Disco Metaverse

dsco's Podcast

Disco is bested only by rap and country as a genre that takes itself on. Here, I’m looking at acts who namecheck each other and themselves. The centerpieces are two versions of Barbra Streisand; the original was constructed from a heavy Boney M sample. Boney M turned right around and did it themselves. And then Madonna got into the act and incorporated the Boney M riff into the delicately titled Bitch, I’m Madonna. (Subtle she never was.) Not that we would ever mistake her for Streisand.

Howard Rigberg is My Robot Friend. For his opening act in 2001, he dropped We’re the Pet Shop Boys which is purported to be the result of Rigberg subjecting Pet Shop Boys lyrics and music to computer analysis and creating an algorithm to construct the ultimate Pet Shop Boys song. The Boys themselves were so taken with it that they recorded it themselves. And then they worked with Robbie Williams to record it again. I’ve jumbled all three versions, and I’m quite happy with the result.

Chic (Everybody Say)—Chic ’82 ꝏ My Name Is Prince—Prince ’92 ꝏ Daft Punk Is Playing at My House—LCD Soundsystem ’05 ꝏ Giorgio Moroder—Daft Punk ’13 ꝏ Shut Out/Heaven Is a Disco—Paul Jabara ’77 ꝏ Donna—Andre Gagnon ’77 ꝏ Est-Ce Que C’est Chic—Chic ’77 ꝏ MFSB—MFSB ’75 ꝏ Barbra Streisand—Duck Sauce ’10 ꝏ Barbra Streisand (The Most Wanted Woman)—Boney M ’11 ꝏ We’re the Pet Shop Boys—My Robot Friend ’01/The Pet Shop Boys ’03/Robbie Williams ’08 ꝏ She’s Madonna—Robbie Williams ’08 ꝏ Bitch, I’m Madonna—Madonna ’14 ꝏ When Smokey Sings—ABC ’87