Had Duran Duran managed to finish the yet-untitled new album for 2020, their work on the upcoming album would have found a crowded dance floor. This year has, despite everything that has gone wrong, turned into one hell of a year for disco. Duran Duran, sometimes caught chasing trends, might have rode the wave perfectly in 2020. Working with Giorgio Moroder is such a tantalizing proposition that the new album is their most anticipated album since Big Thing for me.
I am finishing a book on Studio 54 this week while Kylie Minogue’s new album Disco remains at the top of my streaming queue. I’m all in on this disco revival. As we patiently await news that the world is safe to dance together again, my hopes for the next Duran Duran album have shifted from a more rock-oriented sound (as I imagined Reportage would be) to a more organic dance album that relies less on machines and more on Roger Taylor’s four-on-the-floor kick drum with John Taylor’s best Chic-inspired bass lines putting us all in the pleasure groove.
The disco revival has certainly been driven by women this year (what good thing hasn’t, honestly). One of my new favorites, who I am fashionably late to discover, is Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Her Kitchen Disco series on social media is one of the most genuinely entertaining shows of the pandemic. Her new album arrives soon and will be the perfect companion to the new Kylie album. Here is her latest video followed by a little playlist celebrating Disco 2020. I made the playlist collaborative so add your own favorite disco tracks from this year if you wish!