Disco Polo

Disco Polo is a popular musical genre originating from Poland, akin to Eurodance. It originated during the late 1980s and its popularity peaked from 1995 to 1997. Consequently, many Disco Polo cover arts and festival flyers use colorful and kitschy aesthetics that were popular from the 90s to the 2000s, including some visual similiarities with Frutiger Metro or Y2K. Originally known as Sidewalk Music (Polish: Muzyka Chodnikowa) or Backyard Music (Polish: Muzyka Podwórkowa), the term Disco Polo was coined in 1993 by singer-songriter Skręta as a tongue-in-cheek response to Italo Disco, but quickly became the most popular name for this genre. The songs are characterized by their simple melodies, catchy rhythms, and often lighthearted lyrics. Its popularity started declining in the 21st century, although it sometimes has resurgence in popularity.
==History==
The history of Disco Polo is often divided in two phases: 1990s being the first wave, and 2010s.
The earliest days of Disco Polo started in the late 1980s, with a sound closer to Polish Folk music than to Eurodance. These songs were often played at traditional weddings, and later, acoustic instruments were replaced with electronic ones. The genre was first known as Sidewalk Music (Muzyka Chodnikowa) and gained prominence in smaller towns and the Polish countryside, especially reaching peak popularity in 1994.However, as Disco Polo went more mainstream, it also became a really hated genre in urban cities - the kitschy aesthetics/sounds and unchallenging lyrics (for example: the song Majteczki w Kropeczki, which translates to "Panties with Polka Dots") were deemed "embarrasing" or "cringe" by manyThe return of Disco Polo: how Poland’s populists are using music to serve their agenda | notesfrompoland.com.
===Revival===
The genre heavily declined in the 2000s but in the next decade there were some attempts of resurgence. Some musical artists might classify their own music as "Neo-Disco Polo" to differenciate itself from the first wave of Disco Polo music and a few politicians also used the music to serve their agenda.
==Visuals==
The visuals seen in Disco Polo music are mainly expressed through cover arts, flyers and music videos. These mainly include low quality CGI, colorful imagery, elements of aesthetics that were prevalent during the decades of the 80s-2000s, such as Frutiger Metro, Frutiger Aurora or Disco, as well as Kitsch. The subculture associated with Disco Polo music also has its own unique characteristics. Another common topic in Disco Polo music includes weddings and love.
==Subculture==
Like many other musical genres such as Reggaeton or Emo, Disco Polo also gained its own fanbase and a subculture was developed around it. The Polish name given to the subculture is Discopolowcy (roughly translating to "Discopolists")Discopolowcy | Nonsa.pl | Source Language: Polish 
*Disclaimer: Uncyclopedia is a satirical version of Wikipedia, so you may obviously find sketchy or inappropiate content. However, this article still serves as a reliable source for Discopolowcy.. Some stereotypes associated with this subculture include being from the countryside (because the subculture is way more popular in rural areas than major cities, see the Criticism section), taking the lyrics of the songs as personal mottos, going to parties and weddings, using excessive hair gel and loving Dance music.
The stereotypical appareance of the Discopolowcy includes excessive hair gel, white and stylish sneakers, colorful and tight t-shirts, Hip-Hop-inspired sweatshirts, fabric trousers, gold chain necklaces and other accessories such as leather wallets or cheap chain bracelets.
==Music==
Disco Polo songs are characterized by:
*Simple and catchy chord progressions, melodies and rhythms
*Simple lyrics
*Remixes of pre-existing Polish folk songs
*Sentimental, cheesy, romantic or sexual lyrics
*Syncopated samples of drums, synthesizers and keyboard instruments
*4/4 time
*Songs and covers might be compiled in large collaborative albums
===Musical Artists===
*After Party
*Akcent
*Amadeo
*Basta
*Bayer Full
*Big Dance
*Boys
*Cliver
*Etna
*Factor
*Focus
*Jorrgus
*Kalimero
*kets4eki (Disco Polo mixed with Scenecore)
*Kylie Minogue
*Long & Junior
*Masters
*Maxx Dance
*Mega Dance
*Mejk
*Milano
*Mirage
*Nemesis
*New Collective
*Piękni i Młodzi
*Różni Wykonawcy
*Shazza
*Skaner
*Time
*Tomasz Niecik
*Top One
*Toples
*Veegas
*Weekend
*wujek (Disco Polo mixed with Scenecore)
===Songs===
*Bella by Masters
*Brązowe Oczy (Najlepsza Jakość) by Milano
*Ciao Italia by TOP ONE
*Co ty mi dasz by MIG
*Czerwone Jagody by BIG DANCE
*Cztery osiemnastki by Tomasz Niecik
*Gwiazda by Akcent
*Jesteś Szalona by Boys
*Królowa nocy by Akcent
*Majteczki w kropeczki by Bayer Full
*Miła moja by TOP-ONE
*Niewiara by Piękni i Młodzi
*Ona Tańczy Dla Mnie by WEEKEND
*Pokaż jak się kręcisz by Cliver
*Przez Twe Oczy Zielone by Akcent
*Sexualna by Mirami & Vova Zi Lvova
*Zabrałaś serce moje by Diadem
*Zaufaj Mi by Cliver
*Żono moja by Masters
==Criticism==
Despite its prior position of prevalence during the 90s, Disco Polo is far from being a music genre without critics. Nowadays this genre is widely disliked in Poland, especially in urban areas, because many think most of the songs are low-effort, have forced and unoriginal lyrics or are mass-produced. Some Disco Polo record labels and gangs such as Psycho Fans were exposed for being cover-ups for money laundering activities ran by criminal organizations"Psycho Fans za pół miliona złotych promowali muzykę disco polo. Teraz mają zarzut prania brudnych pieniędzy" | katowice.wyborcza.pl | Source Language: Polish, leading to the musical genre sometimes being discredited for its association with illegal activity. At some point, Disco Polo fans became the butt of the joke in Poland.
==Gallery==
discopolo11.jpg|"Disco Polo Show Vol.3" by Various Artists
discopolo9.jpg|"Top Super Przeboje Disco Polo 4" by Various Artists
discopolo10.jpg|A Disco Polo Flyer
discopolo6.jpg|Kolekcja Disco Polo 18: Justyna i Piotr
discopolo8.jpg|"Disco Polo New Hits no. 3 (Odjazdowa Muza)" by Disco Polo
discopolo5.jpg|"Disco Polo granie vol. 1" by Różni Wykonawcy
discopolo4.jpg|"Disco Polo New Hits no. 6 (Odjazdowa Muza)" by Disco Polo
discopolo2.jpg|"Disco Polo New Hits no. 1" by Disco Polo
discopolo3.jpg|"Disco Polo - Złota Kolekcja 2 Vol. 1" by Various Artists
polo.jpg|"Disco Polo Mix - Vol.13/27" by Various Artists
discopolo1.jpg|"Disco Polo Show" by SKŁADANKA
discopolo12.jpg|"Przeboje na wesele, Vol. 2" by BIG DANCE
==References==
Category:Music Genre
Category:Polish
Category:1980s
Category:1990s
Category:Music
Category:Visual
Category:Subcultures and Stereotypes
Category:Kitsch
Category:Retro
Category:Nostalgia/Nostalgic
Category:Colorful
es:Disco Polo