A Complete Introduction to Disco: 1970-1980 Various artists (Universal)
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In the nightclubs that played host to underground DJ culture, though, attitudes evolved very differently. For one thing, dance fans have long understood that disco didn’t “die” per se, and in their eyes it never needed to be revived or rehabilitated. There was no rupture in its history, no period of dormance. They hear the slower, synthesizer-dependent “boogie” R&B sound of the early 80s—easier and cheaper to produce than funk or disco, which called for sprawling bands and lavish string sections—as an extension of disco, not a break from it. The same goes for the trashy, synth-heavy European records of the early 80s, particularly from Italy, that form the basis of what’s now called “Italo.” For many current producers and DJs, disco’s bloodline survives well into the 80s, and only really ends with the paradigm shift that produced house music.
Others have come to believe that disco remained a major force in the world of dance music even after the rise of house—a conviction that can persist only because the world of dance music exists in some ways in a cultural bubble. The album most responsible for the prevalence of this idea among modern fans is Metro Area’s self-titled debut, which came out in 2002. Metro Area have admitted that their big club hit from that record, “Miura,” draws from Lipps Inc.’s “Funkytown”—one of the last disco number ones in 1980—and their stylistic referents seem to start there and move chronologically forward, creating a persuasive picture of an alternate universe where disco is the common ancestor of every present-day form of dance music.
It’s useful to compare A Complete Introduction to Rhino’s late-90s The Disco Box, which took its inspiration primarily from the pop charts. Focusing narrowly on hits downplays the motivation behind the music. A disco record may shoot for number one, or it may never travel further than the crates of five of the producer’s friends, but in pretty much every case the goal is to move a crowd. What hit the charts wasn’t always what people were dancing to, and A Complete Introduction takes that into account. There’s enough here for any pop fan: nine number ones and a total of 18 top tens out of 64 tracks, not counting British, R&B, or club chart placements. But there are also DJ favorites that never get a look-in on collections like Rhino’s: El Coco’s almost absurdly bubbly Eurodisco confection “Cocomotion” and Bionic Boogie’s ultraplush “Risky Changes” provide an invigorating new context for cast-in-stone selections like Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” and Sylvester’s “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).”
