Disco polo is a
genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other f ...
of
popular dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
,
created in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
in the 1980s, it was initially known as "sidewalk music" ()
[Anna Kowalczy]
Krótka historia disco polo
"Wiedza i Życie". Nr 9/1997. ( Polish) or "backyard music" ('). This genre, being a part of the musical folklore, had great popularity in the 1990s, with its peak in 1995-1997. Then came a gradual decline in the popularity of this genre, which made the last – as it was thought at the time – decline at the beginning of the 21st century. The comeback of disco polo happened in the winter of 2007. The Polish
PWN dictionary defines the genre as a Polish variant of disco music, with simple melodies and often ribald lyrics.
The service
Rate Your Music
Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...
defines disco polo as a Polish variant of
dance-pop
Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
.
Characteristics
Classic disco polo songs are characterized by simple chord progressions
[disco-polo. n:Encyklopedia Powszechna. T. 3. Kraków: Kluszczyński, 2009, p. 290. . ( Polish)] and melodies,
[Disco polo](_blank)
www.sjp.pwn.pl ate access 2012-11-25( Polish) and takes further influence from the steady rhythms found in folk music.
These are often accompanied by
syncopated
In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...
samples of drums,
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s and
keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument played using a keyboard, a row of levers which are pressed by the fingers. The most common of these are the piano, organ, and various electronic keyboards, including synthesizers and digital pian ...
s.
The genre is dominated by compositions in the 4/4 time signature. Lyrics are often sentimental and playful, written around themes of love and sometimes holidays.
History
Roots of the genre
The genre originates from music played at
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
s by bands with a repertoire of
Polish folk music
The Music of Poland covers diverse aspects of music and musical traditions which have originated, and are practiced in Poland. Artists from Poland include world-famous classical composers like Frédéric Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, Witold Lutosł ...
and wedding songs. Later,
electronic instruments were adopted over traditional acoustic instruments.
[Disco polo](_blank)
Encyklopedia muzyki PWN n-line RMF Classic. ate access 2012-11-25( Polish) The most common lyrical themes included melodramatic lyrics about
unrequited love
Unrequited love or one-sided love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood as such by the beloved. The beloved may not be aware of the admirer's deep and pure affection, or may consciously reject it. The Merriam Webster Online Dict ...
.
The genre was additionally influenced by other popular music styles within
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, namely
Italo disco
Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...
, a music genre which originated in Italy and was mainly produced from the late 1970s to the late 1980s.
Pioneers of the genre include the band
Bayer Full, which was founded on November 19, 1984, and
Top One, formed in 1986.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, more bands emerged, such as Akcent, Atlantis,
Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
, and
Fanatic.
Blue Star, a record label in
Reguły was the first official record label that published disco polo in Poland.
This burgeoning style of music was coined by label owner
Sławomir Skręta as ''piosenka chodnikowa,'' or "sidewalk music", which was a reference to the main means of distribution: records were sold primarily in stalls on streets and bazaars. Scenes were centered in
Białystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. It is the tenth-largest city in Poland, second in terms of population density, and thirteenth in area.
Białystok is located in the Białystok U ...
and other cities in the province of
Podlasie
Podlachia, or Podlasie, ( pl, Podlasie, , be, Падляшша, translit=Padliašša, uk, Підляшшя, translit=Pidliashshia) is a historical region in the north-eastern part of Poland. Between 1513 and 1795 it was a voivodeship with the c ...
, with regional scenes in
Żyrardów and
Sochaczew.
"
Mydełko Fa" ("The Fa Soap"), recorded in 1991 by
Marek Kondrat and
Marlena Drozdowska, was created as a
parody
A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...
of the genre, but ended up popularising it further.
Sidewalk music was played in country picnics, county depots, weddings, as well as
political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...
s for
Polish parliament and
presidential elections
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
. Former president
Aleksander Kwaśniewski was one of the most notable examples of politicians who used disco polo during his presidential campaign.
[Igor T. Mieci]
Wirus polo powraca
Newsweek Polska Nr 52/2008 ( Polish)
From the 1990s to 2002
Skręta coined the name "disco polo" in
1993, taking influence from the name ''Italo disco''.
The name caught on and replaced "sidewalk music". On February 29, 1992, a
TVP1 broadcast dedicated to disco polo named ''Gala Piosenki Chodnikowej i Popularnej'' (Gala of Sidewalk and Popular Songs) was held.
Disco polo was extensively marketed by the
Polsat TV station, which produced its own disco polo hit list in several TV shows: ''Disco Relax'' (which premiered on December 4, 1994
[Jerzy Ziemacki. ''Polska muzyka wesoła''. " Przekrój". Nr 3/2013, page 22 .]) and ''Disco Polo Live'' (which premiered February 3, 1996, in TV
Polsat[Disco Polo Wraca Głowną Antenę Polatsu!](_blank)
discoportal.info ate access 2012-07-25 ( Polish)). The genre also found its way onto
Radio Eska
Radio Eska is a commercial radio station in Poland. The radio has organized Polish awards ceremony Eska Music Awards
Eska Music Awards (EMA) is a Polish awards ceremony for national and international music launched in 2002 by Radio Eska. The aw ...
.
Disco polo was also represented in
Polonia 1
Polonia 1 is one of the first Polish commercial television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinian businessman Nicola Grauso, ...
, a network of local stations in urban areas, as well as
TV Polonia
TVP Polonia (formerly known as TV Polonia) is the international channel of the Telewizja Polska (TVP). The channel is co-funded by the TVP and the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and broadcasts from the TVP headquarters in Warsaw.
TVP Polon ...
. Disco polo was acknowledged by the mainstream media as a symbol of kitsch and primitivism.
Bands and singers used disco polo during the election campaigns. Traditional instruments came to be replaced by keyboards later in the '90s, which contributed to a slight change in style, making the songs more akin to
Eurodance
Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
. Artists also started mixing disco polo with other musical genres such as
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
,
house music
House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...
, and
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
.
TVP 1 aired a program of disco polo entitled, ''Karnawałowa Gala Disco Polo'' ("Carnival Gala Disco Polo") on December 31, 1995.
[Robert Leszczyński]
Pogrzeb disco polo?
"Gazeta Wyborcza
''Gazeta Wyborcza'' (; ''The Electoral Gazette'' in English) is a Polish daily newspaper based in Warsaw, Poland. It is the first Polish daily newspaper after the era of " real socialism" and one of Poland's newspapers of record, covering the ...
", 1997-06-02. . ( Polish)
In 1996, Maria Zmarz-Koczanowicz and Michał Arabudzkii directed a documentary film called ''Bara Bara'', which explored the disco polo trend. It was aired in the same year on
TVP1.
On April 24, 1998, a film was released by Robert Glinski ''Kochaj i rób co chcesz'' ("Love and do what you want"), in which the main character leaves to play this genre of music on the piano in a club.
The trend receded between 1997and 2001.
[Uwaga! TVN – Kulisy Sławy – Powrót disco polo](_blank)
TVN 2006-08-06. ate access 2012-08-28 ( Polish) A sharp decline in sales of disco polo cassettes and CDs ensued due to the growth of Polish and foreign
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
,
rock,
hip hop,
dance
Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
,
and
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...
. Disco polo's airplay on
Radio Eska
Radio Eska is a commercial radio station in Poland. The radio has organized Polish awards ceremony Eska Music Awards
Eska Music Awards (EMA) is a Polish awards ceremony for national and international music launched in 2002 by Radio Eska. The aw ...
,
TV Polonia 1 and
TV Polonia
TVP Polonia (formerly known as TV Polonia) is the international channel of the Telewizja Polska (TVP). The channel is co-funded by the TVP and the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and broadcasts from the TVP headquarters in Warsaw.
TVP Polon ...
diminished. In late August 2002, Polsat TV cancelled "Disco Relax" and "Disco Polo Live," leaving many bands jobless. Some observers believe that the drastic decline in the popularity of the genre was in part caused by the emigration of disco polo musicians to the United States, where some artists continued their work.
After 2002
From 2002–2007, several bands released new disco polo albums (e.g.
Toples or
Weekend), but the genre remained more of a niche.
On August 12, 2004, an article by
Wojciech Orliński was published in Gazeta Wyborcza entitled ''Śmierć disco polo'' ("The death of disco polo") describing the decline of this musical genre at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries.
On August 6, 2006,
TVN aired a program called ''Kulisy sławy'' ("Behind the scenes of Fame") of the ''Uwaga!'' series, dedicated to the revival of the disco polo genre.
This program was recognized as the best report of 2006 in an internet poll and was repeated on December 31.
In 2007, after a five-year hiatus, the genre once again established itself on television through the station
iTV, finding itself on the daily broadcast called ''Discostacja'' every day. Promotion also took place on the internet through two internet radio stations. Started in 2007, disco polo bands began gigging again.
July 5, 2008 saw disco polo shows ''Nie tylko Barachołka'' ("More than just Barachołka"), formerly known as "Barachołka", returning to
Polskie Radio Lublin. It is broadcast between 9 PM and 2 AM from Friday to Saturday.
In the first half of 2009, disco polo music was promoted by the
Edusat
EduSAT is an Italian microsatellite which was launched in August 2011. The satellite was built and is operated by the Sapienza University of Rome in conjunction with the Italian Space Agency ASI, and is primarily used for educational outreach and ...
channel for three months.
Since March 2009, the iTV television broadcast resumed the program Disco Polo Live from several years ago, although the broadcast was suspended in March 2011. From May 7, 2011, Disco Polo Live program is now broadcast on
Polo TV
Polo TV is Polish-speaking TV station, largely focusing on music, particularly music by Lemon Records. The Internet test broadcasting a Disco Polo Music, Polsat, TV4 (Poland), TV4, and TV6 (Poland), TV6 with a this march 2012 the new song ''Uciek ...
.
On October 4, 2009, a new program produced by Maciej Jamróz by the name of ''Disco Bandżo'' was featured on
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a German free-to-air television channel that broadcasts classic American films, series, cartoons and Japanese anime.
On 3 July 2020, Discovery, Inc. agreed to acquire the channel from Leonine Holding, completing the purchase on 1 ...
, which lasts approximately 50 minutes. Currently, the program is broadcast every morning on
Polonia 1
Polonia 1 is one of the first Polish commercial television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinian businessman Nicola Grauso, ...
.
From December 5, 2010, on the channel
VIVA Polska a dance music program called ''Disco ponad wszystko'' ("Disco above all") aired every Sunday. This program doubled the viewership of the channel and after each subsequent episode the viewership steadily increased, but was removed after a period of eighteen months from the channel.
CSB TV also broadcast disco polo, but the channel was discontinued in May 2012. On May 7, 2011, a television channel dedicated primarily to disco polo music – Polo TV was launched.
Since December 19, 2011, the channel was broadcast on digital TV and the multiplex and had become the most watched music channel in Poland. On September 27, 2011, the channel
TV.DISCO was launched, which broadcast the genre next to
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...
,
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
and
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electro ...
, which has stayed on air until the present day (as of January 2015).
The program
Disco Relax, which aired in the 90s on
Polsat, was meant to be resumed on this channel, but eventually returned on February 12, 2012 on Polo TV.
On October 20, 2012, the program Vipo Disco Polo Hits led by
Wojciech Grodzki moved from the TVS channel to Polo TV. It was aired every Saturday at 10.00 am until 30 December 2017.
In 2011, director Maciej Bochniak produced a documentary entitled ''Miliard Szczęśliwych Ludzi'' ("A Billion Happy People") about the travels of
Bayer Full and their performances in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
.
On December 1, 2012, Polsat launched a new program dedicated to the music of disco polo entitled ''Imperium Disco Polo'' ("Disco Polo Empire"), these are re-runs from Polsat Play.
However, at the beginning of March 2013 the program was taken off the Polsat channel, due to the emergence of new episodes of the series ''
Pamiętniki z Wakacji'', but new episodes are still available in cable networks and digital platforms of the channel
Polsat Play. From 21 April 2013 to June 2013, this program was aired on
ATM Rozrywka
ATM Rozrywka was a Polish television channel owned by ATM Grupa. It was launched on 1 August 2012. This channel was created for the first multiplex of digital terrestrial television in Poland and satelitte Eutelsat Hot Bird 13B. It is owned 10 ...
, and from August 3, 2013 is shown on
Polsat 2
Polsat 2 is a Polish pay television channel. Telewizja Polsat 1 March 1997 roku. Telewizja Polsat Polsat 2 Oprawa Graficzna 2 1997-2002 2002-2007 2007-2012 2012-2020 2020-2021 30 August 2021 roku. Poniedzialek Polsat 2 Telewizja Polsat Telewizja ...
at 2:00 am.
From April 8 to 1 December 2013, disco polo was promoted by
Radio Plus, which changed its slogan from ''Łagodne Przeboje'' ("Gentle hits") to ''Zawsze w Rytmie'' ("Always in Rhythm"). In addition to streaming disco polo, there were also dance songs from the 80s and 90s.
From 1 December 2013 this music had been moved to the radio
VOX FM
VOXFM 106.9 is a community radio station in Wollongong, New South Wales, broadcasting on 106.9 on the FM band.
The station's broadcast area in the Illawarra includes Helensburgh in the north to Gerringong in the south, and some listeners receive ...
. This change was due to protests from listeners of Radio Plus and bishops who were the owners of licenses on Radio Plus.
[Disco-rewolucja w Radiu Plus. Protesty słuchaczy i biskupów.](_blank)
wirtualnemedia.pl, 2013-04-10. ate access 2013-04-10( Polish)
On August 17, 2013,
Telewizja Polsat broadcast a concert named ''Disco Pod Żaglami'' ("Disco Sailing") featuring the disco polo stars Akcent,
Shazza,
Boys
A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man.
Definition, etymology, and use
According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...
,
Classic and
Weekend. This was the first disco polo concert since the removal of programs of this genre in the station for over 10 years, and it was viewed by 2.7 million people.
On May 1, 2014, another TV channel dedicated to disco polo was launched, named Disco Polo Music, belonging to
Telewizja Polsat.
In early February 2015, the channel TV.DISCO completely removed disco polo music from its schedule.
[TV.Disco z odświeżonym logo i bez disco polo](_blank)
satkurier.pl, 2015-02-09 ate access 2015-02-10( Polish)
On 27 February 2015, Maciej Bochniak's film "Disco Polo" hit movie theatres, which tells the story of a group of musicians who get to the top of the Disco Polo charts. On February 26, 2015, in connection with the release of this film, an episode of ''Hala odlotów'' ("Waiting area") aired that day on
TVP Kultura, dedicated to disco polo.
On 4 December 2017, as a result of an agreement with the
ZPR Media group, Telewizja Polsat acquired 100% of the shares in Lemon Records, the broadcaster of disco polo stations Polo TV and
Vox Music TV, thus becoming the owner of both.
The two most popular Polish songs on YouTube are of the disco polo genre. For a long time, the first most viewed song was ''Ona tańczy dla mnie'' ("She dances for me") by Weekend. At the end of June 2017, achieving over 106 million views, the song ''Przez twe oczy zielone'' ("Because of your green eyes") by Akcent beat the record of most viewed Polish song, bumping Weekend down to second place.
After 2002, this genre is often combined with
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded da ...
[Judyta Sierakowska]
Disco ponad wszystko
, "Puls Biznesu
''Puls Biznesu'' (lit. ''Business' Pulse'') is a Polish-language daily newspaper devoted to business and economic issues.
History and profile
''Puls Biznesu'' was established by Dagens Industri in 1997. It is published by Bonnier Business (Pols ...
", weekend.pb.pl, 2011-10-07 ata access 2013-01-09 ( Polish) and other genres of
electronic dance music, e.g. power dance,
eurodance
Euro-Dance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of hip hop, techno, Hi-NRG, house music, and Euro-Disco. This ...
,
nu-electro and
techno
Techno is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...
. After 2002, songs of this genre often also contain elements of
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
and
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
.
The bands and artists which gained significant popularity after 2002 are, among others:
After Party,
Weekend,
Andre,
Czadoman,
Tomasz Niecik, Eva Basta,
Masters,
DJ Disco ft. MC Polo,
Cliver,
Effect
Effect may refer to:
* A result or change of something
** List of effects
** Cause and effect, an idiom describing causality
Pharmacy and pharmacology
* Drug effect, a change resulting from the administration of a drug
** Therapeutic effect, a ...
and
Power Play. Disco polo is also popular outside of Poland, especially within the
Polish diaspora. There are artists, such as Disco Polo Tomek, who perform disco polo music. Recently, the disco polo genre has seen a new revival in Poland after the 2016 New Year's Eve party, when the TV channel TVP2 invited the frontman of Akcent,
Zenon Martyniuk, one of the most popular disco polo performers, to perform on the main stage. The president of Polish television
Jacek Kurski
Jacek Olgierd Kurski (, born 22 February 1966 in Gdańsk) is a Polish politician and journalist, and the current chairman of the Polish public broadcaster TVP. He was previously a Member of the Sejm (2005–2009), Member of the European Parlia ...
has also expressed his joy at the fact that disco polo is no longer ironically hated as the performance was enjoyed by many people present at the event.
The genre in Polish mass media
From the mid-90s to the turn of the century, television and radio programs devoted to the music of disco polo were broadcast by
Polsat stations,
Radio Eska
Radio Eska is a commercial radio station in Poland. The radio has organized Polish awards ceremony Eska Music Awards
Eska Music Awards (EMA) is a Polish awards ceremony for national and international music launched in 2002 by Radio Eska. The aw ...
,
Polonia 1
Polonia 1 is one of the first Polish commercial television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinian businessman Nicola Grauso, ...
,
TV Polonia
TVP Polonia (formerly known as TV Polonia) is the international channel of the Telewizja Polska (TVP). The channel is co-funded by the TVP and the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and broadcasts from the TVP headquarters in Warsaw.
TVP Polon ...
, and some regional radio stations and local cable networks. Since 2007, interest in disco polo has grown, which is reflected in a greater presence of this music in some media and the increased amount of played concerts. However, the genre is still considered a symbol of bad taste by many radio stations and television channels and is not promoted by them.
[Moda na disco polo.](_blank)
onet.pl, 2007-02-04. ate access 2007-02-04 ( Polish)
After 2007, TV stations that promoted or promote disco polo include
Polo TV
Polo TV is Polish-speaking TV station, largely focusing on music, particularly music by Lemon Records. The Internet test broadcasting a Disco Polo Music, Polsat, TV4 (Poland), TV4, and TV6 (Poland), TV6 with a this march 2012 the new song ''Uciek ...
,
iTV,
Polsat 2
Polsat 2 is a Polish pay television channel. Telewizja Polsat 1 March 1997 roku. Telewizja Polsat Polsat 2 Oprawa Graficzna 2 1997-2002 2002-2007 2007-2012 2012-2020 2020-2021 30 August 2021 roku. Poniedzialek Polsat 2 Telewizja Polsat Telewizja ...
,
TVS,
Polonia 1
Polonia 1 is one of the first Polish commercial television channels, consisting at first of a network of 12 (and - for a short time - even 13) local TV stations in bigger cities. The station was established by Sardinian businessman Nicola Grauso, ...
, Disco Polo Music,
TVR, VOX Music TV, Power TV,
Polsat Play,
Eska TV
Eska TV is a Polish pay television music channel launched on August 8, 2008 in Poland.
See also
* Television in Poland
Television in Poland was introduced in 1937. It was state owned, and was interrupted by the Second World War in 1939. Televi ...
, TV.DISCO,
VIVA Polska,
Polsat,
Puls 2
Puls 2 is a Polish free-to-air television channel
A television channel is a terrestrial frequency or virtual number over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to ...
,
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a German free-to-air television channel that broadcasts classic American films, series, cartoons and Japanese anime.
On 3 July 2020, Discovery, Inc. agreed to acquire the channel from Leonine Holding, completing the purchase on 1 ...
,
ATM Rozrywka
ATM Rozrywka was a Polish television channel owned by ATM Grupa. It was launched on 1 August 2012. This channel was created for the first multiplex of digital terrestrial television in Poland and satelitte Eutelsat Hot Bird 13B. It is owned 10 ...
,
Kino Polska Muzyka, as well as
TV4 and
TV6. This genre is also promoted by some radio stations and internet sites such as Radio FTB, Discoparty.pl, Disco-Polo.fm, Discostacja and IRN, as well as regional stations – including
Radio Express
Radio Express is an independent radio syndication company based in Pasadena, California, whose main focus is in markets outside the United States, U.S. The company was founded by Tom Rounds, one of the creators of ''American Top 40''. Radio Expres ...
,
Radio Hit Radio Jard,
Radio Kaszëbë,
Polish Radio Kielce
Polish Radio Kielce (Polskie Radio Kielce) - is the regional broadcaster based in Kielce.
Radio Kielce is a part of public radio in Poland Polish Radio
Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna (PR S.A.; English: Polish Radio) is Poland's national pu ...
,
Radio Leliwa,
Polskie Radio Lublin,
Radio Silesia and
Radio Plus, as well as transregional stations radio
VOX FM
VOXFM 106.9 is a community radio station in Wollongong, New South Wales, broadcasting on 106.9 on the FM band.
The station's broadcast area in the Illawarra includes Helensburgh in the north to Gerringong in the south, and some listeners receive ...
and
radio WAWA.
Online social video services such as
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and the site
Wrzuta.pl, which existed from 2006 to 2017, also had significant influence on the return of mass interest in disco polo.
In the summer, several disco polo festivals take place, of which the largest since 1996 is
National Festival of Music and Dance in Ostróda (originally held in Koszalin), and from 2011 is
Disco Hit Festival - Kobylnica, in Kwakowo near
Kobylnica. The biggest stars of the Polish dance music perform in these festivals and thousands of fans attend from all over Poland. Bands and performers of disco polo also participate in many charity concerts and events including during the
Wielka Orkiestra Świątecznej Pomocy (Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity). At the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017, for the first time a star band of disco polo, Akcent (
Zenon Martyniuk and Ryszard Warot) performed at New Year's in
Zakopane
Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been ...
, organised by Telewizja Polska. TVP2 also acquired the rights to broadcast the "25 years of disco polo" gala, which took place on June 25, 2017 at the stadium of Warsaw Polonia. According to the Nielsen Audience Measurement, the "25 years of disco polo" gala on TVP2 was viewed by 2.6 million viewers.
Additional information
* The promotion of disco polo in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
was often in the hand of the leaders of
criminal organization
Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...
Pruszków mafia and
Wołomińska mafia.
[Rafał Pasztelański, Piotr Krysia]
"Mafiopolo"
, Wprost
''Wprost'' (, meaning "Directly") is a Polish-language weekly news magazine published in Poznań, Poland. Number: 9/2007 . ( Polish) At the height of the success of this music, in 1995–1997, criminal organizations controlled approx. 70 percent of the market.
*Disco Polo was met with severe criticism from supporters of other musical genres, who accused it of primitiveness of music, lyrical naivety, a low level of performance and lack of originality (duplication of motifs and designs, often derived from Polish and foreign music of the 60s and 70s). These criticisms, however, did not affect the popularity of this music. Supporters of this genre and the groups performing it argue that currently professionalization of disco polo is progressing, the lyrics and music have improved, and the performers are increasingly avoiding singing from
playback.
[Mariusz Cieslik]
Nasze narodowe disco polo wraca na salony.
In: Newsweek Polska n-line 2011-03-18. ate access 2011-03-18 ( Polish)
* At the same time, some of the performers from the older generation took part in the creation of mainstream disco polo or benefited its popularity (e.g. Janusz Laskowski, Marlena Drozdowska,
Bohdan Smoleń, Andrzej Rosiewicz, Stan Tutaj,
Marek Kondrat,
Piotr Pręgowski and Cabaret OT.TO).
* In the early '90s,
Krzysztof Krawczyk sang and recorded songs in the
Italo disco
Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...
genre, the basis from which disco polo came into being.
*In some media, the term ''neo-disco polo'' is used in relation to some artists.
The creators referred to by the term themselves point out that the new disco polo has an "old-school climate", but compared to the disco polo from the 1990s, there is better production and arrangement of songs.
*In 2014, during the performance at the 51st National Polish Song Festival in Opole, the singer
Maryla Rodowicz performed her covers of songs of this musical genre. These were the songs "You're crazy" and "Long live freedom" from the repertoire of the band Boys and the song "She dances for me" by the band Weekend .
See also
*
Euro disco
Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is the variety of European forms of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the late 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco ...
*
Italo disco
Italo disco (variously capitalized, and sometimes hyphenated as Italo-disco) is a music genre which originated in Italy in the late 1970s and was mainly produced in the early 1980s. Italo disco evolved from the then-current underground dance, p ...
*
Turbo-folk
References and notes
External links
A Foreigner's Guide to Disco Polo
{{Pop music
1980s in music
1990s in music
20th-century music genres
21st-century music genres
Polish styles of music
Polish music
Pop music genres