Disco music of the 1970s had a signature sound with a tempo of 120 BPM. It featured prominent use of drum machines, electric guitars, bass guitars, horn sections, violins, and vocalists. Popular dance songs of this era like "The Hustle" and "Blame it on the Boogie" showcased these instruments and emerging recording technologies that helped define the disco genre.

1. OCR GCSE
Area of Study 3
Dance Music: 1970s Disco
(Play that Funky music!)
The Hustle

2. Get on down…
• Dance music of the 1970s
(obviously)
• LPs were eventually replaced by
12 inch singles
• No set dance moves (apart from
the classic moves to The Hustle)

3. General features
• Speed = 120 BPM (beats per minute)
• Singers: often solo vocalist and chorus (backing singers)
• Instruments:
• Drum kit (often replaced by drum machine, e.g Jump To The Beat)
• Guitars:
• lead guitar (very rare)
rhythm guitar (often used – e.g. Sunny)
bass guitar (used to funk up the bass line e.g. Blame It On The Boogie)
• “Horn” Section:
Trumpets
Trombones
Saxophones
• Violin Section (Cheesetastic!)
• Random percussion effects

4. Instruments and voices strutting their stuff
• Drum kit/machine:
• “Horn” Section:
• Violins:
• Voices:
• Bass drum= 1st and 3rd beats of the
bar
• Snare drum= 2nd and 4th
• Hi hat = offbeat crotchets or quavers,
sometimes continuous semiquavers
• “Brass” Interjections Blame It On
The Boogie
• Violin countermelodies Boogie
Wonderland
• Often a solo singer with chorus
backing in harmony (3rds and 6ths)
Lady Marmalade

5. Technology
• MIDI
• REMIX
• SAMPLER
• SEQUENCING
• LOOPING
Sunny