1970s Disco Music & Style

With its roots planted in the 1960s, disco drew much of its inspiration from the related genres of funk and soul. Disco got its beginnings in Europe when deejays and their previously recorded music began replacing live bands, prompting more opportunities for fast-paced tunes characterized by four-on-the-floor beats and hi-hat musical patterns that people could dance to. The genre caught fire fairly quickly and in no time, the flamboyant style of European discotheques reached New York City.

Disco was shaped by names like Tom Moulton, the originator of the modern remix, who took existing songs and put spins on them to create truly unique sounds that later came to be known as disco. Another pioneer in the genre was Francis Grasso, a nightclub deejay who used a number of different record players to create unique mixes with records playing funk, soul, and pop in a fashion that later came to be known as house music.

After its kick-off, disco came to be known as a powerful and influential genre of music in the 1970s, and one of the most notable bands to emerge from the disco era was the Bee Gees. With lead singer Barry Gibb, the Bee Gees wrote some of the most prominent disco songs that came to define the genre, tunes like "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever," the latter of which was used in the film Saturday Night Fever. KC and the Sunshine Band was another influential disco group, releasing songs like "Get Down Tonight" and "That's the Way (I Like it)," further defining the genre as something outstanding and truly unique.

With clubs like the infamous Studio 54 reaching prominence in the late 1970s, disco had officially taken over and marked its territory with innovative dances like the Bump, the Penguin, and the Robot, but none of them reached the same level of popularity as the Hustle. Popularized in 1975, the Hustle made its mark in the world of music right along with 1970s disco fashion. With outrageous and colourful clothing as the norm in discotheques, absolutely nothing was taboo and extravagance was key. Halston dresses were popular choices for women and men sported reflective shirts opened at the chest, often to display medallions and other types of necklaces.

Disco culture faded in the late 1970s, but rave culture quickly took its place, drawing inspiration from their predecessor's dances, fashions, and undying love for music.