Although the disco genre may be forever linked with images of ABBA, Donna Summer and John Travolta in ill-fitting pants, there were in fact legions of lesser known artists twisting away in the underground during the genre's inception, mutating its DNA into altogether more interesting forms.
On their third entry in the Disco Not Disco series, the U.K.'s Strut Records has assembled 14 tracks from between 1974 and 1986 to create a party-starting mix that's far from played-out. Sure, there are a few better-known songs here (relatively speaking), such as James White and the Black's classic "Contort Yourself" and Delta 5's post-punk cheerleader chant "Mind Your Own Business," but they still sound fresh. Other highlights include the Eastern-inflected opener "Launderette" by Vivienne Goldman, Konk's tribal jam "Your Life" and Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Seoul Music," which sounds eerily similar to an instrumental by dance-rockers !!!.
For the crate-diggers out there, many of these songs may not seem like a revelation. However, for any listeners with even a passing interest in modern dance-punk, this compilation should reveal some less obvious roots.
