Nu-disco
Mid-1990s, United Kingdom
History[edit]
Disco edits: 1970s–early 1990s[edit]
Disco edits or re-edits emerged at the same time as disco appeared in the early 1970s, when DJs were looking for ways to make music easier to mix.[8] A disco edit is a modified version of the original master, edited by disco and house DJs to extend and emphasize the best and most dance-friendly elements. For example, Todd Terje's edit of the Bee Gees hit "You Should Be Dancing" does exactly that, downplaying the old-school vocal riffs in favour of driving bass, lively percussion, and an overall sense of space.[9]
In the early days, edits were done with scissors and tape. Some edits became even more popular than the original records from which they were derived. The early editors (such as Walter Gibbons) earned a reputation and developed a studio career from their editing work. Given the popularity of edits, labels predominantly releasing edits and remixes began to appear. The first one to arrive was Disconet in 1977, followed by well-known DJ edits services and labels such as Hot Tracks, Rhythm Stick and Razormaid.[8] Such labels remained active until the first half of the 1990s, when an increase of copyright enforcement gradually put them out of business.[8] However, the scene's activity didn't fade away, it went underground, where many disco edit labels continue to exist today, such as Brooklyn's influential Razor-N-Tape.[10]
Emergence of nu-disco: mid-1990s–late 1990s[edit]
The early developments of the genre are linked with the Black Cock Records, disco edits label, primarily active in 1993–1998, founded by DJ Harvey and Gerry Rooney.[11] The label was focused on releasing non-official re-edits of disco tracks and some funk-influenced rock.[11] It was not the only existing disco edits bootleg label in the 1990s, but had a huge impact on a generation of house music producers, inspiring many in digging decadent genre and adjusting their own house music productions with disco-sounding elements.[11]
In the mid-1990s Nuphonic Records was the house label for British artists Idjut Boys, Faze Action,[12] Raj Gupta and Crispin J Glover,[11] which are considered to be the pioneers of nu-disco.[3] The Idjut Boys, best known for pioneering a house music style called "disco-dub" were heavily inspired by the freestyle and dub-influenced, post-disco dance sounds of the early 1980s.[11] Faze Action were one of the first house production units to make "all live" productions that insisted on drawing on methods used in disco.[11] DJ Dave Lee aka Joey Negro and Crazy P are also called to be the pioneers of the genre.[3]
In 1997, DJ I-F released the track Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass, a track based around electro-funk drum patterns, 80s FM synth stabs and vocoder vocals, that single-handedly started the electroclash movement, and brought melodic, European sounding electro-disco back to clubs and DJ sets.[11] In 1999, I-F released the first of his "Mixed Up In The Hague" mixes, made up almost entirely of Italo disco and Eurodisco, which became hugely influential.[11]
Mainstream success, French house and disco house synonym: late 1990s–mid-2000s[edit]
In the late 1990s to early 2000s, disco-inspired dance genres became popular; many French house, funky house, and disco house songs broke into the charts.[11] Popular tracks such as Kylie Minogue's "Love at First Sight", Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Take Me Home" and "Murder on the Dancefloor", Jamiroquai's "Little L", and Freemasons "Love on My Mind" all made the top ten of the UK Singles Chart. By this time, the nu-disco scene was heavily associated with disco house[7] and French house.[12]
The moniker "nu-disco" first appeared in print as early as 2002. In 2002, The Independent described nu-disco as the result of applying "modern technology and pin-sharp production" to 1970s disco and funk.[13] Metro Area's self-titled album, released in 2002, is often regarded as one of the most influential albums in the genre.[11] The album named the second best album of the decade by Resident Advisor[14] and the best nineteenth of the decade by Fact magazine.[15] In the early 2000s the genre was a dance music mainstay,[12] right until the mid-2000s when electro house gained commercial success, leaving nu-disco in decline from mainstream and pushing it to further development.[3]
Decline in popularity and development: mid-2000s–late 2000s[edit]
In the 2000s, nu-disco gained a new sound, which was developed in various local scenes:
Characteristics[edit]
Drum groove[edit]
Since nu-disco is a dance genre first and foremost, the drum grooves are an essential part. They often feature four-on-the-floor beats with an organic, lively feel based on the sounds of classic disco recordings by Chic, Sister Sledge, and others.[38] In some cases, producers will sample these grooves directly.
Live instrumentation[edit]
While modern production is abundant with synthesized sounds, many nu-disco records are, in the disco tradition, driven by guitar or bass licks. Guitarist, producer, and songwriter Nile Rodgers brought riffs to the forefront of the groove with Chic in the 1970s and again with Daft Punk in 2013.[38] Other notable modern examples include "Baby I'm Yours" by Breakbot and "Holding On" by Classixx.[39] "Be Good 2 Me" by Luxxury is an example of mixing live instrumentation (bass, guitar, vocals) with samples (beats, percussion).
Synthesizers[edit]
As with other electronic genres, nu-disco producers use both digital and analog synths to create melodic and harmonic lines, and add ambiance and color to their records. Gigamesh uses a heavily synthesized sound while still retaining old-school influences in tracks such as "Back to Life", and Poolside uses atmospheric synths to complement their drum, bass, and guitar sounds in "Do You Believe".[39]
Arrangement[edit]
Unlike its disco precursors, nu-disco and disco house are not beholden to song forms that are essential to the modern pop idiom. Rather than following the traditional verse-chorus model, nu-disco tends to take after its electronic cousins, with more drawn-out, repetitive sections that slowly ramp up to the chorus and back down again. Otherwise monotonous lines are brought to life with the use of filters, samples, and other subtle changes in the sound or groove over time in ways that make people want to keep dancing. Daft Punk's "One More Time" is considered one of the most influential examples of the application of "filter disco."[40]