In this week’s episode, Tim and Jeremy chart the emergence of the dancefloor as a site of important cultural practice. From the frigid discotheques of the 1960s to the wild abandon of the all night dancing that would explode in popularity just a few years later, we hear how the role of the DJ changed in both technical innovation and relationship with the crowd, the types of people who were heading onto the dancefloors of the early 1970s, and the repressive society they were seeking to cast off. Tim and Jeremy also discuss David Mancuso’s early audiophile experiments, the parallel sonic explorations also taking place in the sound systems of Jamaica, and draw similarities and differences between dancing and another ’70s activity, jogging.

Join us next week as Tim and Jeremy ask - is love really all you need?

Tim Lawrence and Jeremy Gilbert are authors, academics, DJs and audiophile dance party organisers. They’ve been friends and collaborators since 1997, teaching together and running parties since 2003. With clubs closed and half their jobs lost to university cuts, they’re inevitably launching a podcast.

Produced and edited by Matt Huxley

Become a supporter by visiting our Patreon at patreon.com/lovemessagepod

Tracklist:
Babatunde Olatunji - Jin-Go-Lo-Ba
Eddie Kendricks - Girl You Need a Change of Mind
The Revolutionaries - Kunta Kinte Dub
Chuck Mangione - Land of Make Belief
Taana Gardner - Work That Body