Discovery Discothèque: Summer Heat Part I

Our Discovery Discothèque will feature a new genre per article – digging deep into its extensive family tree and the key artists, producers, and venues that have fostered that genre over the years. Each installment will culminate in a curated playlist for further independent music exploration. 

 

Sweat. It traces salty lines across your nose bridge. It pools in the crevices of your body. As you rise from your seat, its ghostly imprint is oftentimes left behind. This summer has seen seemingly endless days of high humidity in New York, leaving us with a deep familiarity of sweat and its persistent stickiness. With this heat in mind and the spirit of summer in our hearts, we turn toward sweaty, sticky DANCE MUSIC for our Discovery Discothèque: Summer Heat Part I.

 

While evidence of the broad genre can be found throughout several millennia, we are limiting our scope today to focus on the last four decades. Since the 1970s, the category’s evolution can be plotted across several sub-genres: disco, funk, soul, house, EDM, and dancehall to name but a few.

 

But first, dance music’s long history begs the question: why do we dance? Dance has a long history of building and strengthening community. From dance cards (think of the term “social dance”) to block parties, dance has served as a means of meeting people, fostering relationships, and connecting to a wider culture. There is an inherent act of sharing involved in dancing - the sharing of hands, of music, of emotion. Additionally, functioning as an emotional and physical release, dance is a form of escapism, echoed through phenomena like “recession pop.”

 

SIDE NOTE: Several Center Stage instructors have said that early 2010s recession pop was their favorite dance genre. Think Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Taio Cruz, Ke$ha, etc. 

 

Dance music is and was equally as frenetic as its listeners. In New York, dance music - primarily disco music - was fostered by individual DJs and underground club culture. Despite having less corporate backing than its main competitor, rock music, disco records were hand-selected by DJs, who were experimenting with new methods of mixing. In the 1970s/80s, popular nightclubs with packed crowds - such as Paradise Garage and Studio 54 - brought disco to the mainstream. In 1980s Chicago, house music was similarly created by DJs in the underground club culture, who altered disco tracks to incorporate electronic, mechanical beats. Meanwhile in 1980s/90s Detroit, techno merged synth-pop with house, electro, and funk.

 

As a category, dance music is always in flux, influenced by the people that love and foster it. Currently, here are some big names playing with the genre form.

• PinkPantheress is heading the return of UK Garage and DnB to the mainstream (originally popularized in the 90s UK club scene).
• Kaytranada continues house and dance music through his influential beat-production.
• Jessie Ware’s last two critically-acclaimed albums, What’s Your Pleasure (2020) and That! Feels Good! (2023), are largely categorized as nu-disco projects.
• Beyonce’s Renaissance album (2022) won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album that year.
• Jungle’s “Back on 74” (2023) went viral for its infectious danceability.
• You couldn’t go anywhere in 2024 without hearing the term “Brat Summer” - a reference to Charli XCX’s Brat album. A brilliant marketing tactic, the phrase echoed the imagery associated with dance music and club culture.

 

For those interested in learning more about dance music that has been made unique by NYC, check out the Museum of the City of New York’s new interactive exhibit, Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dancefloor.

 

Additionally, be on the lookout! Our next installment will slow it down and feature another genre of summer tunes in Discovery Discothèque: Summer Heat Part II. In the meantime, check out our guide to Free Summer Concerts for upcoming dance music performances!

 

We've compiled a collection of dance songs spanning the past few decades — from classic floor-fillers to modern party anthems. Dive into the playlist below and let the rhythm move you. Drop us a comment if we missed one of your favorite summer dance anthems. And remember to keep on dancing!