Analysis: The Dialetic Of Disco

A sense of elitism has arisen within musical genes, stemming from rock, punk, folk, etc. believing that they are valid and true forms of music, but that due to the way disco is produced, it fails to be a genre. However, disco is much more than a genre- it is a whole unique culture that supports many marginalized identities. As Dyer states, ‘disco is also kinds of dancing, club, fashion, film, etc. – in a word, a certain sensibility’ (Dyer 20). This sensibility not only combats the accusations that disco is not a legitimate form of music, but also provides minorities and oppressed groups a safe space that differs from those that rock and punk may provide. These differences in how disco allows people to be fabulous come through in the aspects

For example, many songs that are hailed as gay anthems in disco, one being ‘I Will Survive’ by Gloria Gaynor, are not explicitly about queer experiences, but the overall messages they relay and sometimes the singers behind the message hold the power. There is an idea of gay ‘knowingness’, expressed in The Dialetic of Disco, that reinforces this idea of the songs being important to queer culture but not necessarily directly about queer experience. Songs like ‘YMCA’ are much more popular with those who are not queer, but they fail to see the homosexual implications of its content. Contrast this to songs which are openly concentrated on the subject of being queer, especially in punk, such as ‘I’m Illegal’ by Team

This is empowering, this idea of women demanding pleasure and singing in an erotic way. It was something that had not been done before in such a mainstream manner. The classic example of this form of female empowerment through disco in which females openly discussed personal pleasure and sex is ‘Love to Love You Baby’ by Donna Summer, infamous for its prolonged sequences of provocative moaning. It is almost revolutionary, and furthers the idea of disco providing a sense of pleasure that was not restricted to