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114-501: Chic (stylized CHIC ; / ʃ iː k / SHEEK ), currently called Nile Rodgers & Chic , is an American disco band founded in 1972 mainly by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards . It recorded many commercially successful disco songs, including " Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) " (1977), " Everybody Dance " (1977), " Le Freak " (1978), " I Want Your Love " (1978), " Good Times " (1979), and " My Forbidden Lover " (1979). The group regarded themselves as

228-443: A horn section , a string orchestra , and a variety of " classical " solo instruments (for example, flute, piccolo, and so on). Disco songs were arranged and composed by experienced arrangers and orchestrators , and record producers added their creative touches to the overall sound using multitrack recording techniques and effects units . Recording complex arrangements with such a large number of instruments and sections required

342-407: A 1989 birthday party where Rodgers, Edwards, Paul Shaffer , and Anton Fig played old Chic songs, Rodgers and Edwards organized a reunion of the old band. They recorded new material – a single, " Chic Mystique " (remixed by Masters at Work ) and subsequent album Chic-ism (1992), both of which charted— and played live all over the world, to great audience and critical acclaim. During 1996, Rodgers

456-443: A Dance Floor , Random Access Memories , Future Nostalgia , and Kylie Minogue 's album itself titled Disco . Modern day artists like Dua Lipa , Bruno Mars and Silk Sonic have continued the genre's popularity, bringing it to a whole new younger generation. The term "disco" is shorthand for the word discothèque , a French word for "library of phonograph records" derived from "bibliothèque". The word "discotheque" had

570-547: A background vocalist for Chic, a new band created by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards . Anderson's and Vandross's background vocals appear on the eponymous debut album Chic , which contained number one hit " Dance, Dance, Dance " and the Billboard charted " Everybody Dance ". Anderson became a lead singer when one of Chic's original leads, Norma Jean Wright , left the group in 1978. Along with fellow lead Luci Martin, Chic would go on to produce many more charted hits, including

684-486: A beat (which in 4/4 time is 4 beats per measure). Disco is further characterized by a 16th note division of the quarter notes (as shown in the second drum pattern in the picture above, after a typical rock drum pattern). The orchestral sound usually known as "disco sound" relies heavily on string sections and horns playing linear phrases, in unison with the soaring, often reverberated vocals or playing instrumental fills, while electric pianos and chicken-scratch guitars create

798-471: A group named Voices of Shalom, dedicated to exploring spiritual themes through original compositions. They released two albums: "Messages" (1999) and "Daily Bread" (2005). A single, released in 2005, called "What a Spirit", features Lisa Fischer and Keith Anthony Fluitt. Anderson continues to record and perform. She released the single "Former First Lady of Chic" in 2013 and the album Music from My Heart in 2017. Anderson has toured internationally with

912-551: A group of accompanying musicians who were among the most dextrous, knowledgeable, and brilliant in all of popular music (Motown bassists have long been the envy of white rock bassists) and 7) a trebly style of mixing that relied heavily on electronic limiting and equalizing (boosting the high range frequencies) to give the overall product a distinctive sound, particularly effective for broadcast over AM radio." Motown had many hits with disco elements by acts like Eddie Kendricks (" Keep on Truckin' " in 1973, " Boogie Down " in 1974). At

1026-441: A key influence in the development of electronic dance music , house music , hip hop , new wave , dance-punk , and post-disco . The style has had several revivals since the 1990s , and the influence of disco remains strong across American and European pop music. A revival has been underway since the early 2010s , coming to great popularity in the early 2020s . Albums that have contributed to this revival include Confessions on

1140-465: A key part of the disco club experience. The Loft party host David Mancuso introduced the technologies of tweeter arrays (clusters of small loudspeakers, which emit high-end frequencies, positioned above the floor) and bass reinforcements (additional sets of subwoofers positioned at ground level) at the start of the 1970s to boost the treble and bass at opportune moments, and by the end of the decade sound engineers such as Richard Long had multiplied

1254-697: A major trend in popular music in the United States following the infamous Disco Demolition Night on July 12, 1979, and it continued to sharply decline in popularity in the U.S. during the early 1980s ; however, it remained popular in Italy and some European countries throughout the 1980s, and during this time also started becoming trendy in places elsewhere including India and the Middle East , where aspects of disco were blended with regional folk styles such as ghazals and belly dancing . Disco would eventually become

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1368-501: A medley of hits including " Le Freak ", " He's the Greatest Dancer " and " Good Times ". Rodgers announced in 2013 that he was working on a new Chic album, based on rediscovered tapes of unreleased material from the early 1980s. He also stated that Daft Punk is interested in working on at least one song of the unreleased material with him. Rodgers co-wrote and performed on three songs off Daft Punk 's 2013 Grammy Award-winning Album of

1482-406: A merengue, are commonplace. The quaver pattern is often supported by other instruments such as the rhythm guitar and may be implied rather than explicitly present. Songs often use syncopation , which is the accenting of unexpected beats. In general, the difference between disco, or any dance song, and a rock or pop song is that in dance music the bass drum hits four to the floor , at least once

1596-488: A new Chic album for the first time in more than two decades. The lead single from the record, titled " I'll Be There ", was released on March 20, 2015. Besides this, Warner Bros. signed a deal with Land of the Good Groove, the label formed by Rodgers and Michael Ostin, son of longtime Warner Bros. head Mo Ostin . Rodgers unveiled the track "I'll Be There" during the vernal equinox and total solar eclipse on March 20 to signify

1710-428: A non-phallic full body eroticism. Through a range of percussion instruments, a willingness to play with rhythm, and the endless repeating of phrases without cutting the listener off, disco achieved this full-body eroticism by restoring eroticism to the whole body for both sexes. This allowed for the potential expression of sexualities not defined by the cock/penis, and the erotic pleasure of bodies that are not defined by

1824-460: A prominent Moog synthesizer on the beat, was one of the first disco tracks to use the synthesizer. The rhythm is laid down by prominent, syncopated basslines (with heavy use of broken octaves , that is, octaves with the notes sounded one after the other) played on the bass guitar and by drummers using a drum kit , African/ Latin percussion , and electronic drums such as Simmons and Roland drum modules . In Philly dance and Salsoul disco,

1938-424: A record contract. Both joined the band New York City , which had a hit record in 1973 with "I'm Doing Fine Now ". The original demo tapes were made by DJ/studio engineer Robert Drake, who first played lacquer records while DJing at a New York after hours club called Night Owl. New York City broke up in 1976. After Walter Murphy released the single and album " A Fifth of Beethoven " under the name Walter Murphy and

2052-495: A relationship to a penis. The sexual liberation expressed through the rhythm of disco is further represented in the club spaces that disco grew within. In Peter Shapiro 's Modulations: A History of Electronic Music : Throbbing Words on Sound , he discusses eroticism through the technology disco utilizes to create its audacious sound. The music, Shapiro states, is adjunct to "the pleasure-is-politics ethos of post- Stonewall culture." He explains how "mechano-eroticism", which links

2166-595: A rock band for the disco movement "that made good on hippie peace, love and freedom". In 2017, Chic was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the eleventh time. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards met in 1970 as session musicians working in the New York City area. They formed a rock band initially named The Boys, but soon changed it to The Big Apple Band, and played numerous gigs around New York City. Despite interest in their demos, they never garnered

2280-818: A second master's degree in educational leadership from Bank Street College in New York, New York. In the 1990s, she became a principal at El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice High School in Brooklyn, New York. Alfa Anderson is married to producer, composer, and bass player Eluriel "Tinkr" Barfield, whom she met while touring with Vandross. In addition to Vandross, Barfield has recorded or performed with Lou Rawls , The B-52's , Jaheim , Roberta Flack , The Roches , Marvin Sease , Doc Powell , Martha Wash , Debbie Gibson , Jennifer Holliday , Ashford and Simpson , as well as many other celebrated artists. Anderson and Barfield formed

2394-399: A stronger effect. According to Peter Braunstein , the "massive quantities of drugs ingested in discothèques produced the next cultural phenomenon of the disco era: rampant promiscuity and public sex . While the dance floor was the central arena of seduction , actual sex usually took place in the nether regions of the disco: bathroom stalls, exit stairwells , and so on. In other cases

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2508-480: A team that included a conductor , copyists , record producers, and mixing engineers . Mixing engineers had an important role in the disco production process because disco songs used as many as 64 tracks of vocals and instruments. Mixing engineers and record producers, under the direction of arrangers, compiled these tracks into a fluid composition of verses, bridges, and refrains, complete with builds and breaks . Mixing engineers and record producers helped to develop

2622-602: A traditional education path. She attended Paine College , followed by Teachers College, Columbia University , where she earned a master's degree in English. She sang in the college choirs of both Paine and Columbia. In 1976, Anderson made her professional debut in Cannonball Adderley 's "Big Man — The Legend of John-Henry" sponsored by the Newport Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall . Her second professional appearance

2736-509: A trio she formed with former Chic members Norma Jean Wright and Luci Martin. In 2016, the group sang with Aristofreeks and guest vocalist Kathy Sledge on the song "Get on Up", which reached #2 on Billboard's Club Chart. Nile Rodgers recreated Chic with new vocalists in 1992. Anderson and Luci Martin appear on the Chic track "I'll Be There" (2015). The song reached number one on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. In 2014, Anderson received

2850-606: A venue were mostly a French invention, imported to the United States with the opening of Le Club , a members-only restaurant and nightclub located at 416 East 55th Street in Manhattan , by French expatriate Olivier Coquelin , on New Year's Eve 1960. Disco music as a genre started as a mixture of music from venues popular among African-Americans , Hispanic and Latino Americans , gay Americans , and Italian Americans in New York City (especially Brooklyn ) and Philadelphia during

2964-493: A young reporter, who happened to be covering the opening of the club, impulsively took control of the record player and introduced the records that he chose to play. Klaus Quirini later claimed to thus have been the world's first nightclub DJ. During the 1960s, discotheque dancing became a European trend that was enthusiastically picked up by the American press. At this time, when the discotheque culture from Europe became popular in

3078-588: Is achieved by lightly pressing the guitar strings against the fretboard and then quickly releasing them just enough to get a slightly muted poker [sound] while constantly strumming very close to the bridge." Other backing keyboard instruments include the piano , electric organ (during early years), string synthesizers , and electromechanical keyboards such as the Fender Rhodes electric piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, and Hohner Clavinet . Donna Summer 's 1977 song " I Feel Love ", produced by Giorgio Moroder with

3192-553: Is also much-cited in music circles, as is Thompson's recorded drum work. Queen got the inspiration for its single " Another One Bites the Dust " (1980) from Bernard Edwards' familiar bass guitar riff on " Good Times " after John Deacon met the band at the Power Station recording studio. The French duo Modjo used the guitar sample from Chic's "Soup for One", as the basic theme for their single, " Lady (Hear Me Tonight) ". Chic influenced

3306-542: Is known today. "Good Times" was used also by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five on its hit " The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel ", which was used in the end sequence of the first hip-hop movie, Wild Style , from 1982. Blondie 's 1980 US number-one song " Rapture " was not only influenced by "Good Times" but was a direct tribute to Chic, and main singer Deborah Harry 's 1981 debut solo album KooKoo

3420-454: Is played for dancing, typically equipped with a large dance floor, an elaborate system of flashing coloured lights, and a powerful amplified sound system. " Its earliest example is use as the name of a particular venue in 1952, and other examples date from 1960 onwards. The entry is annotated as "Now somewhat dated". It defines Disco as "A genre of strongly rhythmical pop music mainly intended for dancing in nightclubs and particularly popular in

3534-411: Is set to feature collaborations from David Guetta and Avicii . Rodgers described how a lick he played to test a freshly-repaired guitar caught the ear of DJ Nicky Romero , ending as an important part of a "huge song" on the upcoming album. Rodgers assumed "It sounds like a pop record". In February 2015, it was announced that Nile Rodgers had signed a new record deal with Warner Bros. with a release of

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3648-533: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 11 times: 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2017, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Nile Rodgers for Musical Excellence. The group was not nominated for induction in 2018. Rodgers and Chic continue to perform to major audiences worldwide as Nile Rodgers & Chic. In 2019, Chic received a nomination for the Brit Award for International Group . Chic has been nominated eleven times for

3762-588: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , but has yet to receive enough votes to become an inductee. They officially became the most nominated act in the Hall's history to not earn induction. Disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines , string sections , brass and horns , electric piano , synthesizers , and electric rhythm guitars . Discothèques as

3876-520: The Step By Step disco dance TV show was launched with the sponsorship support of the Coca-Cola company. Produced in the same studio that Don Cornelius used for the nationally syndicated dance/music television show, Soul Train , Step by Step' s audience grew and the show became a success. The dynamic dance duo of Robin and Reggie led the show. The pair spent the week teaching disco dancing to dancers in

3990-534: The Thompson Twins successful Here's to Future Days album, and appearing live with them and Madonna at Live Aid in Philadelphia. During 1986, Rodgers produced the fourth album from Duran Duran , Notorious . Bernard Edwards later gave Duran Duran's bassist John Taylor the bass guitar he played on many of Chic's songs. Taylor had long been a Chic fan, his style influenced greatly by Edwards' playing. After

4104-539: The hippies informed proto-disco music like MFSB 's album Love Is the Message . Partly through the success of Jimi Hendrix , psychedelic elements that were popular in rock music of the late 1960s found their way into soul and early funk music and formed the subgenre psychedelic soul . Examples can be found in the music of the Chambers Brothers , George Clinton with his Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Sly and

4218-490: The recording studio . Larry Levan, for example, was a prolific record producer as well as a DJ. Because record sales were often dependent on dance floor play by DJs in the nightclubs, DJs were also influential in the development and popularization of certain types of disco music being produced for record labels. In the early years, dancers in discos danced in a "hang loose" or "freestyle" approach. At first, many dancers improvised their own dance styles and dance steps. Later in

4332-468: The "disco sound" by creating a distinctive-sounding, sophisticated disco mix . Early records were the "standard" three-minute version until Tom Moulton came up with a way to make songs longer so that he could take a crowd of dancers at a club to another level and keep them dancing longer. He found that it was impossible to make the 45-RPM vinyl singles of the time longer, as they could usually hold no more than five minutes of good-quality music. With

4446-521: The 1960s, the Motown record label developed its own approach, described as having "1) simply structured songs with sophisticated melodies and chord changes, 2) a relentless four-beat drum pattern, 3) a gospel use of background voices, vaguely derived from the style of the Impressions , 4) a regular and sophisticated use of both horns and strings, 5) lead singers who were half way between pop and gospel music, 6)

4560-547: The Big Apple Band, Edwards and Rodgers changed their band name to Chic. Inspired after attending a concert by English glam rock band Roxy Music , Rodgers began developing the idea for the group whose music and image would form a seamless and immersive whole, taking additional influence from the anonymous, make-up wearing American rock band Kiss . During 1977, Edwards and Rodgers recruited drummer Tony Thompson , formerly with Labelle and Ecstasy, Passion & Pain , to join

4674-727: The Budokan (1999). Chic continued to tour with new musicians. Chic released four new albums during the 2000s (three compilations, and one live album): The Very Best of Chic (2000), Good Times: The Very Best of the Hits & the Remixes (2005), A Night in Amsterdam (2006), and The Definitive Groove Collection (2006). A box set, Nile Rodgers Presents The Chic Organization, Vol.1: Savoir Faire would be released in 2010, covering Rodgers and Edwards' productions both for Chic and for other artists up to

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4788-651: The Family Stone , and the productions of Norman Whitfield with The Temptations . Alfa Anderson Anderson was born in Augusta, Georgia . Her parents named her "Alfa" (from " alpha " the first letter of the Greek alphabet, with the "ph" changed to an "f" in honor of her father's name, Alfonso), because she was their first born child. Musically inclined from a young age, Anderson composed her first song at age three. Although Anderson showed early talent for music, she pursued

4902-573: The Gang , and Village People . While performers garnered public attention, record producers working behind the scenes played an important role in developing the genre. By the late 1970s, most major U.S. cities had thriving disco club scenes, and DJs would mix dance records at clubs such as Studio 54 in Manhattan , a venue popular among celebrities . Nightclub-goers often wore expensive, extravagant outfits, consisting predominantly of loose, flowing pants or dresses for ease of movement while dancing. There

5016-669: The Global Entertainment Media Arts (G.E.M.A.) Foundation's Golden Mic Award as well as a Citation from the City of Philadelphia] for her contributions to music. "Le Freak", featuring Anderson on the lead vocals, was inducted into the 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2018, the song was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress . In 2018, Mayor Hardie Davis Jr. of Augusta, Georgia gave Anderson

5130-468: The Greatest Dancer " and Prince for David Bowie 's " Let's Dance ". Chic and Nile Rodgers headlined Bestival on the Isle of Wight on September 7, 2014. Rodgers played tribute to his guitar technician Terry Brauer at Bestival after learning of his death from cancer . While chatting with Billboard's Kerri Mason, Rodgers announced a new Chic album and shared a never-before-heard new solo track. The upcoming album

5244-508: The Guinness Book of World Records. He danced for 205 hours, the equivalent of 8½ days. Other dance marathons took place afterward and Roberts held the world record for disco dancing for a short period of time. Some notable professional dance troupes of the 1970s included Pan's People and Hot Gossip . For many dancers, a key source of inspiration for 1970s disco dancing was the film Saturday Night Fever (1977). Further influence came from

5358-462: The Stonewall riots. As New York state had laws against homosexual behavior in public, including dancing with a member of the same sex, the eroticism of disco served as resistance and an expression of sexual freedom. He uses Donna Summer's singles " Love to Love You Baby " (1975) and " I Feel Love " (1977) as examples of the ever-present relationship between the synthesized bass lines and backgrounds to

5472-446: The United States, several music genres with danceable rhythms rose to popularity and evolved into different sub-genres: rhythm and blues (originated in the 1940s), soul (late 1950s and 1960s), funk (mid-1960s) and go-go (mid-1960s and 1970s; more than "disco", the word "go-go" originally indicated a music club). Musical genres that were primarily performed by African-American musicians would influence much of early disco. Also during

5586-717: The West Holts Stage on Friday night at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, and played a variety of tracks both from Chic and from Nile Rodgers' extensive list of songs he had worked on for other artists. Noel Gallagher noted "My favorite act at this year's Glastonbury, when I went, was not the Rolling Stones, as great as they were; was not the Arctic Monkeys, as good as they were; was not Disclosure, as good as they were; but it

5700-628: The Year Random Access Memories including the Grammy Record of the Year " Get Lucky " with the duo and Pharrell Williams . Chic and Nile Rodgers headlined at the 2014 Essence Festival curated by Prince . Special guests performing with Chic during a segment of the show that highlighted Chic's songwriting and production work for other artists, were Kathy Sledge for Sister Sledge 's " We Are Family ", Janelle Monáe for Sister Sledge's " He's

5814-416: The background "pad" sound defining the harmony progression . Typically, all of the doubling of parts and use of additional instruments creates a rich " wall of sound ". There are, however, more minimalist flavors of disco with reduced, transparent instrumentation. Harmonically, disco music typically contains major and minor seven chords, which are found more often in jazz than pop music. The "disco sound"

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5928-848: The band performed at New Year Live at the Methodist Central Hall in London . On June 12, 2018, the band announced its ninth album It's About Time , which was initially scheduled for release on September 7. It was later released on September 28. The lead single, "Till the World Falls" featuring Mura Masa , Vic Mensa and Cosha, was released on June 21, 2018. The album features: Lady Gaga , Mura Masa, Vic Mensa, Cosha, Stefflon Don , Craig David , Teddy Riley , Nao , Hailee Steinfeld , Philippe Saisse , Danny L Harle , Lunchmoney Lewis , Thomas Troelsen , Emeli Sande and Elton John . In August 2018, Nile Rodgers confirmed on his Facebook account that

6042-514: The band's debut album. For the Sister Sledge project, Edwards and Rodgers wrote and produced "He's the Greatest Dancer" (originally intended to be a Chic song), in exchange for " I Want Your Love " (intended originally to be performed by Sister Sledge). The group endeavored to express "deep hidden meaning" in every song they wrote. During late 1978, the band released the album C'est Chic , containing one of its better-known tracks, " Le Freak ". It

6156-403: The band's recording studio sound when performing live with sound and visuals, they needed to add another female singer. Wright suggested her friend Luci Martin, who became a member during late winter/early spring of 1978. Soon after the sessions ended for the debut album, the band members began to work on Wright's self-titled debut solo album Norma Jean , released during 1978. This album included

6270-486: The band; they performed as a trio doing cover versions at various gigs. Thompson recommended keyboardist Raymond Jones, 19, to join the band, as he had worked with him in Ecstasy, Passion & Pain. Needing a singer to become a full band, they engaged Norma Jean Wright by an agreement permitting her to have a solo career in addition to her work for the band. Using a young recording engineer , Bob Clearmountain , they created

6384-704: The bass line for Daft Punk ’s " Around the World " (1997). At the same time, Edwards and Rodgers composed, arranged, performed, and produced many influential disco and R&B records for various artists, including Sister Sledge 's albums We Are Family (1979) and Love Somebody Today (1980); Sheila and B. Devotion 's "Spacer"; Diana Ross 's 1980 album Diana , which included the successful singles " Upside Down ", " I'm Coming Out " and " My Old Piano "; Carly Simon 's " Why " (from 1982 soundtrack Soup for One ); and Debbie Harry 's debut solo album KooKoo (1981). I Love My Lady , an album recorded with Johnny Mathis

6498-649: The beginning of another song using the DJ mixer's crossfader. Notable U.S. disco DJs include Francis Grasso of The Sanctuary, David Mancuso of The Loft , Frankie Knuckles of the Chicago Warehouse , Larry Levan of the Paradise Garage , Nicky Siano of The Gallery , Walter Gibbons , Karen Mixon Cook , Jim Burgess , John "Jellybean" Benitez , Richie Kulala of Studio 54 , and Rick Salsalini. Some DJs were also record producers who created and produced disco songs in

6612-535: The capital area's gay and straight college students in the late '70s. By 1979 there were 15,000-20,000 disco nightclubs in the US, many of them opening in suburban shopping centers, hotels, and restaurants. The 2001 Club franchises were the most prolific chain of disco clubs in the country. Although many other attempts were made to franchise disco clubs, 2001 was the only one to successfully do so in this time frame. Powerful, bass-heavy, hi-fi sound systems were viewed as

6726-560: The cha cha ". The pioneer of disco dance instruction was Karen Lustgarten in San Francisco in 1973. Her book The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing (Warner Books 1978) was the first to name, break down and codify popular disco dances as dance forms and distinguish between disco freestyle, partner, and line dances. The book topped the New York Times bestseller list for 13 weeks and was translated into Chinese, German, and French. In Chicago,

6840-557: The chest. Men often wore Pierre Cardin suits, three piece suits with a vest, and double-knit polyester shirt jackets with matching trousers known as the leisure suit . Men's leisure suits were typically form-fitted to some parts of the body, such as the waist and bottom while the lower part of the pants were flared in a bell bottom style, to permit freedom of movement. During the disco era, men engaged in elaborate grooming rituals and spent time choosing fashion clothing, activities that would have been considered "feminine" according to

6954-418: The dance and fashion aspects of the disco club scene, there was also a thriving club drug subculture , particularly for drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud, bass-heavy music and the flashing colored lights, such as cocaine (nicknamed "blow"), amyl nitrite (" poppers "), and the "... other quintessential 1970s club drug Quaalude , which suspended motor coordination and gave

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7068-413: The dancers wanted, transitioning from one song to another with a DJ mixer and using a microphone to introduce songs and speak to the audiences. Other equipment was added to the basic DJ setup, providing unique sound manipulations, such as reverb , equalization, and echo effects unit . Using this equipment, a DJ could do effects such as cutting out all but the bassline of a song and then slowly mixing in

7182-482: The dancing, sex, and other embodied movements that contributed to the corporeal vibrations within the Sanctuary. It supports the argument that disco music took a role in facilitating this sexual liberation that was experienced in the discotheques. The recent legalization of abortion and the introduction of antibiotics and the pill facilitated a culture shift around sex from one of procreation to pleasure and enjoyment. Thus

7296-415: The disco became a kind of 'main course' in a hedonist's menu for a night out." At The Saint nightclub, a high percentage of the gay male dancers and patrons would have sex in the club; they typically had unprotected sex , because in 1980, HIV-AIDS had not yet been identified. At The Saint, "dancers would elope to an unpoliced upstairs balcony to engage in sex." The promiscuity and public sex at discos

7410-571: The disco clubs. The instructional show aired on Saturday mornings and had a strong following. Its viewers would stay up all night on Fridays so they could be on the set the next morning, ready to return to the disco on Saturday night knowing with the latest personalized steps. The producers of the show, John Reid and Greg Roselli, routinely made appearances at disco functions with Robin and Reggie to scout out new dancing talent and promote upcoming events such as "Disco Night at White Sox Park". In Sacramento, California, Disco King Paul Dale Roberts danced for

7524-675: The disco era, popular dance styles were developed, including the "Bump", "Penguin", "Boogaloo", "Watergate", and "Robot". By October 1975 the Hustle reigned. It was highly stylized, sophisticated, and overtly sexual. Variations included the Brooklyn Hustle, New York Hustle , and Latin Hustle . During the disco era, many nightclubs would commonly host disco dance competitions or offer free dance lessons. Some cities had disco dance instructors or dance schools, which taught people how to do popular disco dances such as "touch dancing", "the hustle", and "

7638-585: The early success of Madonna during 1984 with her Like a Virgin album, which again reunited Rodgers, Thompson, and Edwards, with keyboardist Rob Sabino and collaborators Jeff Bova, Jimmy Bralower and Oren Bar. During 1984, Rodgers was involved with a project of the band The Honeydrippers and helped produce that band's only EP . Thompson and Edwards worked with the group Power Station on its successful 1985 album, as well as Power Station main singer Robert Palmer 's solo success Riptide that same year, both of which Edwards produced. 1985 saw Rodgers producing

7752-515: The effects of these innovations in venues such as the Garage." Typical lighting designs for disco dance floors include multi-colored lights that swirl around or flash to the beat, strobe lights , an illuminated dance floor , and a mirror ball . Disco-era disc jockeys (DJs) would often remix existing songs using reel-to-reel tape machines , and add in percussion breaks, new sections, and new sounds. DJs would select songs and grooves according to what

7866-450: The end of the 1960s, musicians, and audiences from the Black, Italian, and Latino communities adopted several traits from the hippie and psychedelia subcultures. They included using music venues with a loud, overwhelming sound, free-form dancing, trippy lighting, colorful costumes, and the use of hallucinogenic drugs. In addition, the perceived positivity, lack of irony, and earnestness of

7980-441: The entire body rather than the obvious erotic parts of the body. The New York nightclub The Sanctuary under resident DJ Francis Grasso is a prime example of this sexual liberty. In their history of the disc jockey and club culture, Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton describe the Sanctuary as "poured full of newly liberated gay men, then shaken (and stirred) by a weighty concoction of dance music and pharmacoia of pills and potions,

8094-571: The first discotheque and to have been the first club DJ in 1953 in the "Whisky à Go-Go" in Paris. She installed a dance floor with colored lights and two turntables so she could play records without having a gap in the music. In October 1959, the owner of the Scotch Club in Aachen, West Germany chose to install a record player for the opening night instead of hiring a live band. The patrons were unimpressed until

8208-662: The gender stereotypes of the era. Women dancers wore glitter makeup, sequins , or gold lamé clothing that would shimmer under the lights. Bold colors were popular for both genders. Platform shoes and boots for both genders and high heels for women were popular footwear. Necklaces and medallions were a common fashion accessory . Less commonly, some disco dancers wore outlandish costumes, dressed in drag , covered their bodies with gold or silver paint, or wore very skimpy outfits leaving them nearly nude; these uncommon get-ups were more likely to be seen at invitation-only New York City loft parties and disco clubs. In addition to

8322-414: The help of José Rodriguez, his remaster/mastering engineer, he pressed a single on a 10" disc instead of 7". They cut the next single on a 12" disc, the same format as a standard album. Moulton and Rodriguez discovered that these larger records could have much longer songs and remixes. 12" single records , also known as " Maxi singles ", quickly became the standard format for all DJs of the disco genre. By

8436-601: The late 1960s to the mid-to-late 1970s. Disco can be seen as a reaction by the 1960s counterculture to both the dominance of rock music and the stigmatization of dance music at the time. Several dance styles were developed during the period of 70s disco's popularity in the United States, including "the Bump ", "the Hustle ", "the Watergate", and "the Busstop". During the 1970s, disco music

8550-466: The late 1970s, Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan was arguably the best-known nightclub in the world. This club played a major formative role in the growth of disco music and nightclub culture in general. It was operated by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager and was notorious for the hedonism that went on within: the balconies were known for sexual encounters and drug use was rampant. Its dance floor

8664-754: The late 1970s, most major US cities had thriving disco club scenes. The largest scenes were most notably in New York City but also in Philadelphia , San Francisco , Miami , and Washington, D.C. The scene was centered on discotheques , nightclubs and private loft parties. In the 1970s, notable discos included " Crisco Disco ", "The Sanctuary", "Leviticus", " Studio 54 ", and " Paradise Garage " in New York, "Artemis" in Philadelphia, "Studio One" in Los Angeles, "Dugan's Bistro" in Chicago, and "The Library" in Atlanta. In

8778-555: The mid to late 1970s.", with use from 1975 onwards, describing the origin of the word as a shortened form of discotheque . In the summer of 1964, a short sleeveless dress called the "discotheque dress" was briefly very popular in the United States. The earliest known use for the abbreviated form "disco" described this dress and has been found in The Salt Lake Tribune on July 12, 1964; Playboy magazine used it in September of

8892-494: The most influential songs of the era. The track was the basis of Grandmaster Flash 's "Adventures on the Wheels of Steel" and The Sugarhill Gang 's breakthrough hip hop music single " Rapper's Delight ". It has been sampled since by many dance and hip hop acts, as well as being the inspiration for Queen 's " Another One Bites the Dust " (1980), Blondie 's " Rapture " (1981), Captain Sensible 's "Wot?" (1982) and, two decades later,

9006-699: The multi platinum " Le Freak " (1978) and " Good Times " (1979), as well as " My Forbidden Lover " (1979). Anderson is the lead vocalist for the top ten hit " I Want Your Love " (1978) and "At Last I Am Free" (1978). At the height of Chic's fame, Anderson regularly appeared on the television shows such as Soul Train , The Midnight Special , and Top of the Pops . She also worked on the Chic-produced sessions of Sister Sledge 's " We Are Family " (1979), Diana Ross 's Diana (1980), and Johnny Mathis 's I Love My Lady (1981). In 1983, Rodgers and Edwards dissolved

9120-799: The music and dance style of such films as Fame (1980), Disco Dancer (1982), Flashdance (1983), and The Last Days of Disco (1998). Interest in disco dancing also helped spawn dance competition TV shows such as Dance Fever (1979). Disco fashions were very trendy in the late 1970s. Discothèque-goers often wore glamorous, expensive, and extravagant fashions for nights out at their local disco club. Some women would wear sheer, flowing dresses, such as Halston dresses, or loose, flared pants. Other women wore tight, revealing, sexy clothes, such as backless halter tops , disco pants , "hot pants", or body-hugging spandex bodywear or "catsuits". Men would wear shiny polyester Qiana shirts with colorful patterns and pointy, extra wide collars, preferably open at

9234-468: The off-beat, and a heavy, syncopated bass line. A recording error in the 1975 song " Bad Luck " by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes where Earl Young 's hi-hat was too loud in the recording is said to have established loud hi-hats in disco. Other Latin rhythms such as the rhumba, the samba, and the cha-cha-cha are also found in disco recordings, and Latin polyrhythms , such as a rhumba beat layered over

9348-522: The original Chic band. During this time, Anderson began touring internationally with Luther Vandross and from 1982 until 1987, performing with him at venues such as Wembley Stadium in London. Anderson continued to work with other notable artists, appearing on albums by Bryan Adams , Gregory Hines , Mick Jagger , Teddy Pendergrass , Jennifer Holliday , Billy Squier , Sheena Easton , Jody Watley , Bryan Ferry , and Jonathan Butler . Anderson earned

9462-413: The original break-up of the partnership in 1983. Thompson died of kidney cancer on November 12, 2003, at age 48. In October 2010, Rodgers began his fight with prostate cancer . In October 2011, he released his autobiography entitled Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny . On July 29, 2013, Rodgers posted on Twitter that he was cancer free. In 2013, Chic with Nile Rodgers headlined

9576-477: The rebirth of the Chic Organization. Rodgers received a box of lost Chic demos back in 2010, and "I'll Be There" is one of those lost tapes finished. Rodgers gave an update on his new solo material with a new track called "Do What You Wanna Do", and announced that a Chic-inspired musical is in the early stages of production. On June 25, 2017, the band performed at the Glastonbury Festival . On December 31, 2017,

9690-524: The result is a festivaly of carnality." The Sanctuary was the "first totally uninhibited gay discotheque in America" and while sex was not allowed on the dancefloor, the dark corners, bathrooms. and hallways of the adjacent buildings were all utilized for orgy-like sexual engagements. By describing the music, drugs, and liberated mentality as a trifecta coming together to create the festival of carnality, Brewster and Broughton are inciting all three as stimuli for

9804-546: The same meaning in English in the 1950s. "Discothèque" became used in French for a type of nightclub in Paris, after they had resorted to playing records during the Nazi occupation in the early 1940s. Some clubs used it as their proper name. In 1960, it was also used to describe a Parisian nightclub in an English magazine. The Oxford English Dictionary defines Discotheque as "A dance hall, nightclub, or similar venue where recorded music

9918-618: The same year to describe Los Angeles nightclubs. Vince Aletti was one of the first to describe disco as a sound or a music genre. He wrote the 13 September 1973 feature article Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty! that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine. The music typically layered soaring, often- reverberated vocals, often doubled by horns, over a background "pad" of electric pianos and "chicken-scratch" rhythm guitars played on an electric guitar . Lead guitar features less frequently in disco than in rock . "The "rooster scratch" sound

10032-409: The second and fourth legs of the American singer-actress Cher 's 2019 tour, Chic served as the opening act. In addition to refining a relatively minimalist disco sound, Chic helped to inspire other artists to create their own sound. For example, The Sugarhill Gang used "Good Times" as the basis for its success " Rapper's Delight " (1979), which helped initiate the hip hop recorded music format that

10146-401: The sensation that one's arms and legs had turned to ' Jell-O . ' " Quaaludes were so popular at disco clubs that the drug was nicknamed "disco biscuits". Paul Gootenberg states that "[t]he relationship of cocaine to 1970s disco culture cannot be stressed enough..." During the 1970s, the use of cocaine by well-to-do celebrities led to its "glamorization" and to the widely held view that it

10260-452: The simulated sounds of orgasms. Summer's voice echoes in the tracks, and likens them to the drug-fervent, sexually liberated fans of disco who sought to free themselves through disco's "aesthetic of machine sex." Shapiro sees this as an influence that creates sub-genres like hi-NRG and dub -disco, which allowed for eroticism and technology to be further explored through intense synth bass lines and alternative rhythmic techniques that tap into

10374-468: The sound was enriched with solo lines and harmony parts played by a variety of orchestral instruments, such as violin , viola , cello , trumpet , saxophone , trombone , flugelhorn , French horn , English horn , oboe , flute , timpani and synth strings , string section or a full string orchestra . Most disco songs have a steady four-on-the-floor beat set by a bass drum, a quaver or semi-quaver hi-hat pattern with an open hissing hi-hat on

10488-482: The successful 1980 album Diana for Diana Ross that ended up selling over ten million albums internationally, with Rodgers and Edwards producing. It yielded the four weeks at number-one single " Upside Down " and the top ten song " I'm Coming Out ". " My Old Piano " was a top ten single for Ross in the United Kingdom. Rodgers co-produced David Bowie 's 1983 album Let's Dance and was also responsible largely for

10602-445: The successful nightclub song "Saturday". To facilitate Wright's solo career, the band had agreed to contract her with a separate record company. The legal details of this contract eventually forced Wright to end her relationship with the band during mid-1978, but she participated in the sessions for Chic-produced Sister Sledge album We Are Family (1979). She was replaced as a singer by Alfa Anderson , who had done back-up vocals on

10716-474: The technology used to create the unique mechanical sound of disco to eroticism, set the genre in a new dimension of reality living outside of naturalism and heterosexuality. Randy Jones and Mark Jacobsen echo this sentiment in BBC Radio's "The Politics of Dancing: How Disco Changed the World," describing the loose, hip-focused dance style as "a new kind of communion" that celebrates the sparks of liberation brought on

10830-499: The tenth album of Chic would follow in February 2019. He reaffirmed this scheduling on his Instagram account when he stated that the album would drop "around Valentines Day" as a gift for fans after leg one of their joint tour with Cher . The album, Executive Realness , was then pushed back to May 2019, although it did not eventuate. In September 2018, Chic and Rodgers played as the opening act for BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing . During

10944-401: The time sang backup for various groups. Anderson recorded background vocals for Nat Adderley , Roy Buchanan , Dionne Warwick , Odyssey and many others. Her voice appears on the soundtrack to The Wiz (produced by Quincy Jones , 1978) and Atlantic Records ' Live at Montreux (produced by Arif Mardin and Herbie Mann .1978). In 1977, Vandross encouraged Anderson to audition as

11058-421: The track " Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) ". As a result, Chic became a support act. The title of the first song recorded as Chic was " Everybody Dance ", which was on their first album. Under contract with Atlantic Records company, during 1977, they released the self-titled debut album Chic , which was an extension of the demonstration tape. But Edwards and Rodgers were convinced that to produce

11172-775: The vocal and music style of the Italian-American disco band Change , which had a series of successes during the early 1980s. The two acts also had a couple of things in common: Chic alumnus Luther Vandross was also Change's vocalist upon the latter's formation, and Change, like Chic, were signed to Atlantic through its distributed RFC label. On September 19, 2005, the group was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony in New York when they were inducted in three categories: 1) Artist Inductees, 2) Record Inductees for "Good Times," and 3) Producers Inductees, Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Chic has been nominated for inclusion in

11286-587: Was Chic. They were fucking mega. Absolutely out of this world." A compilation album, Up All Night (2013), credited to The Chic Organization and featuring their productions for various artists between 1977 and 1982, was released the following Monday, 1 July, and entered the UK Compilation Albums Chart at number two a week later. Chic and Nile Rodgers played the iTunes Festival in London on September 14, 2013. They opened British The X Factor live show on 2 November 2013 for Disco week. They performed

11400-448: Was a "soft drug". LSD , marijuana , and "speed" (amphetamines) were also popular in disco clubs, and the use of these drugs "...contributed to the hedonistic quality of the dance floor experience." Since disco dances were typically held in liquor licensed - nightclubs and dance clubs , alcoholic drinks were also consumed by dancers; some users intentionally combined alcohol with the consumption of other drugs, such as Quaaludes, for

11514-571: Was also a thriving drug subculture in the disco scene, particularly for drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights, such as cocaine and quaaludes , the latter being so common in disco subculture that they were nicknamed "disco biscuits". Disco clubs were also associated with promiscuity as a reflection of the sexual revolution of this era in popular history. Films such as Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Thank God It's Friday (1978) contributed to disco's mainstream popularity. Disco declined as

11628-586: Was at Lincoln Center , where she performed in "Children of the Fire" (1974), written by "Hannibal" Marvin Peterson . Anderson worked as a lecturer at Hunter College in New York City while singing on weekends with Kenny and Everett Brawner, founders of the band, "Raw Sugar". This led to work with other bands, such as Lou Courtney and Buffalo Smoke , where she met Ednah Holt, and later Fonzi Thornton and Michelle Cobbs. Holt introduced Anderson to Luther Vandross , who at

11742-501: Was created in a jam session in Edwards' apartment, after they had failed on New Year's Eve 1977 to meet with Grace Jones at New York's nightclub Studio 54 . The original refrain "Aaa, fuck off", intended for the doormen of Studio 54, was replaced that night with "Aaa, freak out", after trying a version with "Aaa, freak off". The resulting single was a great success, reaching No. 1 on the US charts and selling more than six million copies. It

11856-522: Was decorated with an image of the " Man in the Moon " that included an animated cocaine spoon . The " Copacabana ", another New York nightclub dating to the 1940s, had a revival in the late 1970s when it embraced disco; it would become the setting of a Barry Manilow song of the same name . In Washington, D.C. , large disco clubs such as "The Pier" ("Pier 9") and "The Other Side", originally regarded exclusively as " gay bars ", became particularly popular among

11970-412: Was described as having a " pansexual attitude [that] was revolutionary in a country where up until recently it had been illegal for two men to dance together unless there was a woman present; where women were legally obliged to wear at least one recognizable item of female clothing in public; and where men visiting gay bars usually carried bail money with them." Disco was mostly developed from music that

12084-579: Was developed further, mainly by artists from the United States as well as from Europe . Well-known artists included the Bee Gees , ABBA , Donna Summer , Gloria Gaynor , Giorgio Moroder , Baccara , The Jacksons , Michael Jackson , Boney M , Earth Wind & Fire , Rick James , ELO , Average White Band , Chaka Khan , Chic , KC and the Sunshine Band , Thelma Houston , Sister Sledge , Sylvester , The Trammps , Barry White , Diana Ross , Kool &

12198-595: Was fostered a very sex-positive framework around discotheques. Further, in addition to gay sex being illegal in New York state, until 1973 the American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as an illness. This law and classification coupled together can be understood to have heavily dissuaded the expression of queerness in public, as such the liberatory dynamics of discotheques can be seen as having provided space for self-realization for queer persons. David Mancuso's club/house party, The Loft ,

12312-585: Was honored as the Top Producer in the World in Billboard Magazine , and was named a JT Super Producer. That year, he performed with Bernard Edwards, Sister Sledge, Steve Winwood , Simon Le Bon , and Slash in a series of commemorative concerts in Japan. His longtime musical partner Edwards died of pneumonia at age 43 during the trip on April 18, 1996. His final performance was recorded and released as Live at

12426-404: Was much more costly to produce than many of the other popular music genres from the 1970s. Unlike the simpler, four-piece-band sound of funk , soul music of the late 1960s or the small jazz organ trios , disco music often included a large band, with several chordal instruments (guitar, keyboards, synthesizer), several drum or percussion instruments (drumkit, Latin percussion, electronic drums),

12540-473: Was part of a broader trend towards exploring a freer sexual expression in the 1970s, an era that is also associated with " swingers clubs , hot tubs , [and] key parties ." In his paper, "In Defense of Disco" (1979), Richard Dyer claims eroticism as one of the three main characteristics of disco. As opposed to rock music which has a very phallic centered eroticism focusing on the sexual pleasure of men over other persons, Dyer describes disco as featuring

12654-423: Was popular on the dance floor in clubs that started playing records instead of having a live band. The first discotheques mostly played swing music . Later on, uptempo rhythm and blues became popular in American clubs and northern soul and glam rock records in the UK. In the early 1940s, nightclubs in Paris resorted to playing jazz records during the Nazi occupation. Régine Zylberberg claimed to have started

12768-454: Was produced by Edwards and Rodgers. Chic was cited as an influence by many successful bands from Great Britain during the 1980s. John Taylor , the bassist from Duran Duran claims the bass part of their top 10 single " Rio " (1982) was influenced by Edwards' work with Chic. Even Johnny Marr of The Smiths has cited the group as a formative influence. Rodgers' guitar work has been so emulated as to become commonplace, and Edwards' lyrical bass

12882-471: Was rejected by his label and remained unreleased until 2017. As a young session vocalist, Luther Vandross sang on Chic's early albums. After the anti-disco reaction at the end of the 1970s, the band struggled to obtain both airplay and sales, and during the early 1980s they disbanded. Rodgers and Edwards produced records for a variety of artists together and separately. The Chic rhythm section of Rodgers, Edwards, and Thompson provided instrumental back-up for

12996-454: Was the best-selling single ever of Atlantic 's parent company, Warner Music , until Madonna 's " Vogue " in 1990. On March 21, 2018 "Le Freak" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The next year, the group released the Risqué album and the lead track " Good Times ", one of

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