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10 Disco Bangers Guaranteed to Fill the Dancefloor
If push came to shove, and you could only have one genre soundtracking a party, you could make an extremely strong case for disco being that genre. We've picked out ten of our favourite disco classics - ten certified bangers and nailed-on floorfillers.
Chic - Good Times
We might as well kick off with, in our view, the undisputed kings of disco - Nile Rodgers' Chic. Rodgers' unique, slinky guitar playing was all over many a disco hit, and it became the genre's signature motif. Marry that with possibly the most recognisable bass line in pop history, and you have an all-time great floor-filler.
Sister Sledge - He's the Greatest Dancer
Nile Rodgers and his Chic bandmate and songwriting partner Bernard Edwards were absolutely on fire in this period. They wrote the sublime 'He's the Greatest Dancer', originally intending it for Chic, only to generously give the song to Sister Sledge. These guys literally churned out some of the deepest grooves you're likely to hear - and this one is no different, with another killer bass line, vintage Nile Rodgers guitar and a classic Chic string arrangement.
Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
The first track from the King of Pop's classic debut solo album, and what a way to open your first record. It found Jackson at his best and most funky; blending disco with elements of funk and soul, and a euphoric blast of horns halfway through that will ensure lift off for any party.
Donna Summer - I Feel Love
Some 40+ years after its release - FORTY YEARS! - this somehow still sounds like the future. Laying the groundwork for much of the electronic music that followed, this throbbing banger was and remains utterly singular and a surefire bet to set the dancefloor alight.
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
We know there are edgier cuts than this, but as arguably the quintessential disco track from the era's quintessential disco film - Saturday Night Fever - this is simply a must. All tight pants, teeth and tremulous falsettos, it could also be argued 'Stayin' Alive' sums up everybody's goal in 2020.
Rose Royce - Car Wash
When disco takes a walk to superfunkytown! Probably more of a funk track until the unmistakably disco strings and drums come in, this gem has been sending dancefloors wild since 1975. A certified bop.
Candi Staton - Young Hearts Run Free
In all honesty, lyrically, this might not be ideal for a wedding party. Candi Staton once said of it: ‘I was with a pimp and a con man. This guy was telling me that if I ever left him he’d kill me. The hurt in my voice is real. I was singing my life’. But somehow, somehow, the arrangement, the melody, and everything about the final package makes this a triumphant and uplifting slice of disco.
The Hues Corporation - Rock the Boat
One of the very earliest disco songs (1974) and considered in some quarters as the first disco tune to hit number one in the Billboard Chart. Utterly infectious, and dripping in positive energy, it's a quite glorious party track.
Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony - The Hustle
A Grammy-winning and stylish disco tune, The Hustle also triggered a dance craze after its release in 1975. More or less an instrumental, save for the 'do The Hustle' refrain, but no less danceable for it. Just watch as your guests suddenly bring out The Hustle.
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
A hugely significant hit in more ways than one, written and recorded by the extravagant, flamboyant and openly gay (a big deal at the time) Sylvester. This hi-nrg take on disco followed hot on the heels of 'I Feel Love', as a pioneering disco track using electronic instrumentation, a hypnotic beat and more than nodding to dance music's future. A trailblazing tune.