Nu-disco is a 21st century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in 1970s and early 1980s disco, mid-1980s Italo disco, and the synthesizer-heavy Eurodisco aesthetics. The moniker appeared in print as early as 2002, and by mid-2008 was used by record shops such as the online retailers Juno and Beatport. These vendors often associate it with re-edits of original-era disco music, as well as with music from European producers who make dance music inspired by original-era American disco, electro and other genres popular in the late ′70s and early ′80s. It is also used to describe the music on several American labels that were previously associated with the genres electroclash and deep house.
Nu, like "leftfield", is used as a qualifier to disassociate the sub-genre from popular ideas about the disco genre.
In 2002, The Independent described nu-disco as the result of applying “modern technology and pin-sharp production” to ′70s disco and funk. In 2008, Beatport described nu-disco as “everything that springs from the late ′70s and early ′80s (electronic) disco, boogie, cosmic, Balearic and Italo disco continuum,” while Spin magazine placed an unnecessary umlaut over the “u” in “nu”, used the term interchangeably with Eurodisco, and cited strong Italo disco as well as electroclash influences.
Nu Disco is most popular in Europe, UK and Australia. The genre is slowly making its appearance within mainstream US and Asian music markets (specifically Kpop).
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