From the Ashes of Disco

From the Ashes of Disco

Culture Under Oppression During the late 1970ʼs and early 1980ʼs, the Disco phenomenon was under scrutiny. Many associated the music primarily with the gay and black community, stereotyping anybody who promoted and was pro-active towards the genre under those lines of ethnicity, culture, sexualism and socialism. As popularity grew through chat topping releases during the mid-seventies, Disco emerged from the underground in the late 1970ʼs. To try and change growing public perception of the genres gay and black affiliation, films like 1977ʼs Saturday Night Fever, marketed specifically to broaden Discoʼs popularity, catapulted the genre into the mainstream and made it a worldwide affair. Itʼs thought that the soundtrack became one of the best selling Disco and movie soundtrack albums of all time. This popularity led to many non-disco artists recording Disco tinged tracks, such as David Bowieʼs “John Iʼm Only Dancing” and Blondieʼs “Heart of Glass” released at the genres height of musical dominance, making a solid, cultural dent on popular music. Later, artists such as these, and rock stars like Rod Stewart were under a heavy onslaught from Rock music fanatics, deeming them to be sell-outs of the scene for added disco elements to their tracks. T-shirts and promotional material expressing images such as “Disco Sucks” and “Death To Disco” arose following these events. Obviously, this was not good for PR, so things were inevitably going to change. This eventually led to a steady decline of popularity among youngsters and an uproar of anti social behavior based attacks towards the scene and itʼs proprietors.

Disco Demolition Night As the cultural backlash proceeded, on Thursday 12th of July, 1979, a promotional event, staged at Comiskey Park, Chicago, Illinois, took place during the climax of a baseball game. Revolting against the genre, the anti-disco crusade, mainly led by rowdy rock fans, stormed the field and blew up a create filled with...