Is Disco Fever Here To Stay?

Everybody knows that the heyday of disco music was in the 1970s - the era of flared trousers, massive hair and the word 'groovy'. Some say that disco ended there, and that the genre has no place in today's music scene, where it is perhaps overshadowed by such giants as dubstep, hip hop and indie rock. Others would beg to differ - as one of my slightly intoxicated teachers claimed at my college's Summer Ball, "Disco is making a comeback! DISCO WILL NEVER DIE!"

So I decided to investigate - is disco really making a comeback? Or is it destined to go the way of Betamax tapes, Test Card F and Margaret Thatcher?...

The Evidence 

#1: The UK Top 40

Image © Atlantic Records

Take one look at the UK's current Top 40 and you'll see that disco is doing surprisingly well at the moment in terms of sales, contending with such mainstream megastars as Olly Murs and Jessie J. Daft Punk's disco-inspired track 'Get Lucky' is at #11 having spent a whole 14 weeks in the charts, and 'Treasure' by Bruno Mars - another disco hit - has enjoyed 10 weeks of great sales and is currently sitting at #16. Admittedly, both artists aren't strictly disco artists - Daft Punk are rooted more in electronica and house music than anything, and Bruno Mars is most famous for his soul/R&B sound. However, the fact that these artists have recently decided to step outside of their usual styles and produce disco songs (and extremely successful disco songs, too) proves that musicians and listeners alike are currently enjoying an appetite for funky disco tunes!

#2: Glastonbury 2013

A quick look at the Glastonbury 2013 lineup suggests that disco may not be the most popular genre at the moment, as it is outnumbered quite significantly by electronic acts and indie artists, but it is nonetheless enjoying some success on the current music scene. Proof of this can be found in the fact that disco legends Chic headlined the West Holt's Stage (featuring, of course, Nile Rodgers - the god of disco/funk guitar, and a session musician on Daft Punk's new album 'Random Access Memories'), playing to a crowd of thousands. If a 70s disco band can still headline a stage at one of the biggest festivals in the world, and completely nail their set too, then disco certainly cannot be called a 'dead' genre! The BBC, in fact, went as far as to refer to the event as "the re-birth of disco", which brings me on to the subject of...

#3: The Media Hype

It appears that my disco-fanatic teacher isn't the only person who sees the current resurgence of interest in the genre as a "disco comeback" - the world of music journalism has also noticed the direction that the genre is travelling in at the moment. Urban entertainment website Vibe has published a piece on the "fresh disco tracks" that are part of a current "disco rebirth", and British newspaper The Guardian quite recently produced an article on the fact that today's "dance music stars are drawing inspiration from the 1970s sounds of Chic, Donna Summer and Studio 54" - to give but two examples. Such articles make clear that it's not just listeners and music producers who are experiencing a newfound interest in the disco genre, but journalists too are sitting up and taking notice.

So, is disco making a comeback?

It appears so, yes! Get out your flares and your novelty afro wig, because it looks like disco is not only popular at the moment, but it's here to stay!

I'll leave you with this quote from the 1998 film 'The Last Days of Disco':

"Disco was too great, and too much fun, to be gone forever! It's got to come back someday. I just hope it will be in our own lifetimes."

PsyD

Next time on Superunknown: I'll be reviewing the four-minutes-of-epic-awesomeness that is 'Stingin' Belle' by Biffy Clyro

EDIT: Not long after writing this post, I found this image circulating Tumblr, with over 64,000 reblogs at the time of writing! I know that many people are saying that the disco genre is getting bigger and bolder than ever, but this is insane!...

Rock Around The World: Part Two (Adelaide Island, Gabon, Brazil)

I'm back! Exams are over, college is over, and I have a long break ahead of me now before I head off to uni! So here it is, the long-awaited second part to the 'Rock Around The World' feature that I started before revision took over my life...

#5 - Adelaide Island, Antarctica

When I started writing this feature, I thought that there was no way that any bands came from Antarctica - home of the eskimos, polar bears and other generally snowy things. I was proved wrong by five men, who together are Nunatak - a rock band who you could say are literally the coolest on the planet! I'll be honest here, I don't really like Nunatak's music. Embedded below is their track 'how many people', so you can listen to that and make up your own mind on what you think of them, but to me their music seems poorly mixed (the vocals are way too quiet and muffled to hear the lyrics, and the drums dominate the song), and the instruments all seem slightly out-of-tune with each other. Nonetheless, I still have a lot of respect for Nunatak; they're the first band to come from Antarctica, which is pretty badass in itself, and they strike me as a few mates making music together for fun rather than a group trying to make it professionally. They're also adventurous in their choice of instruments, combining saxophones with guitars with fiddles with drums (and the list goes on), and they make music for a good cause too - the video to 'how many people', for example, was recorded for 2007's Live Earth campaign to raise awareness for environmental issues. Nunatak's music might not be great, but there's still a lot to love about them!


#6 - Gabon, Africa

Okay, so I know this feature is called 'Rock Around The World', but readers of this blog should know by now that I love all sorts of music, not just rock (although most of my favourite bands are admittedly from the heavier genres). With that in mind, my featured artist from the African continent is Jah Sagu, a new hip hop singer/rapper from Gabon. His latest song 'Black Panther Matsotse' has been whipping up a frenzy online, gaining just under 6 million hits on YouTube in only four months - not bad for a new artist who's signed to a small record label! Upon listening to the track, it's easy to understand the hype. 'Black Panther Matsotse' has everything that one could possibly want from a hip hop tune. Its beat is fresh; simple and exciting in equal measure. Jah Sagu's rapping is filled with true passion, as if he really means every word that he says in perfect timing. The chorus is incredibly catchy - even for someone like me who speaks little French and no Gabonese and therefore can't understand a word being said, it's hard not to sing along after a few listens. The mixing and general production is very professional, with the track as a whole sounding like something that could quite easily be played alongside the likes of Tinie Tempah and Labrinth on national radio. Basically, Jah Sagu has the potential to go very far indeed. His task is simple - he just needs to keep creating material on the level of 'Black Panther Matsotse', and he could easily become Gabon's first major international superstar.



#7 - Brazil, South America

And now to South America - or more specifically to Brazil, where rockers Cruz can be found. The band seems to be closely influenced by the giants of alternative rock and grunge, as is evident in tracks like 'Someday' - here, their distinctly-voiced vocalist sings in English (despite the official language of Brazil being Portuguese), their guitarists play killer riffs throughout, and the band's bassist and drummer provide a steady, constant rhythm which is generally laid back whilst sounding completely kick-ass at the same time. Despite their Western grunge-inspired sound, however, it's important to note that Cruz aren't a copycat band. 'Someday' may be a typical grunge-rock track, but tracks like 'Imunização Racional (Tim Maia)' show a completely different, more experimental side to the band's sound. Here, Cruz use a trombone - an instrument which is rarely heard in rock - in an unusual and distinctive way, and their singer sings in his native language throughout. Evidently, Cruz are a band who have their roots set firmly in classic rock and grunge, but who aren't afraid to be creative, to have fun and to try out new things. I've embedded 'Someday' below so you can hear it for yourself. Personally, I quite like their edgy, fresh take on grunge and classic rock, but at the same time I can envision their unique features being perhaps shunned by a more mainstream radio audience in the UK or America. What do you think? Comments below please!...


  So there you have it: Superunknown's trip around the world in 7 awesome artists. I hope this feature has been as much of a learning experience for you as it has been for me, and that you're inspired to spread the word about some of the artists that I've featured - they all really deserve international success, so let's make that happen!

PsyD