Disco defies death. Over forty years after the so-called “death of disco,” disco music is everywhere. From Donna Summer to Beyoncé, disco is on the radio, in the clubs, and on the dance floor. This conference brings together scholars of disco/dance music, industry professionals, and dance activists to discuss disco’s history, present, and future. We are especially interested in exploring disco’s disruptive potential. How does disco confuse strict categorizations of gender, race, and sexuality? How does it blur the lines between high and low culture? How does its insistence on decadence both play into and disrupt the logics of capitalism? What were, and are the economics of disco in the music industry?
LOCATION
This conference will take place at the University of Exeter Penryn Campus in the UK. The conference will take place July 5-6th, 2024. Parts of the conference will be available virtually.
ABOUT
CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS
SCHEDULE
KEYNOTE
lOUIS NIEBUR
Louis Niebur is the interim department chair of Theatre & Dance and a Professor of Musicology at the University of Nevada, Reno. He received his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research areas include avant-garde and popular music of the postwar era, including music in radio, television, and film, and the significance of music to LGBTQ communities as it has shifted between live music, the jukebox, and the disc jockey in the context of queer spaces. He has delivered and published papers on such topics as San Francisco’s proto-queercore and post-disco scenes, the history of Camp Records and other gay recording labels of the 1960s, electronic television and radio music and sound in Britain, the role of women in early electronic music studios, and the queer function of electronic sound production in electronic dance music. His book, Special Sound: The Creation and Legacy of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop (Oxford University Press, 2010), was the first monograph to situate the BBC’s electronic studio within the context of popular music. His most recent book, Menergy: San Francisco’s Gay Disco Sound (Oxford University Press, 2022), traces the way disco and high energy dance music channeled the spirit of gay liberation through a shared dance-floor experience.
KEYNOTE DJ
FRANKIE ELYSE
Frankie Elyse is a standout figure in the Scottish electronic music scene, boasting a multifaceted role as a BBC broadcaster, event promoter, and the creator of a seriously catchy, high-energy sound. She's got a track record that speaks volumes, having played some of the biggest stages in the country, such as TRNSMT, Terminal V, and El Dorado. Frankie's even shared the spotlight with renowned artists like Annie Mac, Ben Hemsley, and HAAi.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, Frankie continues to grow her beloved Glasgow club night, Polka Dot Disco Club. It's not just about the music — this event series champions and empowers women, trans, and non-binary DJs. Frankie Elyse's warm and magnetic presence has made her a favorite in Scotland's music scene, and her passion for fostering inclusivity is shining through.
VIDEOS
“DJs of 1970s New York”
Roundtable with DJ Luis Mario Orellana Rizzo
and DJ Ronnie Soares
"Disco's Afterlives: From the 1980s to Today"
with Jack Ryan Williams, Trent Leipert, Jacob Kingsbury Downs, and Frankie Elyse
Kristie Soares and Will Rees on David White Show
BBC Radio Cornwall
Keynote by Dr. Louis Nieber, University of Nevada Reno