Manic At The Polysexual Disco

I liked the article's title. The article itself is intriguing. I've always loved disco - always will. If there is some new angle on it, all the better:

MacLean's latest release carries more weight than one might assume of a compilation. It puts on display the former indie rocker's obsession with 30-plus years of dance history, from '70s disco classics to '90s house gems, on to the modern blog bait produced by his DFA brethren — acts like LCD Soundsystem, Hercules & Love Affair and Hot Chip.

...Unlike so many club scenes driven by mating more than music, it's the tunes that have fans fired up. The movement offers an out from the ruts currently pocking the clubbing landscape, whether the jackboot stomp of all-ages electro parties, or the pop-chart oppression of mainstream gay venues.

A quick survey of Rhonda's stage reveals just how in MacLean's sound has become, with local scenester DJs — Acid Girls, Dirty Dave, James Rockwell (87 Stick Up Kids), Turbotito (Ima Robot) — flanking the New York producer, competing for space with costumed voguers who throw shapes for the crowd when they're not bumping into the turntables.

It's a DJ's nightmare, but it's heaven for MacLean, who — bearded, with a tight yellow tee and clean-shaven dome — would make for a fantastic bear fantasy were it not for the fact that he prefers the fairer sex.

"L.A. has become my favorite city to play in the States," MacLean says a few weeks later, calling from the Dallas airport between tour stops. "Last night, for example, I had to work to get my set going, starting with something easy for everyone. When you play clubs like Rhonda, you just walk in the door and do what you want."

Says Henry Self, co-founder and resident DJ at Full Frontal Disco: "The idea was to try to pull together a couple of disparate communities within the club scene, all of which were unified by disco, but sorta separated by their demographics."

..."I love pop music, all that crappy Top 40 club stuff," Self admits. "But a lot of people are now seeking out disco, and have zero interest in hearing Lady Gaga and P. Diddy remixes. If you want to hear that, you go to the West Hollywood establishments."

..."Everyone knew the best parties were the gay parties," says promoter Victor Rodriguez, referencing the bygone era of '70s and '80s disco soirees. He currently runs the Cub Scout night at Silver Lake leather bar Eagle L.A. With a club résumé that dates back to 1986, Rodriguez has seen several generations of parties come and go, both gay and straight, and he recognizes the give-and-take that exists between those patrons today.

"For about 10 years, it was the straight guys who carried the torch for us musically, while only a small crew kept that taste," he continues. "The rest flocked to Beyoncé."

...Just how large an audience this scene can pull remains to be seen. Outsiders might be inclined to hold up June's 185,000-strong Electric Daisy Carnival as evidence that attendance is about as full as it'll ever get, but the ravey, mass-appeal beats peddled therein have little to do with the vintage sounds found on the floors of these clubs.

By MacLean's count, his world is still growing.

"The other DJs who were onstage with me at Rhonda, they weren't into this kind of thing two years ago," he says. "There's been an incredible resurgence of interest in this music. Some of those people came from the electro scene and just got tired of it."