Who Sang These Songs: Disco Music Subgenre Quiz

Disco may be one of the most clearly defined subgenres in all of pop music. It has a basic formula that gives it all a very unified sound. That formula includes a four on the floor beat with Latin rhythm influences in a syncopated bassline. That four on the floor beat was the key, as it allowed DJs at the time to keep music flowing seamlessly from one song to the next. And, while that beat remained steady, the Latin syncopations made for perfect matches to club oriented dances that were evolving at the same time. Along with the rhythm sections of the music, other key elements to the subgenre include orchestral string and horn flourishes and what came to be known as the chicken scratch style of playing guitar and a slap bass. These and synthesizer hooks all made disco sound unmistakably like disco. Furthermore, this formula could be applied to any music to turn anything into a disco version of itself, so in the late seventies artists of many other genres found they could, by applying the above rules, put out songs that could sound like disco while still having some of their own unmistakable style. Even the theme from Star Wars and Beethoven's Fifth were easily converted into disco versions of themselves. To be sure, it was likely this flooding of the airwaves with that unmistakable disco sound that led to the eventual backlash. For this quiz, name the artist(s) who performed the disco songs listed in the hint.