The girlies welcome the summer months by investigating a most troubling query: why is nobody partying anymore? We used to rave in underground warehouses and dance all night at Studio 54, now we stand in line for hours to be bored at the club clutching a vodka soda. They try to get to the bottom of what went wrong by looking back — from the invention of the gas lamp that made dancing all night a possibility to the disco demolition that brought in a regressive wave against dance music. Plus, the very first Binchtopia listener survey! Digressions include a disturbing trend of BORGtopia and the birth of Binchtopia HQ.

SOURCES:

A Glimpse into the Glamorous World of Studio 54

Disco: Afro-American Vernacular Performance

Disco Demolition: the night they tried to crush black music

“Do You Think I’m Disco?”

How UK Ravers Raged Against the Ban

I Feel Love: Disco and Its Discontents

In an isolated world, humans need to dance together more than ever – but we’re running out of places to do it

New York Literally Invented Nightlife

Nightlife in the City

Partying Feels Different Now

Party Lines: Dance Music and the Making of Modern Britain by Ed Gillett

Studio 54 opens in New York City | April 26, 1977

The Death of the Party

The Story of the Windrush

This episode was produced by Julia Hava and Eliza Mclamb and edited by Allison Hagan.

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