Disco Punk
Disco · 1978 · 110 to 125 BPM · also known as Punk Funk, Dance-Punk, Disco-Punk
Punk bands playing disco rhythms: a first wave in New York between 1978 and 1982, a second wave in the early 2000s. The rhythm section stays danceable and tense, played with punk's rage and economy, while the guitar scratches rather than sings. Liquid Liquid and ESG represent one wave, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem the other, twenty years apart but sharing the same nervous energy.
8 reference tracks
- Gang of Four: Damaged Goods (1978)
- Delta 5: Mind Your Own Business (1979)
- A Certain Ratio: Shack Up (1980)
- ESG: UFO (1981)
- Liquid Liquid: Cavern (1983)
- Radio 4: Dance to the Underground (2002)
- Working Men's Club: Valleys (2020)
- LCD Soundsystem: New Body Rhumba (2022)
At a glance
- Tempo: 110 to 125 BPM
- First appeared: around 1978
- Machines: Basse électrique, Batterie acoustique, Cowbell, Guitare électrique
- The sound: Basse électrique sèche, Batterie jouée serrée, Cowbell et percussions, Guitare en accords coupés
- Labels: 99 Records, DFA, ZE Records
- Key artists: ESG, Liquid Liquid, Gang of Four, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem
Producing Disco Punk
Disco punk moves fast and pushes forward, 120 to 135 BPM, usually 125 to 130, played with a slight rush, drummers leaning a few milliseconds ahead on the hats and snare rather than adding swing. Set the project at 128 BPM and nudge the hats a touch early, the signature is a disco four-on-the-floor played with punk's economy, few elements, all of them tense, a cowbell in eighths, and a bassline repeated to the point of hypnosis, nothing floats, everything stays tight and a little aggressive. Play the drums live wherever possible, with a dry kick on the four beats, a sharp snare on 2 and 4, closed hats in eighths, and a cowbell doubled by hand percussion like congas and claves, with clean cuts instead of long fills.
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 Disco Punk?
Punk bands playing disco rhythms: a first wave in New York between 1978 and 1982, a second wave in the early 2000s. The rhythm section stays danceable and tense, played with punk's rage and economy, while the guitar scratches rather than sings. Liquid Liquid and ESG represent one wave, The Rapture…
What tempo is Disco Punk played at?
Between 110 and 125 BPM.
Who are the key Disco Punk artists?
ESG, Liquid Liquid, Gang of Four, The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem.
