverse forms of sexual expression
Paradise Garage – NYC club, opens 1976, DJ Larry Levan
Studio 54 – NYC opens 1977, more commercial
1970s, Drag balls (roots in Harlem Renaissance of 1930s); celebrates cross-dressing and sexual ambiguity and freedom; ‘historically a domain of queers of color’; comes to popular attention with Madonna’s “Vogue” 1990
Death of Disco
Backlash - 1979, “Disco Sucks” reaction, Chicago radio DJ, Steve Dahl (top) promotes burning records in Comiskey Park; why the rejection of disco?
rejected over commercialism, and “low quality” of music artistry; other social reasons for the rejection of disco?
Rejected due to “unholy” mixture of homosexuality and Blackness
Techno, House, and EDM
Grew from a combination of disco and early European electronic music
Dance clubs became ’safe spaces’ for LGBTQ communities
For instance, Club Heaven (Detroit; right) – place of self-making, safe space for the expression of Black-gay identity – video
Resident DJ Ken Collier
The German Connection
Kraftwerk – German
electro-rock (kraut-rock) band formed in 1970 in Dusseldorf
Use of synths, vocoders, electronics, drum machines
Autobahn (1974)
Trans-Europe Express (1977) (sampled for Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Rock – 1982, hip-hop)
Man-Machine (1978)
How did Detroiters here this music?
Electrifying Mojo (radio DJ), Midnight Funk Association
The Italian & French Connection
Italo-Disco –
Georgio Moroder – producer, electronic musician, Moog, etc.
“Son of my Father” (1972)
Jean-Marc Ceronne “Love in C Minor” (1976)
Kano, Stefano Pulga, Luciano Ninzatti, “It’s a War” (1980); “I’m Ready,” “Holly Dolly”
Robotnik “Problems D’Amour” (1983)
Also played by Mojo, at house parties, etc.
House Music
House Music –
feat. Four-on-the-floor bass drum,
up-beat hi-hat;
use of drum machines, samples, and synths;
between 118-135 BPM (beats per minute, tempo, speed)
Frankie Knuckles (right) – father of house music; Chicago DJ; began at club called Warehouse (catered to gay Black and Latino men); later opened own club called Power Plant; name house music comes from the name of the club
Acid House - effected “wobbly” modified sound of house;
“Acid Trax” Dj Pierre, Earl “Spanky” Smith, Herb Jackson
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Techno
1981 - “Sharevari” A Number of Names; inspired by Kano, “Holly Dolly”
1981 - “ Alleys of Your Mind ”, Juan Atkins (left) (the originator) and Rick Davis (aka Cybotron)
Derrick May (right) (the innovator, Rhythim is Rhythim) – “ Strings of Life” (1987)
Kevin Saunderson (the elevator) – Inner City, “Big Fun,” “Good Life” (1988)
Belleville Three – Juan, Derrick, Kevin together; all friends
All from Belleville, MI (suburb of Detroit)
Techno (like disco, blues, and rock) was started by all Black artists, but has become co-opted by white mainstream and industry – i.e., Calvin Harris, etc.
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The scene, detroit dance show, 1975-1987
Started by Af-Am DJs, although later became asoc. W/ White suburban & British youth
Techno compilation 1988 (right)
Juan Atkins, first to connect term of ‘techno’ with music
High Tech Soul – doc film, history of Detroit techno music
