The last five-to-ten years has seen a spike in people’s interest in disco and funk music a la Sister Sledge, Bee Gees and The Jackson 5, and this guy, for one, couldn’t be happier. Growing up in a household heavily influenced by the likes of ABBA, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire has made me incredibly thankful for this renaissance.
There are many bands and performers to thank for the resurgence of disco, most notably perhaps, Daft Punk, with their 2013 album, Random Access Memories. Justin Timberlake’s ‘Rock Your Body’ (2002) and (regrettably) that song that wouldn’t bugger off a couple of years back, Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ (2013) also played a huge role in bringing back the instantly recognizable disco funk. Of course, uber cool musician Prince released TWO albums last year, Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age, both heavily influenced by disco, furthering our love for an already worshipped genre.
That brings us to the present day.
Nu-disco, a fusion of house and disco music, is alive and thriving, with so many new artists producing enough groove and funk to keep me dancing well past a suitable hour on a weeknight. Sydney band Midnight Pool Party’s latest track ‘Stay’, CHIC/Nile Rodgers’ ‘I’ll Be There’, Giorgio Moroder and Sia’s ‘Déjà vu’ and Hot Chip’s ‘Ready For The Floor’ are just a sampling of the amazing stuff out there right now. These go together perfectly with classics like ELO’s ‘Evil Woman’, Earth, Wind & Fire’s ‘Shining Star’ and Sister Sledge’s ‘Lost in Music,’ for those nights when it just won’t stop raining and you left all your uni work to the last minute again – anybody? Just me??
Rather than do aforementioned uni work, I spent the majority of today compiling the ultimate fusion of classic disco funk and nu-disco. You can check out said playlist here
Feel free to comment below with suggestions for songs you’d like to see on the playlist, and please, no one comment on my obvious affinity with Donna Summer.
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