Cosmic Disco
Disco · 1979 · 95 to 120 BPM
Cosmic Disco is less a production style than a way of spinning records, born at the Afro-Cosmic Club near Verona in the late 1970s. Daniele Baldelli slowed everything down, blending funk disco, German electronic music and African percussion, often by playing records at the wrong speed. The result is hypnotic and slow, sitting between 90 and 110 beats per minute, and its influence reaches far beyond the small number of records actually released under the name. It began as a DJ practice, built on pitch and patience, before becoming a recognizable studio sound, one that still shapes slow, dubby dance floors today.
7 reference tracks
- Ozo: Anambra (1976)
- Space Art: Onyx (1977)
- Casco: Cybernetic Love (1983)
- Tullio De Piscopo: Stop Bajon (Primavera) (1984)
- Daniele Baldelli: Cosmic Drag (2014)
- Prins Thomas: Fra Miami til Chicago (2019)
- Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas: Martin 5000 (2020)
At a glance
- Tempo: 95 to 120 BPM
- First appeared: 1979
- Machines: Platines vinyle, Écho à bande
- The sound: Deux platines et vitesse trafiquée, Bandes rembobinées, Percussions afro, Echo à bande
- Key artists: Daniele Baldelli, Beppe Loda, TBC (Typical Baldelli Choice)
Producing Cosmic Disco
Set the project at 100 bpm, in the slow 90 to 110 range, with samples pitched down 20 to 30 percent and a 55 percent swing on sixteenths. Slow a funk or disco drum break with warp off, or in Re-Pitch mode, so the tone drops with the tempo, giving a round kick and a thickened snare. Layer loose African percussion, congas, shakers, bells, through a tape echo with 40 percent feedback. For bass, hold long root notes through a filtered Moog, low-pass near 200Hz, release around 300ms, cutting below 40Hz so the kick owns 50 to 80Hz. Add slow, repeating arpeggios with the filter drifting over 32 bars.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Cosmic Disco?
Cosmic Disco is less a production style than a way of spinning records, born at the Afro-Cosmic Club near Verona in the late 1970s. Daniele Baldelli slowed everything down, blending funk disco, German electronic music and African percussion, often by playing records at the wrong speed. The result…
What tempo is Cosmic Disco played at?
Between 95 and 120 BPM.
Who are the key Cosmic Disco artists?
Daniele Baldelli, Beppe Loda, TBC (Typical Baldelli Choice).
In the same family
- Disco
- Euro Disco
- Hi-NRG
- Italo Disco
- Spacesynth
- Nu-Italo
- Boogie
- Nu-Disco
- Indie Dance
- Dark Disco
- Disco Dub
- Post-Disco
Listen to Cosmic Disco in the atlas · Cette page en français
