Alice Echols

Alice Echols, a historian and Barbra Streisand Chair at USC, explores the transformative power of disco in 1970s New York. She discusses how disco shaped racial, gender, and sexual revolutions, while examining its complex history within the Black and queer communities. Echols critiques the idea of disco as 'politically empty,' highlighting its cultural significance. She delves into figures like Nile Rodgers and the impact of artists on the genre, shedding light on the artistic divisions in the Black music community and disco's enduring legacy.

Alice Echols, a prominent historian and author of "Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture," delves into the intricate role of disco in 1970s society. She discusses how disco transcended its musical roots to reflect racial and sexual politics, challenging the notion of it being "politically empty." Echols contrasts the lush sounds of disco with James Brown's tight funk, highlighting disco's ties to Black artistic agency. From Barry White's redefinition of Black masculinity to the complexities of interracial solidarity, this conversation reveals disco's profound cultural significance.