Tuesday, July 16, 2013

#953 VA - Philadelphia International Records 12-Inch Singles

Disco! If you're my age, the last word you heard on disco was "sucks", the rallying cry of the rebellion against its full-fledged takeover of America. But before the takeover, before the backlash, disco was some inventive, weird, underground shit.

This collection's pretty daunting, two discs, an endless array of endless songs, outlining one scene's path through the first wave of popular dance music meant for darkened nightclubs. It's no wonder the inspiration's burbled back up from DFA to Daft Punk, an influence felt most keenly on the Edwin Birdsong tracks that rock it like it's two thousand and three.

The biggest surprise you're liable to have is how long and anti-pop these song are, and pretty darn good besides. It's really only a smallish leap from funky R&B to Philly disco, and if you like one you're likely to like the other 3.5/5

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