ABBA, Bee Gees, The Jackson 5, The Village People; this is what most people remember when they look back on what was, ‘disco’ music. Granted, some of the music they produced, or performed, is excellent! And, fit quite snuggly into the description of the genre – but this isn’t disco, this is pop music. Soul-less, funk-less music owned and distributed by the middle-aged, middle-classed, white and heterosexual men of mainstream America, twisted by success into an insulting imitation of itself. What’s up you naughty Truants, I’m Thomas, the second of a rebellion of new writers sweeping across the blogosphere, muahaha! Well,  I’m referring to the inclusion of Sel and me into the TRUANTS team. Like Sel, I’m not a ‘clubber’ – I prefer laying myself down in front of a roaring fireplace, glass of fine red in one hand, an oversized novelty cigar in the other, wearing nothing but a pair of lime green short-shorts and the handlebar moustache that dominates my so-masculine face, with no one but my chest hair for company… or something similar. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not some old fart condemning all new music and trying desperately to preserve a past era where I was a kind of dance floor king with a big ego and even bigger genitals – no in fact I’m quite young, I just appreciate good music when I hear it, and my genitals are absolutely tiny. Oh and, I’m from Australia (Melbourne, to be precise). Please don’t confuse this with Austria, you might insult them. Australia is sort of like Austria – just 2 more letters, 20 million more kangaroos, and 200 billion times less fancy.

I’m a DJ, and producer, but more importantly, I’m a fan of music! Being a fan seems like such a trivial thing to point out – but so many people these days genuinely aren’t. Music has become as much a social phenomenon as it is an art-form. There a DJs who DJ for attention, money, sex. Producers in it solely for the money, the fame, or because their father owns a record label; ‘why not give it a go?’ Kids obsessing over the latest music, the ‘indie’ bands, the unknown music, the experimental wank-fest music they feel places them higher on the ‘cool’ ladder because they ‘get’ something that you may not – or more likely, you do ‘get’ it, you just don’t like it because it’s absolutely awful music. Then there’s us – the music fans. We love music. Not in the tacky ‘spiritual enlightenment’ kind of way you might often read about from psychedelic music journalists. It just sounds good to us. While Sel pioneered this bad-assery, this new branch of the Truants musical tree, you’ll find I’m not far behind him. He’s like Clint Eastwood in ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly’, and I’m like ‘The Ugly’ – by which I mean, we have similar tastes and goals, he’s just a lot better looking than I am.

So! I’ll be your resident disco historian. As today’s ‘nu-disco’ music scene expands further and further, more and more fans of this apparent genre are looking back to the roots of disco. This invest-a-gation-i-zing (technical term) might perhaps not be the most chronological of adventures. We’ll just talk about disco music, and share some great songs, ranging from the late 60s, through the 70s and up until the late 80s. And I’ll admit, while I have done my fair share of research, and have been a fan for as long as my mother has forced me to listen to the music, I’m no expert on the subject – this’ll be as much a learning experience for me as it is, I hope, for you. All I have is a crate full of tunes, a brain that’s partially-functional, and a heart full of passion (that sounds so epic). As to not contradict myself, I won’t be sharing rare and unlistenable obscurities, claiming to be some kind of underground disco god. Nor will I be posting the biggest disco hits from the late 70s, hailing them to be the be all and end all of dance music. It’s about soul, good vibrations, all that jazz. You’ll be hearing good music! Some tunes you’ll recognize, some you’ll remember, some will sound familiar, and some you’ll love all the way up until your ears fall off, or until a team of internationally recognized electro house producers take the chorus of it and turn it into a vocal house track for your younger sister to enjoy. Peace and love!