A discothèque (or discoteque) is an entertainment venue or club with recorded music, played by "Discaires" (Disk jockeys), rather than an on-stage band. The word derives from the French word discothèque (a type of nightclub). Discothèque is a portmanteau coined around 1941 from disc and bibliothèque (library) by La Discothèque, then located on the Rue de la Huchette in Paris (Jones + Kantonen, 1999). Previously, most paid entertainment in public venues used live bands.

Today the term discothèque is usually synonymous with nightclub. The term "disco" was originally a 1960s U.S. abbreviation of discothèque, a place where "disco music" was played.

Some historical discothèques

• La Discothèque, in Paris (on rue Hachette), opened 1941
• Whisky à Go-Go, in Paris, opened 1947 by Paul Pacine
• Chez Regine, in Paris' Latin Quarter, opened 1957 by Regine Zylberberg
• La Discothèque, in London, opened 1960
• Ad Lib, in London, opened 1963 by Nicholas Luard and Lord Timothy Willoughby
• Le Club, in New York City, opened 1960 by Olivier Coquelin, a French expatriate
• Peppermint Lounge, in New York City, opened 1961
• Whisky a Go Go, in West Hollywood, California, opened 1964
• Arthur, in New York City, opened 1965 by Sybil Burton at site of the defunct El Morocco
• Electric Circus, opened 1967 on St. Mark’s Place
• L’Interdit, in New York City
• Il Mio (an Italian "discoteca"), in New York City,
• Shepheard's, in New York City,
• The Loft, in New York City, opened 1970 by David Mancuso
• Studio 54, in New York City, operated by Steve Rubell; depicted in the 1998 film 54; parodied in the 2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember as Studio 69.
• Cheetah, in New York City, at Broadway and 53rd Street
• Whisky a Go Go, in Chicago
• La Dom, downstairs from Electric Circus; run by Andy Warhol
• Aux Puces, in New York City, one of the first gay discos
• The Sanctuary, in New York City, a famous early-1970s gay disco; part of the movie Klute was filmed there
• Down The Street, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, open until 1999

Disco

The term disco is derived from discothèque. It generally refers to a specific style of music and dance that coincided with this cultural landmark.

See also

• List of nightclubs
• Hot Dance Music/Club Play, a Billboard chart starting in 1974 (originally called "Disco Action")
• List of number-one dance hits (United States) (begins with 1974)
• 1986 Berlin discotheque bombing
• Go-Go dancer

References

• American Heritage: Disco (history)
• History of the Discotheque
• Village Voice article "King of Clubs", on The Loft

Music venues | Music history | Entertainment | Dance culture | Nightlife | Portmanteaus

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