Editing Disco (section)

==Club culture==
===Nightclubs===
{{See also|Circuit parties}}
[[File:Blue disco quad roller skates.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Blue disco quad [[roller skates]].]]
By the late 1970s, most major US cities had thriving disco club scenes. The largest scenes were most notably in [[New York City]] but also in [[Philadelphia]], [[San Francisco]], [[Miami]], and [[Washington, D.C.]] The scene was centered on [[discotheque]]s, [[nightclub]]s and private [[loft]] parties.

In the 1970s, notable discos included "[[Crisco Disco]]", "The Sanctuary", "Leviticus", "[[Studio 54]]", and "[[Paradise Garage]]" in New York, "Artemis" in Philadelphia, "Studio One" in Los Angeles, "Dugan's Bistro" in Chicago, and "The Library" in Atlanta.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.phillymag.com/property/2016/05/18/once-a-hot-disco-now-a-cool-opportunity/|title=Once a Hot Disco, Now a Cool Opportunity – Philadelphia Magazine|date=May 18, 2016|newspaper=Philadelphia Magazine|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028004100/http://www.phillymag.com/property/2016/05/18/once-a-hot-disco-now-a-cool-opportunity/|archive-date=October 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Disco197510/>

In the late 1970s, Studio 54 in [[Midtown Manhattan]] was arguably the best-known nightclub in the world. This club played a major formative role in the growth of disco music and [[nightclub]] culture in general. It was operated by [[Steve Rubell]] and [[Ian Schrager]] and was notorious for the [[hedonism]] that went on within: the balconies were known for [[sexual encounters]] and drug use was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with an image of the "[[Man in the Moon]]" that included an animated [[cocaine spoon]].

The "[[Copacabana (nightclub)|Copacabana]]", another New York nightclub dating to the 1940s, had a revival in the late 1970s when it embraced disco; it would become the setting of a [[Barry Manilow]] [[Copacabana (At the Copa)|song of the same name]].

In [[Washington, D.C.]], large disco clubs such as "The Pier" ("Pier 9") and "The Other Side", originally regarded exclusively as "[[gay bar]]s", became particularly popular among the capital area's gay and straight college students in the late '70s.

By 1979 there were 15,000-20,000 disco nightclubs in the US, many of them opening in suburban shopping centers, hotels, and restaurants. The [[2001 Club]] franchises were the most prolific chain of disco clubs in the country.<ref>{{cite book |first=Tim |last=Lawrence |title=Love Saves the Day: A History of American Dance Music Culture, 1970-1979 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qIdH2yR41bIC&dq=%222001+club%22+billboard+franchise&pg=PA315 |publisher=[[Duke University Press]] |date=2004 |isbn=0822385112 |page=315 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522075950/https://books.google.com/books?id=qIdH2yR41bIC&dq=%222001+club%22+billboard+franchise&pg=PA315#v=onepage&q=%222001%20club%22%20billboard%20franchise&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Although many other attempts were made to franchise disco clubs, 2001 was the only one to successfully do so in this time frame.<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Bob Jr. |last=Redinger |title=Franchise Concept More than a Pipe Dream |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LyQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=2001+disco+franchise&pg=PT57 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=October 20, 1979 |page=58 |access-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-date=May 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522075951/https://books.google.com/books?id=LyQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=2001+disco+franchise&pg=PT57#v=onepage&q=2001%20disco%20franchise&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Sound and light equipment===
[[File:Dance floor 2 by harmon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|Major disco clubs had lighted dance floors, with the lights flashing to complement the beat.]]
[[File:ZMF 2015 IMGP 0000.jpg|thumb|The reflective light [[disco ball]] was a fixture on the ceilings of many discothèques.]]
Powerful, bass-heavy, [[hi-fi]] [[Sound reinforcement system|sound systems]] were viewed as a key part of the disco club experience. [[The Loft (New York City)|The Loft]] party host [[David Mancuso]] introduced the technologies of tweeter arrays (clusters of small loudspeakers, which emit high-end frequencies, positioned above the floor) and bass reinforcements (additional sets of [[subwoofer]]s positioned at ground level) at the start of the 1970s to boost the treble and bass at opportune moments, and by the end of the decade [[sound engineer]]s such as [[Richard Long (sound designer)|Richard Long]] had multiplied the effects of these innovations in venues such as the Garage."<ref name="timlawrence.info">{{cite news|url=http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/16/beyond-the-hustle-seventies-social-dancing-discotheque-culture-and-the-emergence-of-the-contemporary-club-dancer|title="Beyond the Hustle: Seventies Social Dancing, Discotheque Culture and the Emergence of the Contemporary Club Dancer". Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009, 199–214.|newspaper=Tim Lawrence|access-date=June 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170614135534/http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/16/beyond-the-hustle-seventies-social-dancing-discotheque-culture-and-the-emergence-of-the-contemporary-club-dancer|archive-date=June 14, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Typical lighting designs for disco dance floors include multi-colored lights that swirl around or flash to the beat, [[strobe light]]s, an [[illuminated dance floor]], and a [[Disco ball|mirror ball]].

===DJs===
Disco-era [[disc jockey]]s (DJs) would often remix existing songs using [[reel-to-reel tape recorder|reel-to-reel tape machines]], and add in percussion breaks, new sections, and new sounds. DJs would select songs and grooves according to what the dancers wanted, transitioning from one song to another with a [[DJ mixer]] and using a [[microphone]] to introduce songs and speak to the audiences. Other equipment was added to the basic DJ setup, providing unique sound manipulations, such as [[reverb]], equalization, and echo [[effects unit]]. Using this equipment, a DJ could do effects such as cutting out all but the bassline of a song and then slowly mixing in the beginning of another song using the DJ mixer's crossfader. Notable U.S. disco DJs include [[Francis Grasso]] of The Sanctuary, [[David Mancuso]] of [[The Loft (New York City)|The Loft]], [[Frankie Knuckles]] of the Chicago [[Warehouse (nightclub)|Warehouse]], [[Larry Levan]] of the [[Paradise Garage]], [[Nicky Siano]] of [[The Gallery (disco)|The Gallery]], [[Walter Gibbons]], [[Karen Mixon Cook]], [[Jim Burgess (producer)|Jim Burgess]], [[John "Jellybean" Benitez]], Richie Kulala of [[Studio 54]], and Rick Salsalini.

Some DJs were also record producers who created and produced disco songs in the [[recording studio]]. Larry Levan, for example, was a prolific [[record producer]] as well as a DJ. Because record sales were often dependent on dance floor play by DJs in the nightclubs, DJs were also influential in the development and popularization of certain types of disco music being produced for record labels.

===Dance===
[[File:04232012dae jpg semana de la cultura162.JPG|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Disco dancers typically wore loose slacks for men and flowing dresses for women, which enabled ease of movement on the dance floor.]]

In the early years, dancers in discos danced in a "hang loose" or "freestyle" approach. At first, many dancers improvised their own dance styles and dance steps. Later in the disco era, popular dance styles were developed, including the "Bump", "Penguin", "Boogaloo", "Watergate", and "Robot". By October 1975 [[Hustle (dance)|the Hustle]] reigned. It was highly stylized, sophisticated, and overtly sexual. Variations included the Brooklyn Hustle, [[New York Hustle]], and [[Latin Hustle]].<ref name="Disco197510">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gQQ1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Fk8KAAAAIBAJ&pg=840,3518488&dq=disco+music&hl=en Everybody's Doing The hustle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429205155/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gQQ1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=Fk8KAAAAIBAJ&pg=840,3518488&dq=disco+music&hl=en |date=April 29, 2020 }}, Associated Press, October 16, 1975</ref>

During the disco era, many nightclubs would commonly host disco dance competitions or offer free dance lessons. Some cities had disco dance instructors or dance schools, which taught people how to do popular disco dances such as "touch dancing", "the hustle", and "[[Cha-cha-cha (dance)|the cha cha]]". The pioneer of disco dance instruction was Karen Lustgarten in San Francisco in 1973. Her book ''The Complete Guide to Disco Dancing'' (Warner Books 1978) was the first to name, break down and codify popular disco dances as dance forms and distinguish between disco freestyle, partner, and line dances. The book hit the ''New York Times'' bestseller list for 13 weeks and was translated into Chinese, German, and French.

In Chicago, the ''Step By Step'' disco dance TV show was launched with the sponsorship support of the Coca-Cola company. Produced in the same studio that [[Don Cornelius]] used for the nationally syndicated dance/music television show, ''[[Soul Train]]'', ''Step by Step'''s audience grew and the show became a success. The dynamic dance duo of Robin and Reggie led the show. The pair spent the week teaching disco dancing to dancers in the disco clubs. The instructional show aired on Saturday mornings and had a strong following. Its viewers would stay up all night on Fridays so they could be on the set the next morning, ready to return to the disco on Saturday night knowing with the latest personalized steps. The producers of the show, John Reid and Greg Roselli, routinely made appearances at disco functions with Robin and Reggie to scout out new dancing talent and promote upcoming events such as "Disco Night at White Sox Park".

In Sacramento, California, Disco King Paul Dale Roberts danced for the Guinness Book of World Records. He danced for 205 hours, the equivalent of 8½ days. Other dance marathons took place afterward and Roberts held the world record for disco dancing for a short period of time.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Former Pocket area resident was Sacto's "disco king" {{!}} Valley Community Newspapers, Inc.|url=https://www.valcomnews.com/former-pocket-area-resident-was-sacto%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%9Cdisco-king%E2%80%9D/|access-date=August 14, 2020|website=www.valcomnews.com|archive-date=August 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818091929/https://www.valcomnews.com/former-pocket-area-resident-was-sacto%e2%80%99s-%e2%80%9cdisco-king%e2%80%9d/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Disco was influenced by art with the atypical song ''Bend It'' (1969) by British artists [[Gilbert & George]]. With the song comes special dance moves that blurrs the distinction between art and pop culture in a way never seen before.

Some notable professional dance troupes of the 1970s included [[Pan's People]] and [[Hot Gossip]]. For many dancers, a key source of inspiration for 1970s disco dancing was the film ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'' (1977). Further influence came from the music and dance style of such films as ''[[Fame (1980 film)|Fame]]'' (1980), ''[[Disco Dancer]]'' (1982), ''[[Flashdance]]'' (1983), and ''[[The Last Days of Disco]]'' (1998). Interest in disco dancing also helped spawn [[Reality TV|dance competition TV shows]] such as ''[[Dance Fever]]'' (1979).

===Fashion===
[[File:Fotothek df n-15 0000413 Disko.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|Dancers at an [[East Germany|East German]] discothèque in 1977. Due to the constant scarcity of consumer goods in the then [[Socialism|socialist]] part of Germany, particularly more exotic fashion items like disco wear, people often [[maker culture|sewed them themselves]].]]

Disco fashions were very trendy in the late 1970s.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/WJZ-EVMAG-054-001 Evening Magazine: NY's Freakiest Night Spot : WJZ-TV on Internet Archive]</ref> Discothèque-goers often wore glamorous, expensive, and extravagant fashions for nights out at their local disco club. Some women would wear sheer, flowing dresses, such as [[Halston]] dresses, or loose, flared pants. Other women wore tight, revealing, sexy clothes, such as backless [[halter top]]s, [[disco pants]], "hot pants", or body-hugging [[spandex]] bodywear or "catsuits".<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatehistoryproject.com/disco-fashion.html|title=Disco Fashion: That's the way They Liked It|website=The Ultimate History Project|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006032157/http://ultimatehistoryproject.com/disco-fashion.html|archive-date=October 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Men would wear shiny polyester [[Qiana]] shirts with colorful patterns and pointy, extra wide collars, preferably open at the chest. Men often wore [[Pierre Cardin]] suits, [[three piece suit]]s with a vest, and [[Double knitting|double-knit]] polyester shirt jackets with matching trousers known as the [[leisure suit]]. Men's leisure suits were typically form-fitted to some parts of the body, such as the waist and bottom while the lower part of the pants were flared in a [[bell bottom]] style, to permit freedom of movement.<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com"/>

During the disco era, men engaged in elaborate grooming rituals and spent time choosing fashion clothing, activities that would have been considered "feminine" according to the gender stereotypes of the era.<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com"/> Women dancers wore [[glitter]] makeup, [[sequin]]s, or [[gold lamé]] clothing that would shimmer under the lights.<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com"/> Bold colors were popular for both genders. [[Platform shoe]]s and boots for both genders and [[high heel]]s for women were popular footwear.<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com"/> [[Necklace]]s and [[medal]]lions were a common [[fashion accessory]]. Less commonly, some disco dancers wore outlandish costumes, dressed in [[drag (clothing)|drag]], covered their bodies with gold or silver paint, or wore very skimpy outfits leaving them nearly nude; these uncommon get-ups were more likely to be seen at invitation-only [[New York City]] loft parties and disco clubs.<ref name="ultimatehistoryproject.com"/>

===Drug subculture===
In addition to the dance and fashion aspects of the disco club scene, there was also a thriving [[club drug]] [[subculture]], particularly for drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud, bass-heavy music and the flashing colored lights, such as [[cocaine]]<ref name="ReferenceA">Gootenberg, Paul 1954– – Between Coca and Cocaine: A Century or More of U.S.-Peruvian Drug Paradoxes, 1860–1980 – Hispanic American Historical Review – 83:1, February 2003, pp. 119–150. "The relationship of cocaine to 1970s disco culture cannot be stressed enough&nbsp;..."</ref> (nicknamed "blow"), amyl nitrite ("[[poppers]]"),<ref name="ReferenceB">Amyl, butyl and isobutyl nitrite (collectively known as alkyl nitrites) are clear, yellow liquids inhaled for their intoxicating effects. Nitrites originally came as small glass capsules that were popped open. This led to nitrites being given the name 'poppers' but this form of the drug is rarely found in the UK. The drug became popular in the UK first on the disco/club scene of the 1970s and then at dance and rave venues in the 1980s and 1990s.</ref> and the "...&nbsp;other quintessential 1970s club drug [[Quaalude]], which suspended [[motor coordination]] and gave the sensation that one's arms and legs had turned to '[[Jell-O]].{{'"}}<ref name="r1">{{Cite magazine |last=Braunstein |first=Peter |date=November 1999 |title=DISCO |url=http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1999/7/1999_7_43.shtml |url-status=dead |magazine=American Heritage |volume=50 |issue=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205223044/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1999/7/1999_7_43.shtml |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |access-date=February 5, 2010}}</ref> Quaaludes were so popular at disco clubs that the drug was nicknamed "disco biscuits".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefix.com/content/where-are-they-now-drugs-edition7098|title=PCP, Quaaludes, Mescaline. What Became of Yesterday's 'It' Drugs? – The Fix|website=Thefix.com|date=December 30, 2011|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027232147/https://www.thefix.com/content/where-are-they-now-drugs-edition7098|archive-date=October 27, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Paul Gootenberg states that "[t]he relationship of cocaine to 1970s disco culture cannot be stressed enough..."<ref name="ReferenceA"/> During the 1970s, the use of cocaine by well-to-do [[celebrity|celebrities]] led to its "glamorization" and to the widely held view that it was a "soft drug".<ref>Brownstein, Henry H. ''The Handbook of Drugs and Society''. John Wiley & Sons, 2015. p. 101.</ref> [[LSD]], [[marijuana]], and [[Amphetamines|"speed"]] (amphetamines) were also popular in disco clubs, and the use of these drugs "...contributed to the hedonistic quality of the dance floor experience."<ref>Tim Lawrence: "Beyond the Hustle: Seventies Social Dancing, Discothèque Culture and the Emergence of the Contemporary Club Dancer." In Julie Malnig ed. ''Ballroom, Boogie, Shimmy Sham, Shake: A Social and Popular Dance Reader.'' Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009, pp. 199–214. Online version: {{cite web |url=http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/16/beyond-the-hustle-seventies-social-dancing-discotheque-culture-and-the-emergence-of-the-contemporary-club-dancer |title=Beyond the Hustle: Seventies Social Dancing, Discotheque Culture and the Emergence of the Contemporary Club Dancer|website=Timlawrence.info|date=September 19, 2013 |access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012053538/http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/16/beyond-the-hustle-seventies-social-dancing-discotheque-culture-and-the-emergence-of-the-contemporary-club-dancer|archive-date=October 12, 2017|url-status=live}}.</ref> Since disco dances were typically held in [[liquor license]]d-[[nightclub]]s and [[dance club]]s, [[alcoholic drink]]s were also consumed by dancers; some users intentionally combined alcohol with the consumption of other drugs, such as Quaaludes, for a stronger effect.

===Eroticism and sexual liberation===
According to [[Peter Braunstein]], the "massive quantities of [[drug]]s ingested in discothèques produced the next [[cultural phenomenon]] of the disco era: rampant [[promiscuity]] and [[public sex]]. While the dance floor was the central arena of [[seduction]], actual sex usually took place in the nether regions of the disco: bathroom stalls, exit [[stairwell]]s, and so on. In other cases the disco became a kind of 'main course' in a hedonist's menu for a night out."<ref name=r1/> At [[The Saint (club)|The Saint]] nightclub, a high percentage of the [[gay male]] dancers and patrons would have sex in the club; they typically had [[Safe sex|unprotected sex]], because in 1980, [[HIV-AIDS]] had not yet been identified.<ref name="Tim Lawrence 2011">Tim Lawrence. "The Forging of a White Gay Aesthetic at the Saint, 1980–84". In: Dancecult, 3, 1, 2011, pp. 1–24. Online version: {{cite web|url=http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/2/the-forging-of-a-white-gay-aesthetic-at-the-saint-1980-84-dancecult|title=The Forging of a White Gay Aesthetic at the Saint, 1980–84|website=Timlawrence.info|date=July 2, 2013 |access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171031074802/http://www.timlawrence.info/articles2/2013/7/2/the-forging-of-a-white-gay-aesthetic-at-the-saint-1980-84-dancecult|archive-date=October 31, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> At The Saint, "dancers would elope to an unpoliced upstairs balcony to engage in sex."<ref name="Tim Lawrence 2011"/> The promiscuity and public sex at discos was part of a broader trend towards exploring a freer sexual expression in the 1970s, an era that is also associated with "[[Swinging (sexual practice)|swingers clubs]], [[hot tub]]s, [and] [[Group sex#Key party|key parties]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://flashbak.com/the-decade-of-decadence-a-quick-look-at-the-sexual-revolution-29469/|title=The Decade of Decadence: A Quick Look at The Sexual Revolution – Flashbak|date=March 2, 2015|website=Flashbak.com|access-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028094117/https://flashbak.com/the-decade-of-decadence-a-quick-look-at-the-sexual-revolution-29469/|archive-date=October 28, 2017|url-status=live}}.</ref>

In his paper, "In Defense of Disco" (1979), [[Richard Dyer]] claims [[eroticism]] as one of the three main characteristics of disco.<ref name="Dyer">Richard Dyer: "In Defense of Disco." In: Gay Left, 8, Summer 1979, pp. 20-23. Reprinted in: Mark J. Butler (ed): Electronica, Dance and Club Music. New York/London: Routledge 2017, pp. 121-127.</ref> As opposed to [[rock music]] which has a very [[Phallocentrism|phallic centered]] eroticism focusing on the sexual pleasure of men over other persons, Dyer describes disco as featuring a non-phallic full body eroticism.<ref name="Dyer"/> Through a range of percussion instruments, a willingness to play with rhythm, and the endless repeating of phrases without cutting the listener off, disco achieved this full-body eroticism by restoring eroticism to the whole body for both sexes.<ref name="Dyer"/> This allowed for the potential expression of sexualities not defined by the cock/penis, and the erotic pleasure of bodies that are not defined by a relationship to a penis.<ref name="Dyer"/> The sexual liberation expressed through the rhythm of disco is further represented in the club spaces that disco grew within.

In [[Peter Shapiro (journalist)|Peter Shapiro]]'s ''[[Modulations: A History of Electronic Music]]: Throbbing Words on Sound'', he discusses eroticism through the technology disco utilizes to create its audacious sound.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Peter |title=Modulations : a history of electronic music : throbbing words on sound |year=2000 |publisher=Caipirinha Productions |isbn=1-891024-06-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/modulationshisto00shap/page/40 40]–49 |url=https://archive.org/details/modulationshisto00shap|url-access=registration }}</ref> The music, Shapiro states, is adjunct to "the pleasure-is-politics ethos of post-[[Stonewall riots|Stonewall]] culture." He explains how "mechano-eroticism", which links the technology used to create the unique mechanical sound of disco to eroticism, set the genre in a new dimension of reality living outside of naturalism and heterosexuality. Randy Jones and Mark Jacobsen echo this sentiment in BBC Radio's "The Politics of Dancing: How Disco Changed the World," describing the loose, hip-focused dance style as "a new kind of communion" that celebrates the sparks of liberation brought on the Stonewall riots.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b0124284 | title=The Politics of Dancing: How Disco Changed the World - BBC Sounds | access-date=December 15, 2023 | archive-date=May 22, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240522075951/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b0124284 | url-status=live }}</ref> As New York state had laws against homosexual behavior in public, including dancing with a member of the same sex, the eroticism of disco served as resistance and an expression of sexual freedom.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots | title=1969 Stonewall Riots - Origins, Timeline & Leaders | date=June 23, 2023 | access-date=December 15, 2023 | archive-date=June 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626084016/https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots | url-status=live }}</ref>

He uses Donna Summer's singles "[[Love to Love You Baby (song)|Love to Love You Baby]]" (1975) and "[[I Feel Love]]" (1977) as examples of the ever-present relationship between the synthesized bass lines and backgrounds to the simulated sounds of orgasms. Summer's voice echoes in the tracks, and likens them to the drug-fervent, sexually liberated fans of disco who sought to free themselves through disco's "aesthetic of machine sex."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shapiro |first1=Peter |title=Modulations : a history of electronic music : throbbing words on sound |date=2000 |publisher=Caipirinha Productions |isbn=1-891024-06-X |page=[https://archive.org/details/modulationshisto00shap/page/44 44] |url=https://archive.org/details/modulationshisto00shap|url-access=registration }}</ref> Shapiro sees this as an influence that creates sub-genres like [[hi-NRG]] and [[Dub music|dub]]-disco, which allowed for eroticism and technology to be further explored through intense synth bass lines and alternative rhythmic techniques that tap into the entire body rather than the obvious erotic parts of the body.

The New York nightclub The Sanctuary under resident DJ [[Francis Grasso]] is a prime example of this sexual liberty. In their history of the disc jockey and club culture, [[Bill Brewster (DJ)|Bill Brewster]] and Frank Broughton describe the Sanctuary as "poured full of newly liberated gay men, then shaken (and stirred) by a weighty concoction of dance music and pharmacoia of pills and potions, the result is a festivaly of carnality."{{sfn|Brewster|Broughton|2000|p=134}} The Sanctuary was the "first totally uninhibited gay discotheque in America" and while sex was not allowed on the dancefloor, the dark corners, bathrooms. and hallways of the adjacent buildings were all utilized for orgy-like sexual engagements.{{sfn|Brewster|Broughton|2000|p=134}}

By describing the music, drugs, and liberated mentality as a trifecta coming together to create the festival of carnality, Brewster and Broughton are inciting all three as stimuli for the dancing, sex, and other embodied movements that contributed to the corporeal vibrations within the Sanctuary. It supports the argument that disco music took a role in facilitating this sexual liberation that was experienced in the discotheques. The recent legalization of abortion and the introduction of antibiotics and [[Birth control pill|the pill]] facilitated a culture shift around sex from one of procreation to pleasure and enjoyment. Thus was fostered a very sex-positive framework around discotheques.{{sfn|Brewster|Broughton|2000|p=127}}

Further, in addition to gay sex being illegal in New York state, until 1973 the [[American Psychiatric Association]] classified homosexuality as an illness.{{sfn|Brewster|Broughton|2000|p=134}} This law and classification coupled together can be understood to have heavily dissuaded the expression of queerness in public, as such the liberatory dynamics of discotheques can be seen as having provided space for self-realization for queer persons. David Mancuso's club/house party, [[The Loft (New York City)|The Loft]], was described as having a "[[pansexual]] attitude [that] was revolutionary in a country where up until recently it had been illegal for two men to dance together unless there was a woman present; where women were legally obliged to wear at least one recognizable item of female clothing in public; and where men visiting gay bars usually carried bail money with them."{{sfn|Brewster|Broughton|2000|p=148}}