| They say that disco is dead, I say it has been | | | | will dance. |
| reinvented. Saturday night fever may not be high on | | | | I'm more of a trad disco girl myself, a bit of Jackson 5 |
| the agenda, but all that is disco is back on the club | | | | or the Bee Gees; a dance floor that is lit up like |
| scene and the folks are funking it up in a multi decade | | | | Manhattan with a liberal injection of dry ice and the |
| mash-up. The eclectic taste of the I pod generation | | | | obligatory disco ball keep me a happy little dancing |
| covers everything from James Brown to Britney | | | | bunny. Although I really don't want to take part in the |
| Spears, with a liberal dose of Debbie Harry and Liberty | | | | weird wireless disco vibe, I'm ready to make a move |
| X. The rules are out of the window, like the veritable | | | | toward the new days of disco. I was miffed enough |
| rock n roll TV leaving a 5th floor hotel room. | | | | as it was when CD decks took over from vinyl, and all |
| One of the oddest reinventions of the new disco | | | | my DJ friends were up in arms at bedroom DJ's |
| generation is the introduction of headphones in the club. | | | | making up disks and just 'sticking them on'. The move |
| I've also heard a rumour that this has been happening | | | | from vinyl to CD seemed to somehow be cheating at |
| at festivals across the country. To combat noise | | | | being a DJ as far as the professionals were |
| complaints and yet keep the little pixies dancing all night | | | | concerned. I thought it gave other people a chance to |
| long, wireless headphones are being used as part of | | | | play their music, and is surely less painful than carting a |
| the PA system. I can't quite comprehend how odd it | | | | flight case of vinyl around the place! |
| would be to walk in to a dance tent or nightclub, with | | | | However, the iPod disco babies have another trick up |
| thousands of people quietly raving. It is a surreal notion, | | | | their sleeve, a DJ-less club night. The new style disco |
| and one that requires a bit of contemplation. Surely its | | | | nights consists of anyone in the club plugging in their |
| failure would lie in all those folks singing along. What is | | | | iPod for 3 songs, any songs, and cutting out the mix |
| going to keep them quiet? Sure, it's not going to be | | | | master altogether. Hang the DJ or what! This is not a |
| anywhere near as loud as a 35k rig, but it's going to be | | | | good move; the jockey of discdom provides a |
| a cacophony of wailing cat noises and people still | | | | seasoned and reasoned entertainment service. As a |
| screaming at their mate asking if they want a pint. | | | | selector of tunes, the DJ seamlessly spins one tune |
| The quality of such a system can't be up to much | | | | into another, judging the mood of the crowd and |
| either. One of the greatest things about going to a | | | | dancing them into a crescendo. A spotty Herbert with |
| really loud rave is the feeling of the bass travelling | | | | iPod can't match that, but an old bloke called DJ Derek |
| through your body. Standing in front of the speakers | | | | can. I was fortunate enough o watch his set at a |
| and feeling the air moving with the sound waves, | | | | festival recently and there he was, 75 years old, with |
| rumbling through, from your toes to your nose. That | | | | his iPod plugged in to the PA and he has the whole |
| experience is not going to happen from a pair of | | | | crowd grooving to the funkiest tunes this side of the |
| headphones. Maybe they have air blasting speaker | | | | 70s. Goes to show that a good workman doesn't |
| simulation systems and an earthquake machine or | | | | have to blame his tools - Hail DJ Derek and the return |
| something. Ah, as long as the music is good, the people | | | | of the Disco Days! |