DISCO: SOUNDTRACK OF A REVOLUTION (2023)

From the sweaty basement bars of 70s New York to the glittering peak of the global charts, how disco conquered the world - its origins, its triumphs, its fall and its legacy.

1. Rock the Boat

In 1970s, in the aftermath of the Stonewall Riots, a sense of liberation fueled a new sound from New York. In their quest for a safe space to meet – free from discrimination and violence – New York’s gay, black and minority ethnic communities started coming together in apartments and basement bars to dance. It was the beginning of a new kind of music and a pioneering dance floor culture that would sweep the world and change dance music forever.

2. Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now

A look at the high watermark of disco in the middle of the 1970s, from Donna Summer’s anthemic, provocative single Love to Love You Baby to Sylvester’s You Make Me Feel Mighty Real. At a time when the post-civil rights generation struggled to be heard politically and socially, their call for liberation was found in disco.

3. Stayin' Alive

At the end of the 1970s, the founding principles of disco – queerness, diversity and feminism – were coming under increasing attack from a predominantly white, straight, rock-loving audience. 

By the summer of 1978, disco appeared untouchable, but mass marketing and rampant commercialism were beginning to turn the tide. A glut of bad disco singles and the perceived elitism of clubs like Studio 54 fuelled a surge in anti-disco feeling. This is the story of how disco died - and where it went.