First opened in 1970, the Loft was an underground nightclub founded by New York City native David Mancuso. His invitation-only parties created a new style of partying, giving several groups of minorities the freedom to dance together in a completely open environment. David spent years perfecting the sound of the underground club, even through its multiple locations around the city. While disc jockeys were still a somewhat new idea, the Loft gave birth to many popular DJs. This disco is still regarded by many to be the starting point for many of the great dance music DJs of the 20th century.
Following the success of the Loft was the Paradise Garage, another underground New York City nightclub that catered to the average person who wanted to dance all night. DJs like Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles began taking the art of beat matching (aligning the rhythms of different records played at the same time) more seriously. At some points, the resident DJs at the Paradise Garage began including drum sequencers and synthesized instruments into the sets, allowing for a different feel to the music being played. It was during the 1980s that the Paradise Garage took off among underground music enthusiasts, eventually leading to a new sound in dance music.
While the Loft and Paradise Garage catered to the average person, Studio 54 was a club that paved the way for the elite in the late 1970s and 1980s. Popular TV stations, such as CBS, used the club to produce shows such as the "Johnny Carson Show." DJs like Nicky Siano provided the soundtrack for the nightclub, but the attendees seemed more interested in being present in the club than in what music the DJ was playing.
The influence that disco music and the nightclubs it played in during the 1980s is somewhat infinite, as many producers and musicians credit the sound to shaping their own creativity. The most recognizable influence of disco music in modern times is house music, named after its rise in the warehouse party scenes in New York, Chicago and Detroit. Categorized by a four on the floor beat, house music took many of the melodic elements of disco and focused on looping grooves to create a more electronic feel to the music. From here, other sounds such as techno, jungle and Trance were born.