What does the term 'disco' actually mean

A.� The use of the word 'disco' can include various interpretations, but it is usually used to refer to a style of music which was at its height in the late 1970s and early 1980s.�UIse of the word to describe a nightclub has virtually died out.

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Q.� Is disco a specific style of music

A.� It is, but in common with most styles given a specific label, opinions vary as to what exactly makes a record a 'disco' record, so it makes sense to keep the basic rules as simple as possible.

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Q.� So is there a definite starting point, musically, or historically

A.� It's unwise to try to say that any musical genre started with one date or one record, because musical trends are organic, they grow in different places before coming together as a unified identity, by which time origins are blurred, and difficult to define accurately.

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Disco definitely evolved from the popular end of American R'n'B music�- songs�such as�Sly And The Family Stone's groundbreaking Dance To The Music which was a hit as far back as 1968 was instrumental in bringing the dance atmosphere of American pop intro British dance halls, which had previously adapted from original dance band venues into embryonic disco venues, with a few rudimentary lights, and a DJ playing pop records on twin turntables.

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Q.� How did it progress from there

A.� Simultaneously, dance hall owners realised the profitability of paying one DJ instead of a whole band of live musicians, and the audiences realised that they preferred the heady mix of heavy-weight R'n'B sounds to the strictly ballroom music that had been previously available.

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Musically the evolution continued, as demand grew, and supply grew with it. James Brown broke new ground with a�10-minute version of his (then) risqu� song Sex Machine which increased the demand for dance-oriented pop, opening the gates to a string of mainly American pop which was slowly defining the new culture of disco.

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A.� It did.�Songs like an acknowledged disco milestone like Never Can Say Goodbye by Gloria Gaynor and The Commodores' (instrumental) Machine Gun gave an increased impetus to the sounds of disco, arriving in 1975 with what many agree is the first specifically composed and marketed 'disco' record�- Van McCoy's The Hustle, which cashed in on the growing trend for specific disco dances to certain records, a style that was always more popular in the US than the UK. About the same time, The Bee Gees released Jive Talkin' which many people think was written for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, but was in fact a track from their Main Course album which predated their soundtrack masterwork by some time.

Q.� Why did disco songs become 12-inch singles

A.� For two reasons.�One because an engineer called Tom Moulton realised that 7-inch singles, designed for radio play, were too short for serious dancing, and the narrow grooves meant that the music lost clarity when amplified through a disco�PA system. Moulton hit on the idea of extending a mix, to give a greater dance sound, and also using a 12-inch format, so the sound quality could be improved. From then on, artists queued up to get a 'Tom Moulton mix' for their records, and what started out as a DJ promotional idea became a staple of disco and dance music that has lasted, and is still popular today.

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Q.� Where does Saturday Night Fever come into the scene

A.� Without doubt, the Saturday Night Fever movie catapulted disco into the mainstream around the world. The Bee Gees, assuming they were writing some�R'n'B songs, put together a soundtrack that remains the biggest-selling double album ever made, making a star of John Travolta, and ensuring that everyone danced to the disco beat. Disco music continued its surge into the mainstream, and some of the classic songs were released at this time.�The Jacksons' Destiny album featured Blame It On The Boogie and Shake Your Body. A Taste Of Honey won a Grammy for Best New Artist with their disco classic Boogie Oogie Oogie. Rap was born with the innovative Rapper's Delight by Sugar Hill Gang, which also used prototype sampling techniques�- taking the bassline from Chic's disco template Good Times.

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Q.� How did it all end

A.� In the US, where disco was born, the date of its death can be clearly identified: it was 12 July 1979, known as Disco Demolition Night. A Chicago radio DJ, Steve Dahl, invited everyone to bring some disco records to the White Sox v The Detroit Tigers football game, for ritual destruction during the interval. Proceedings degenerated into a riot, and the final game could not be played, as bonfires of disco records broke out all over the playing field. It may have been a publicity stunt that backfired, but it signalled the end of disco as a national musical theme.

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Q.� So that was the end of disco

A.� Not entirely�- it simply evolved and lost its cheesy glitz and glitter look, evolving eventually into the modernday dance culture that rules UK nightclubs today. Ironically, the last couple of years has seen British club DJs re-exporting dance music back to�America, from where disco and dance music originated. Nobody ever said music was logical!

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By� Andy Hughes