The lyrics of a beautiful electro-funk track of the year 1984 say “creatures of the night throw their cares away, when my electric music begins to play”. In effect, nightclubs and discotheques have always been fine places for socialization, given that frequenters surely have something in common, such as love for music, will to stay up late, and appreciation for: social dances, features of the venues, bars, meeting interesting people or even celebrities, opportunities of finding friends or sexual partners, fashion and personal outfits, and so on. Well, when you meet many people that you don’t know, but have tastes similar to yours, and are ready for social activities appreciated by everyone, the chances of forgetting your daily troubles are effectively rather high. To say the truth, from country to country you might notice some differences. For instance, in the US the frequenters of the cited venues are named “partygoers”, and going to a party is a synonym of “going to a disco”. Differently, in my country, Italy, the frequenters of the above can be defined as “fans of John Travolta”, or “disco maniacs”, or “people of the dancing club”, without any reference to have a party, or to celebrate something. Another difference, in the US no one feels ashamed of going out for alcohol, sex, or drugs, while in Italy everything is disguised below a generic “I’m going to dance”. So, American sites talk about “the death of partying”, while Italian sites talk about “the crisis of the sector of nightclubs”. However, nowadays and globally, partygoers belong to an endangered species.
In the US, nightclubs matter, and serious studies have been made, filled with reliable statistics. In Italy, some newspapers have evidenced the drastic reduction of the number of nightclubs, but without any social analysis, or any attempt of understanding the reasons of the crisis. The best analyses are proposing the following factors responsible of the described situation: sociality has been substituted with personal technological devices, also by the means of social networks; the value of social cohesion, fundamental for leftist political parties, is gradually disappearing, mostly because political correctness is less and less attractive, while societies are more and more complex, multiracial, multicultural, multilingual, and suffering from increasing fragmentation; especially in western countries, there are less and less of social teens; due to sanitary education, health is more crucial than ever before, and consequently there’s a notable reduction in the consumption of alcoholics and recreational drugs; occasional sex is considered more dangerous than pleasant, because of HIV/AIDS; the money disposable for not-working students are subject to evident reductions, especially the part destined to recreative activities and hobbies; lethal accidents at nightclubs are not on the rise, but their relevance is always global, because the internet has hugely enhanced the circulation of news, either in quantity or in velocity of diffusion. In my opinion, after a meditation about the listed factors, a fundamental question might form into the minds of intelligent persons: what will it happen to the world when sociality entirely coincides with obedience to rules and orders coming from elites? I have only a dramatic kind of answer, in case individuals and families don’t have a sufficient level of importance, rules, orders, and elites cease to have a collective value. What does it mean? Shortly, the beginning of the reign of chaos and violence.
As many aficionados know, disco music lived from 1975 to 1987, then died, and was substituted by house music, the music created by the DJs, generally persons employed at nightclubs/discotheques. Today, there’s a paradoxical situation, while nightclubs are progressively disappearing, the number of DJs is evidently on the rise. For that, you’re reading the blog of a web DJ, someone who’s virtual. Decades ago, I was able to make anyone dancing to the disco, even those who didn’t appreciate the kind of music, but now that is totally irrelevant, and not exploited by me. The consequence is that I’m breaking the balls to journalists, by hardening their work, which is already harder and harder, because subject to strong pressures, political and economic. You, my reader, can take advantage from the total independence of me, given that no one can force me in fooling you, by telling sophisticated lies. Of course, you are subject to the unavoidable risks bound to my eventual craziness. Thus, you need to be though enough, and not enslaved by anything or anyone. Understandingly, the mix of the page has been inspired by the opposite of nostalgia. In the year 1982, I changed radio station, and for ten years I was among the earliest and most convinced mentors of the national industry of dance music, chiefly based in Milan, that in 1982 wasn’t yet developed. However, I recognize that the year 1982 has been the best for global industry of dance music, especially in quality, but even in quantity. Well, I have forced myself to abandon the major part of nostalgia, that means not to employ my personal selections, and to employ some of the best of global hits. In the subsequent mix, there are three exceptions, three tracks that were the horses of battle of DJ Cico, the man who was the DJ on my Saturday nights at the disco in 1982.
File name is “enjoy the best disco of 1982, by Max Look DJ (June 2026)”, about 1 hour and 21’ of global hits of dance music, mostly from the US.
Some of the best disco of 1982, the playlist:
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts – I love rock ‘n roll 12”
Fat Larry’s Band – act like you know
Karen Young – deetour 12”
Paul McCartney – what’s that you’re doing
S.O.S. Band – groovin’ (that’s what we’re doing)
Eumir Deodato – keep on movin’
Brooklyn Express – you need a change of mind (Tee Scott mix)
Prince – D.M.S.R.
Salsoul Orchestra feat. Jocelyn Brown – take some time out (for love)
Rocket – groove thing
Kano – can’t hold back (your lovin’) US 12”
Hall & Oates – I can’t go for that
Lace – can’t play around 12”
Sharon Brown – I specialize on love 12”
Patrice Rushen – forget me nots
Evelyn King – love come down
Pure Energy – too hot
Set the Tone – dance sucker
Flirts – passion 12”
Falco – Der Kommissar (rap that) 12”
Blue Feather – let’s funk tonight
