Disco never died: it just changed outfits

In the 1970s, disco took over New York in clubs like Paradise Garage and Studio 54: string sections, horns, powerful vocals and the kick marking all four beats. In 1977, Donna Summer's “I Feel Love”, produced by Giorgio Moroder, proved it could all be done with synthesizers.

In 1979 the backlash hit hard: “Disco Demolition Night” in Chicago ended with records blown up in a stadium. It looked like the end.

It wasn't. Disco survived on underground floors and became the foundation of house. In the late 1990s, French producers began sampling disco in house tracks, and “Music Sounds Better With You” (Stardust, 1998) became an anthem of what we now call disco house.

On the dance floor, disco and disco house are a wild card: they lift the room from cocktails to closing time and please every age group.