Disco was a dirty word, at least when I was a teenager in the 1990s. It was an exiled musical style from a bygone era, only spoken about to ridicule. Even when the 20-year fashion cycle caught up to us and made bell-bottom — apologies, flared — cool again, we didn't dare speak favourably of disco music, a genre thoroughly ostracized by that point.
I'm still not sure why we were supposed to hate it, though. The funky bass riffs and danceable beats, it always seemed like a genre that should be popular, especially as R&B, soul and electronic dance music were so prominent.
A new documentary makes the case for disco, exploring its origins and legacy — how it came to be, for who and why. DISCO'S REVENGE directors Omar Majeed and Peter Mishara sit down with a number of prominent figures from the era along with a trove of archival footage creating an admittedly pretty standard documentary. However, there's no denying the film's celebration of the importance of the era and the music to modern culture.
The plucky bassline and synth beats that became identifiable with the genre still influence music today. The dance clubs of the era — themselves a breakout feature of the movement, after some decades of bars and clubs not being dance-first spaces — were open and welcoming to people of all creeds, colours and orientations.
Majeed and Mishara assemble an incredible lineup of talented and influential people to speak with. Actor Billy Porter offers insight into the lasting influence of disco music and culture. Nile Rodgers, a founding member of the band Chic, gives first-hand accounts of the early days of composing music. Jellybean Benitez and Nicky Siano offer stories about DJing in clubs like Studio 54 and the Loft, venues that would become synonymous with the scene. The interviews are fascinating enough on their own, but the extensive archival footage makes it a visual joy, too, and that's even before considering the simplest reason to watch the film: it's full of great music.
DISCO'S REVENGE doesn't break the mould stylistically or structurally, but Majeed and Mishara have a knack for getting to the heart of the matter with each of their interviewees, drawing out some great stories about the glory days and tugging on the heartstrings. By investigating the era as a whole and placing it in context with other goings-on in America at the time, they craft a poignant look at the political and social upheavals of the 1970s in general.
By the last act of the film, viewers gain a fulsome perspective of the movement and a complete understanding of the backlash against it that's both heartbreaking and infuriating. We're left with hope as the film follows through to the genre's lasting influence on modern musical acts.
Disco isn't the dirty word it once was, and DISCO'S REVENGE helps affirm its rehabilitation.