Have you ever heard a song that made you immediately want to get up and move your feet? What if I told you that there is a whole genre, a whole subculture, created to invoke that very feeling? Disco is a genre that inspired an entire movement (no pun intended) in the 1970s. It emerged as a response to the popularization of rock and the stigmatization of dance music during that time (source). So what is it about this genre that it created such an era defining response? Well, it's that far out beat!
Disco is defined by a four-on-the-floor rhythm pattern in which a bass drum is hit on every beat in a 4/4 time signature (source). This distinctive rhythm pattern is what separates disco from other genres of music. This beat when combined with an electric guitar, string instruments, horns, and electric piano, creates a cool funky feeling that one just can't help but get up and dance to. No wonder it ignited the impact that it did!
Before you get upset that you weren't born during the era of halter tops and gender neutral high heels, remember that you can always look back on what once was. One of the most popular disco bands of the '70s was the Bee Gees. Their song "Stayin' Alive" is carried by a rhythm guitar which leads the harmony of the song and is backed by the drums which carry the four-on-the-floor rhythm pattern. "Stayin' Alive" is a perfect example of how disco makes you just want to get up and dance.
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