DISCO MUSIC
BY JOEL JUSTUS
Disco is not only music-it's a lifestyle, a cult, a mood. The disco scene set
everyone dancing again, dancing in the old-new way, with a partner, following
planned steps. Doing the hustle, doing the bus stop, doing the bump - As for
disco music, it's characterized by a steady rhythm, a driving beat reminiscent
of the old Motown sound.
According to research by producer Carl Maults-By, all disco music fits into a
metronomic range of 108 to 126 cycles per minute. It has its base in R&B,
but it's heightened by Latin and symphonic sounds as well. Probably the key
element in disco sound is rhythm
The sound's tinselly-strings, horns and cymbals are a vital part of it.
Disco, however, is much more than congas, strings and metronomic ranges. Van
McCoy has described discomusic as a "flashback". The sound's a
reflection of what was happening ten years ago in Detroit.
The costumes tend to be nostalgic; many of the songs are old songs, slightly
altered. It is happy, lightweight sound.