Discotheque Culture and the Role of the DJ 3
Hearing songs of sincerity while dancing, especially familiar themes about one's family, were favored by dancers as well, such as the emotional expressiveness that ran through the Intruders' hit " I'll Always Love My Mama " (1973) as seen here on Soul Train.
The Intruders singing "I'll Always Love My Mama," an official Soul Train video
The songs " Make Me Believe in You " (1973) by Patti Jo and " I'm a Man " (1969) by Chicago demonstrated an openness to danceable rock. In September 1973, Vince Aletti published an article titled "Discotheque Rock '72 " in Rolling Stone that drew attention to how records played on New York's dance floors tended to feature these recurring traits.
When Alfie Davison and David Mancuso became the first spinners to play the import single " Soul Makossa " (1972) by Manu Dibango, private party and discotheque DJs demonstrated their ability to promote records in an industry that up until then had been dominated by radio DJs. (Yes, the line "Soul Makossa" appears in Michael Jackson's 1982 song " Wanna Be Startin' Something ".) As a result, "Soul Makossa" entered the Billboard Hot 100 before receiving radio airplay. The new breed of DJs reiterated their rising influence when they helped transform neglected singles such as " Never Can Say Goodbye " (1975) by Gloria Gaynor and " Love's Theme" (1973) by The Love Unlimited Orchestra into chart hits.
Initially, disco functioned as a way to refer to the discotheque. However, later on, it referred to the music played in those settings. When the Hues Corporation and George McCrae scored successive number one hits with the similar-sounding " Rock the Boat " (1973) and " Rock Your Baby" (1974), it became clear that a new genre had come into existence.