I will confess that I'm not the biggest disco fan. Now, I do like me some house music, especially in the right room on the right sound system, and David Mancuso is certainly one of my DJing heroes. But the stuff that was on the radio in the 70s, and the thousands of reissues over the last few years? That's a big "No" from me, dawg.
Here's what does do it for me in the world of disco: Bubblegum, the South African version of the genre that's a predecessor to all that country's subsequent electronic dance styles: kwaito, gqom and now amapiano. It's immediately recognizable as South African with direct links to earlier styles like mbaqanga, marabi and kwela, but it has disco's relentless four-on-the-floor rhythm and devil-may-care ethos.
Inspired by a terrific new bubblegum compilation called Yebo! Rare Mzansi Beats From Apartheid's Dying Years, the whole second hour this week is ten or so of my favorite bubblegum tracks in a more platter, less chatter dance mix that you might want to crank up and share with your neighbors. Just sayin' ....
Also this week (Sunday July 9, 1:00-3:00 PM on WRIR, for two weeks afterwards at
wrir.org/listen, check your local listings for airing on other radio stations, and any old time at
my podcast site): it's an all-African episode this time featuring a trip to Mali, two of today's best desert blues bands in brand new live recordings, and the irresistible dance sounds of Congolese
soukous.
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