The amazing graphic design company Dorothy has just released their next masterpiece – a brief history of disco mapped out on the circuit diagram of a Klipschorn speaker (which was part of New York club The Loft’s legendary sound system).
Their NEW Disco Love Blueprint celebrates over 600 musicians, DJs, producers, clubs and record labels from all corners of the world who have been pivotal in the evolution of disco music. From disco’s roots in the sounds of Afro-American funk, soul and Motown of the late 1960s, its emergence in New York’s black, Latino and gay underground club scene in the early 1970s, its explosion into the mainstream in the late 1970s when at the height of its popularity discomania dominated the world’s dance floors, and its influence on the development of dance music and dance culture through to the present day.
The print pays homage to the musicians that laid the foundations for disco including Philadelphia’s MFSB and Teddy Pendergrass, Motown’s Eddie Kendricks and Marvin Gaye, funk and soul’s James Brown and Cameroonian jazz innovator Manu Dibango.
It weaves its way through the New York club scene of the early 70s including David Mancuso’s The Loft and Nick Siano’s The Gallery to the disco super clubs that followed in their footsteps including Studio 54, Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage and The Saint.
The print celebrates the greats from the classic era of disco in the 70s including Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Gloria Gaynor, Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers and Chic, Cerrone, Sylvester and the Bee Gees and influential producers including Tom Moulton, Patrick Cowley and François Kevorkian. And recognises disco’s influence on the emergence of house music via the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work and Danny Krivit.
The print takes a voyage (yes ABBA are on too) through the distinct sounds from the late 70s early 80s of eurodisco, Italo disco, cosmic disco, boogie, Hi-NRG and post-disco and celebrates regional scenes in Canada, Brazil, India, Japan and Nigeria that took the disco sound and made it their own.
Moving through the decades to the present day the print maps disco’s enduring influence on electronic and dance music and the individuals keeping the spirit of disco alive including DJs and producers like Greg Wilson, DJ Harvey and Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, pop musicians like Madonna, Kylie Minogue and the Pet Shop Boys and Nu-Disco’s Daft Punk, Dimitri from Paris and Todd Terje.
Along the way the print celebrates key moments in popular culture including the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and the release of Saturday Night Fever in 1977 and the many record labels who shared their love of disco with the world including Salsoul, Casablanca, Prelude, P&P, ZYX and T.K. Records.
- Metallic silver screen print
- 120gsm Keaykolour Royal Blue uncoated paper
- H60 x W80cm
View the full collection of Blueprints here.
