Entry · catalog no. 9638
disco
/ /ˈdɪskoʊ/ /DIS-koh
noun · New York City and Philadelphia · 1970s
✓ Verified
1.
A style of dance music, and the club culture around it, that came out of Black, Latino and gay nightlife in New York City and Philadelphia in the early 1970s. It features a steady four-on-the-floor kick drum, lush strings, bright horns and a prominent bass guitar, often with soul-style vocals.
“Before it was on every radio, disco was a Black and brown and gay thing in a few New York basements.”
Origin & Attribution
Short for "discotheque." The sound grew in New York clubs such as David Mancuso's Loft (first party in 1970) and in Philadelphia soul production at Philadelphia International, and drew on Black records like Manu Dibango's "Soul Makossa" (1972). Writer Vince Aletti reported on the scene in 1973, and Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye" (1974) topped the first Billboard dance chart. The backlash called "Disco Demolition" (1979) was aimed at the music and, many commentators note, at its Black and gay audiences.
1970
David Mancuso opens The Loft with a private party in New York.
1972
Manu Dibango releases "Soul Makossa," a club favorite at The Loft.
1974
Gloria Gaynor's "Never Can Say Goodbye" tops the first Billboard dance chart.
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
The Northeast
New York City and Philadelphia · 1970s
Spoken by
Black, Latino and gay club-goers, DJs and dancers
$DISCOThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Steady4 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
55/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
1970
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Mainstream crossover
1974
search interest spikes
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@bxgriot
The Bronx, NY
@phillyanne
Philadelphia, PA
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Citations & Sources
■
Manu Dibango, "Soul Makossa" (1972)
record, 1972
■
Vince Aletti, "Discotheque Rock '72: Paaaaarty!" Rolling Stone, 1973
article, 1973
■
+ Cite a sourceGloria Gaynor, "Never Can Say Goodbye" (MGM, 1974)
record, 1974
See also