Disco as Outer Space Pop

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What are the best disco-as-outer-space pop albums (as opposed to disco-as-outer-space prog albums)?

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 11 September 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Does Euro Disco count? Something by Ganymede? Perhaps Dee D Jackson's "Automatic Lover"? Meco is the obvious one. Space would also be in there somewhere, I guess.

― Guymauve (Guymauve), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

"Does Euro Disco count?"

Absolutely.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:12 (twenty years ago)

Supernature Cerrone

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

= prog

― don't be jerk, this is china (FE7), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:17 (twenty years ago)

becuz concept LPs = prog? define terms plz

anyway disco = singles format

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:40 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, I was thinking of Supernature, actually. By prog I meant not just concept LPs but long sprawling tracks that aren't written as tight pop songs.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Sunday, 11 September 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

but the a-side of supernature is essentially one long song! thats pretty sprawling

― don't be jerk, this is china (FE7), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

"Atmosphere Strut" by Cloud One!

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

holy shit!! theres a vinyl reissue of the discoid tracks from christian bruhns captain future soundtrack :O
discogs / samples

― don't be jerk, this is china (FE7), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:24 (twenty years ago)

this is DEFINITELY illegal

― don't be jerk, this is china (FE7), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

most good italo-disco from early->mid 80s, was equal parts disco, new wave, "outer space pop" etc. Like Alexander Robotnik who I saw perform last night. While I can name dozens of 12 minute long meandering space disco songs, my favorites all fit this description, Take a Chance by Mr. Flagio, I.C. Love Affair by Gaz Nevada for starters.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Sunday, 11 September 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

Two really obvious singles...
'Spacer' by Sheila B Devotion (produced by Edwards and Rodgers and therefore classic)
'I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper' by Hot Gossip (not quite such a classic).

― avery keen-gardner (avery keen-gardner), Sunday, 11 September 2005 22:40 (twenty years ago)

some more relevant popular-ish hits...

world invaders by pluton & humanoids!
spacer woman by charlie!
i feel love by donna summer!

― petesmith (plsmith), Sunday, 11 September 2005 23:30 (twenty years ago)

but the a-side of supernature is essentially one long song! thats pretty sprawling
-- don't be jerk, this is china (fe...), September 11th, 2005

Yeah, that's what I meant - Supernature as prog.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 12 September 2005 00:29 (twenty years ago)

Anything by Space, they do "Magic Fly". Also Munich Machine is kris-py.

― Cliff, Monday, 12 September 2005 01:46 (twenty years ago)

side A of Supernature = prog
side B = pop

But only side A is outer-space music, so I guess there is no outer space pop on that album.

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Monday, 12 September 2005 02:11 (twenty years ago)

Oh shit, I nominate EVERY TRACK ON THE JONZUN CREW'S "LOST IN SPACE" LP!!

― Mike O. (Mike Ouderkirk), Monday, 12 September 2005 02:13 (twenty years ago)

anyway disco = singles format

-- m coleman

Or, more precisely, 12" singles format.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Monday, 12 September 2005 03:45 (twenty years ago)

Instead of just naming every spacey Italo track, you could visit The Cybernetic Broadcasting System for your fill of robots, space travel, and disco.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 12 September 2005 05:00 (twenty years ago)

Another one to mention: Ednah Holt's "Serious, Sirius Space Party," especially the Larry Levan mix. I think the idea was for the lyrics try to convey the crowd of the Paradise Garage being relocated to the starship enterprise.

― Michael F Gill (Michael F Gill), Monday, 12 September 2005 05:04 (twenty years ago)

thank you Myonga. the 12-inch single was INVENTED for disco mixes!

disco = long sprawling tracks pretty much by definition

disco as 3:00 pop songs = radio edits or 45s (usually)

so all disco is "prog" in some sense?

maybe Disco as Outer Space Pop = "I Feel Love" Sheila & B Devotion Euro D & newavey stuff like Boney M and other proto-synthpop??

perhaps the defining charteristic here is synthesizers and atmosphere rather than song length and recording format

― m coleman (lovebug starski), Monday, 12 September 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)

'I Feel Space' - Lindstrom, quite the best space disco outing in may a year...

― lexurian (lexurian), Monday, 12 September 2005 10:42 (twenty years ago)

( 'n' )

― lexurian (lexurian), Monday, 12 September 2005 10:43 (twenty years ago)

electronic system - disco machine lp

― joseph (joseph), Monday, 12 September 2005 12:54 (twenty years ago)

obviously "Dancing in Outer Space" by Atmosfear

― 1337 dood3z (1337 dood3z), Monday, 12 September 2005 19:00 (twenty years ago)

I think that's more outer space disco/uk jazz funk then "pop".

great, great stuff though.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 12 September 2005 20:00 (twenty years ago)

Patrick Cowley's Megatron Man is maybe a bit sprawling, but mostly pop in its sci-fi, homo heart.

― Rich (Rich), Monday, 12 September 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

weaksauce. aren't there already 1,000,000 threads about the same exact same italo / moroder / cowley / p&p records? find new records pls.

troiano - we all need some love

― vahid (vahid), Monday, 12 September 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

I'll stick with the same exact italo / moroder/ cowley / p&p records but thanks for the suggestion!

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Monday, 12 September 2005 21:32 (twenty years ago)

http://www.neweyestudio.com/ebj254.jpg

― PappaWheelie B.C., Monday, 12 September 2005 21:34 (twenty years ago)

oops i wasnt paying attention. yeah, Atmosfear is more disco than disco-as-pop. man you guys get really specific.

― 1337 dood3z (1337 dood3z), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:07 (twenty years ago)

i was listening to the new arpanet album last night and it probably trumps everything on this thread w/r/t outer space pop, but it's a bit removed from disco on the fabled dance music continuum.

― hilbert space (disco stu), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

dude i am so w/ you on so much stuff (esp the drexciya love) but in what universe is drexciya POP?

i wouldn't call the other people place "outerspace r+b" - even though it is! - you know?

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

well they do make really hooky hummable tracks (man how good is that other people place lp). as far as zeitgeist reflecting pop, i will concede to you with one big but...they pretty much created their own creative universe so maybe i should have replaced "outer space" with "parallel universe" in my post, BUT as far as modern studio prowess and avant-garde hooky sensibility go they are tops. so maybe they are some bastard form of new pop (cf. jess's pitchfork article yesterday), the word "new" definitely applies.

― tricky (disco stu), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

Dexter Wansel: Life On Mars, Stargazer, One Million Miles From The Ground, Theme From The Planets, Rings of Saturn, Voyager.

― Confounded (Confounded), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:21 (twenty years ago)

Songs, those.

― Confounded (Confounded), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:24 (twenty years ago)

i was honestly struck by the pop sensibility of the new arpanet album because they really reined in the ambient headfuck stuff that was all over the last der zyklus lp. (plus (and maybe this is the key thing) no song is longer than 5 minutes and some of them have beats even.)

the history of techno and electro do point to an amalgamation of pop sensibilities do they not? "lost control" by missy is important here i think. (once again i derail a thread, sorry)

― tricky (disco stu), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:37 (twenty years ago)

Rendez-vous dans l'Espace - Telex (original and Morgan Geist remix)

― Space Pop, Wednesday, 14 September 2005 02:39 (twenty years ago)

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