Minireview: Zero-G Classic Disco
Feb 11, 2008 7:58 PM Jason_Scott Alexander (Writer)
Something
pretty amazing happened in the late '70s, when disco went underground and
became black dance music—the foundation for house and R&B as we know it
today. Almost overnight, television shows such as The Midnight Special and Soul
Train began featuring artists like Evelyn "Champagne" King,
Thelma Houston, Loleatta Holloway, Norma Jean and Luci Martin (formerly of
Chic), who each brought welcomed doses of funk and soul to the dancefloor.
Classic Disco is a 700-sample, 1.6 GB collection reminiscent of the period
spanning 1977 to 1987, presenting 35 construction kits (107 to 125 bpm) in a
multitracked format. Other folders contain additional bass, guitar, piano and
drum machine loops, plus a special whispered shouts section (think Van McCoy's
"Do the Hustle").
Stylistically,
the kits run the gamut from funky clavinet-based George Duke-type romps and
Quincy Jones-inspired acoustically infused jazzy numbers (replete with
signature mono synth parts) to material from the early '80s
proto-house/post-disco era that borders on hi-NRG. There are even some fun
oddballs like "A Buddy From Rio," with all the right Copacabana breezy
vibe of a merengue club turned disco, or "Bad Hair Good Groove,"
which provides heavy drum machine claps and classic staccato synth hooks
reminiscent of Nu Shooz. There's definitely some classic Philly sound, typified
by the lavish percussion that became a prominent part of mid-'70s disco songs.
That said, I'm a little surprised that more hard-hitting floor fillers a la
Michael Jackson’s "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" or even Madonna's
"Borderline" didn't make the cut to truly round out what could have
been a mini anthology. Classic Disco—containing 35 construction kits covering
Acidized WAV, Apple Loops, RMX, REX2, NN-XT, Kontakt 2 and EXS24 for
$159.95—offers swagger but seems overpriced, all considering. Decide for
yourself at www.soundsonline.com.
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