Disco Not Disco: Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics, 1974-1986

The Strut label's successful DISCO NOT DISCO series has done a commendable job in documenting some of the more left-of-center dance music from the late '70s to early '80s. The third installment highlights post-punk, electro, and left-field disco from the heady days of New York clubs like Funhouse and Paradise Garage, an era when DJs were free to mix up genres, tempos, and whole sensibilities as long as the music reflected its ebullient, youthful, and very cutting-edge milieu. Kicking off with "Laundrette," an opening salvo by legendary punk journalist Vivien Goldman, the collection emphasizes eclecticism over simple dance grooves--coming across like the taste-making playlist of the downtown vanguard rather than a prescription for retro kicks. Flitting mainly between jagged punk-funk (Delta 5, James White & the Blacks), sleek electro-funk (Quando Quango, Liaisons Dangereuse), and dark instrumental abstractions (Material, Yellow Magic Orchestra), the music on offer is a fitting representation of the variety and musical invention of a bygone era.