Nu-disco

Nu-disco (or sometimes referred to as disco house) is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in 1970s and early 1980s disco,^[1] early to mid-1980s Italo disco and boogie,^[2] and the synthesizer-heavy Euro disco and P-Funk aesthetics.^[3] In 2013, the nu-disco style became mainstream, as disco-styled songs by such artists as Daft Punk (with Nile Rodgers), Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke filled the pop charts in the UK and the US.^[4] This trend continued in 2014, when similar styled songs by Michael Jackson, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams entered the charts as well.

History

The moniker appeared in print as early as 2002, and by mid-2008 was used by record shops such as the online retailers Juno and Beatport.^[2] These vendors often associate it with re-edits of original-era disco music, as well as with music from European producers who make dance music inspired by original-era American disco, electro and other genres popular in the late ′70s and early ′80s. It is also used by Beatport, alsongside indie dance, to describe the music on several American labels that were previously associated with the genres electroclash and french house.

In 2002, The Independent described nu-disco as the result of applying "modern technology and pin-sharp production" to ′70s disco and funk.^[5] In 2008, Beatport described nu-disco as "everything that springs from the late 1970s and early 1980s (electronic) disco, boogie, cosmic, Balearic and Italo disco continuum,"^[2] while Spin magazine placed an umlaut over the "u" in "nu", used the term interchangeably with Eurodisco, and cited strong Italo disco as well as electroclash influences.^[3]

In 2013, several 1970s-style disco and funk songs charted, and the pop charts had more dance songs than at any other point since the late 1970s.^[4] The biggest disco hit of the year as of June was "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk, featuring Nile Rodgers on guitar. The song was initially thought likely to be a leading candidate to become the summer's biggest hit that year; however, the song ended up peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks behind another major disco-styled song, Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines", which spent twelve weeks at number 1 on the Hot 100, and in the process became the eventual song of the summer itself.^[4] Both were popular with a wide variety of demographic groups.^[4] Other disco-styled songs that made it into the top 40 were Justin Timberlake's "Take Back The Night" (No. 29), and Bruno Mars' "Treasure" (No. 5).^[4]

Disco edits

Disco edits (re-rubs or re-edits) are traditional disco songs from the 1970s and 1980s which have been edited in some way, often using software but occasionally with a razor and reel-to-reel tape (a tape edit).^[6][7] The distinction between an edit and a remix is that an edit does not incorporate additional production, only the manipulation of the source material, whereas a remix can include as many new instruments and sounds as the remixer prefers.^[8] A "re-rub" and a "re-edit" fall somewhere in between, with re-rubs being tracks that have been cleaned up (from the vinyl source material) and straightened to a regular 4x4 beat, sometimes incorporating additional production.^[7][9] A re-edit is an edit in which the song's parts have been re-organized and minor additional production has been added, such as a more prominent drum beat, but the overall tone of the song has been left intact.^[10]

Classic 1970s and 1980s disco remixers and producers such as Larry Levan, Shep Pettibone, Francois Kevorkian, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers are often cited as influence to modern editors. Many nu-disco producers are also disco editors and often there is a bit of overlap between the two genres as many nu-disco songs feature samples of classic disco tracks. It is also not uncommon for an edit to be made of a modern track.^[7]

Modern notable disco editors include Greg Wilson, Todd Terje, Dimitri from Paris and Joey Negro.

See also

• Nu-funk, a modern form of funk music that has been revived from the 1970s

References

External links

• A latecomer's guide to nu-disco
• Nu Disco Documentary pt. 1
• Nu Disco Documentary pt. 2