Global Dance Cultures in the 1970s and 1980s: Disco Heterotopias

This book explores the diverse lives of disco between the 1970s and 1980s, from its origins in queer and Black New York undergrounds to its global spread. It charts the translation of disco as a cultural form into various musical, geo-political, ideological, and sociological landscapes, highlighting its impact on visual culture, gender politics, and popular music.

Format: Hardback
Length: 345 pages
Publication date: 29 March 2022
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This captivating book delves into the diverse lives of disco, flourishing between the 1970s and 1980s. It explores the global journey of this cultural phenomenon, from the oil-boom Nigeria to socialist Czechoslovakia, from post-colonial India to war-torn Lebanon. It charts the remarkable transformation of disco from a musical form to a cultural force that transcended its original conditions of production and reception. The book showcases the diverse dimensions disco took on as it traversed different landscapes, capturing the variety of scenes, contexts, and reasons for its global appeal.

Disco's impact extended far beyond the realm of music, influencing visual culture, gender politics, and subsequent forms of popular music, art, fashion, and style. It serves as an exemplary case of how a subversive and marginalized scene, such as the queer and Black New York undergrounds in the early 1970s, became a mainstream cultural industry. As disco exploded, fragmented, and traveled, it served various agendas, its aesthetic rooted in notions of pleasure, transgression, and escapism, and its formal malleability, built around a four-on-the-floor beat, allowed it to permeate various local scenes, where its meaning shifted and evolved in unexpected and radical ways.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of disco's multifaceted existence, shedding light on its historical, social, and cultural significance. It provides a rich tapestry of stories, anecdotes, and insights that will captivate readers interested in music, culture, and the evolution of popular phenomena. Whether you are a disco enthusiast, a historian, or simply someone curious about the impact of music on society, this book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the enduring legacy of disco.

Weight: 596g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030919948
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022