The Scene
 
     Disco music was invented in New York City. It is an uncanny brew of Rock, Soul, Latin & Jazz - a regular Brompton Cocktail whose ingredients are shaken and stirred. Disco music has no hidden agenda. Its clear purpose is to move the body and arouse the senses.
 
     As an experience, Disco is not a solitary pursuit; it is best enjoyed in a group setting enveloped by spectacular lights and sound. Being under the influence never hurt. The American urban Gay population discovered it first; establishing discotheques and embracing the music’s attributes while carrying it forward to  an ever expanding fan base. By early 1978, Disco had  ALSO conquered the mainstream. Their combined enthusiasms drove a multibillion dollar a year industry built upon the very popular cornerstones of frivolity, hijinks, glamour and sex. The party was on and EVERYONE was invited.
 
    Enter 1980. Disco had been declared dead by Variety. Studio 54, the scene's epicenter, was padlocked by the IRS. There was a much publicized communal destruction of Disco records at a Chicago sports stadium. Perceiving it as no longer cool, the dancing masses abandoned the clubs and put away their dancing shoes. Disco Interruptus.
 
     New Yorkers and other hip city dwellers found themselves in a pickle. They weren't about to take this turn of events standing still. Accustomed to the lifestyle they created and well stocked with a supply of large venue nightclubs, NOBODY wanted to call it quits. Simultaneously, on the supply side, the dance music industry was at the top of its game - flush with new cash and ready to put out. These developments were not lost on the perceptive and newly visible Gay community - itself flush with new cash and ready to celebrate. Disco’s original pie-eyed pipers had returned to the head of the parade and were eager to lead. Something had to be done to accommodate. The solution: Disco got a tune-up, complete with fuel injection and a six pack. 
 
     In Manhattan, there was Bonds, Tracks, The Red Parrot, Palladium, Xenon, The River Club, Limelight, Studio 54 (under new management), and The Saint. The Saint which debuted in 1980, the year Disco "died", was a particular harbinger of the new nightlife to come. Against tradition, it specifically and successfully courted a Gay male clientele; both raising eyebrows and setting trends at the same time. These were the "big room" nightclubs, each one with its core crowd - available for a good time, looking for good music.
 
     By 1980, most DeeJays were accustomed to working twelve or more hours a night. In just one year of twelve-hour Saturday nights, more than 600 hours of dance music are needed ... and none of it boring. Using the time allotted to carefully craft a night's dance floor journey in his or her own style, DeeJays evolved from common "disc jockeys" to bona fide artists; each with a dedicated following. Developing the ability to sell tickets and fill spaces by their name and reputation only, was absolutely right on time in reviving the floundering Disco industry. Eager participants, swank nightclubs, talented DeeJays - so what was lacking?  Fabulous new records.
 
 
The Music
 
     Until 1980ish, dance records were recorded with full orchestras of musicians playing alongside the harder instruments and vocalists. The percussion was real, the instruments mostly organic, and the soaring strings were really soaring strings. This was the Disco standard, marvelous yet expensive to produce. 
 
     As the ‘80s progressed, the use of synthesizers increased, broadening their niche and becoming more and more relied upon. They brought with them the drum machine and robotic hand claps. Disco purists thought the new technology grim. Perhaps, but the new bells & whistles which arrived during the conversion from analogue to digital recording techniques, ushered in change. New sounds emerged, production techniques advanced, and studio time was cut which pushed overall costs down. This leveled the playing field, enabling smaller independent labels to join the game and peddle influence.
 
     Back to the DeeJay. Enjoying star status, he or she now had access to the record labels on a more intimate level. They would commensurate with the decision makers, they partied with the acts - ideas were exchanged. The song writers got moving as well. They ventured away from the "do me right" and "done me wrong" songs of the pure Disco era, to songs with more modern situations and scenarios. They even broke through the usual arrangement of dancers dancing to a song. Sometimes, a song was written to the dancers, the tables turned. The net result of all this cross pollination and activity? Dance records became more au courant; able to better reflect society as it happened.
 
     Armed with a mission and aware of a new crowd, record labels both major and minor worked hard to satisfy the denizens of nightlife. The smart labels eagerly embraced new musical styles and sounds appearing on the horizon which challenged the standard Disco mold. They tried things; a little of this, a little of that. Some experiments worked, some experiments failed. On occasion, whether through talent or luck, it all came together. A hit record was created.
 
     When a dance record became a hit and earned its wings, it would predictably break out and visit all nightlife points-of-interest. Every city, hamlet, borough and burg, was playing the soundtrack to what would become our collective misspent youth. We of "a certain age”, all danced & sang along.  If a hit endured, it became a classic.
 
 
 
MightyREAL
 
     Fast forward to today. Virtually NONE of the real dance floor hits of this era are available ANYWHERE. Yes, the common "radio hits" compilations have flooded the marketplace, and yes, some inferior quality CDs demonstrating spotty knowledge of this block of music are being sold through fly-by-night amateur websites. But no one has yet to offer a thoughtfully compiled quality product, featuring the slightly underground real dance hits enjoyed by so many - once upon a time.
 
     CANDYSTORECORDS has identified this curious gap in popular music history and decided to step up to the plate. Give the people what they want.
 
     MightyREAL, A Dance Floor Retrospective: 1980 – 1988, is a fifteen volume compact disc compilation series immortalizing the dance hits heard in BIG ROOM nightclubs where the "in-crowd" gathered, during the Disco/ Danceable New Wave/ HiNRG/ pre-House Music period of 1980 - 1988. It’s a fun yet under explored era of nightlife history. Let CANDYSTORECORDS help sort it out for you.
 
     Every song is the 12-inch original extended version. Each track has been gloriously remastered from analog sources by Rick Rowe, a multiple gold record award recipient in engineering and a recently declared living legend in his field. (Take a look at Rick’s website and his accomplishments). Each CD volume is organized by music type, and sequenced for maximum listening pleasure. Individual tracks are not mixed together.
 
     Each song is fully licensed. CANDYSTORECORDS spent over two years tracking down the lineage of each song; making the necessary arrangements with the current master owners and copyright holders. Those who used their creative talents to write and perform these songs, many who haven't seen a dime in years for their efforts, are finally getting paid. It feels good to offer a commercial product done the right way. In this world of "benefit culture", let's not forget the music makers who made something wonderful, possible.
 
   The first three volumes of MightyREAL, A Dance Floor Retrospective: 1980 -1988, are available for your listening pleasure. Please go to Purchase Now.