The Clubs

Where disco lived: Studio 54, the Paradise Garage, the Loft and the Sanctuary — the DJ booth, the sound system and the dancefloor that made a record a religion.

Part of Disco

15 moments in this segment.

1. 1970 — The Sanctuary. A deconsecrated church turned into one of New York's first true discotheques, where Francis Grasso spun.
2. 1973 — Nicky Siano and the Gallery. At the Gallery, teenage DJ Nicky Siano used three turntables and taught Larry Levan and Frankie Knuckles.
3. 1974 — The Soul Train line. Don Cornelius's Soul Train brought the dancefloor to television and the whole nation learned the moves.
4. 1975 — David Mancuso and the Loft. David Mancuso's invitation-only Loft parties were the underground blueprint for the whole disco culture.
5. 1975 — Northern Soul and the dancefloor. Britain's Northern Soul scene — all-nighters at Wigan and Blackpool Mecca — ran parallel to disco and fed its DJ culture.
6. 1977 — The DJ and the mix. Francis Grasso and the first disco DJs invented beatmatching, keeping the dancefloor moving without a break.
7. 1977 — 2001 Odyssey. The Brooklyn discotheque whose lit-up floor became the set of Saturday Night Fever.
8. 1977-04-26 — Studio 54 opens. The most famous nightclub in the world opened in a former CBS studio on West 54th Street in April 1977.
9. 1978 — Inside Studio 54. Bianca Jagger on a white horse, Halston, Warhol and Liza — Studio 54 was where the beautiful people danced.
10. 1979 — Larry Levan and the Paradise Garage. At the Paradise Garage, DJ Larry Levan turned the DJ set into an art form and shaped house music to come.
11. 1979 — The Cosmic club, Italy. At Baldelli's Cosmic in northern Italy, an eclectic 'Afro-cosmic' DJ style laid groundwork for Italo and beyond.
12. 1980 — The post-disco clubs. As disco faded, clubs like Danceteria and the Mudd Club carried New York nightlife into the eighties.
13. 1980-02-04 — The fall of Studio 54. Owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were jailed for tax evasion, and the club's first era ended in 1980.
14. 1981 — The Fun House, New York. Jellybean Benitez's Fun House bridged disco, freestyle and early hip-hop in downtown New York.
15. 1982-05-21 — The Haçienda, Manchester. Manchester's Haçienda carried the disco-into-house torch into the eighties club revolution.