In the late 1970s/early 1980s, an era came to a close. The musical genre characterized by afros, lava lamps, bell bottoms, and the pointed finger dances was being overtaken by the quickly ascending popularity of rock ’n roll. Disco had reached its pinnacle and was falling off the radar.
Fast forward about twenty five years, and it seems the seemingly dead genre is having new life pumped into it.
Nu-disco was first conceived around 2008 when a pack of artists began to revitalized disco music. Releasing edits of funk-ridden, a nu-disco movement had begun and outlets, such as Beatport, began to recognize the reincarnated genre. Acts like Daft Punk and Bruno Mars have become the poster boys of commercial forms of disco with their radio-crushing hits, while Chromeo and Giorgio Moroder shift their wait more towards the dance side. But under this top tier of talent, a new wave of disco-inspired artists is paving their own path to follow in the footsteps of the modern disco titans, and Jerry Folk is at the top of this list.
Hailing from the cold wonderland of Norway, Jerry Folk is a tender 19 years old, but don’t let his age fool you as this young artist has a prowess in the studio well beyond his years. He first surfaced with a deep-driven house revamp of disco powerhouses, the Fugees’ smash hit “Ready Or Not.” Stripping away the joyous nature of the original to lead way for haunting synth melodies and eerie chord progressions, the Norwegian house maestro made this disco classic his own by injecting his own style into the original while maintaining its funky foundation.
Since then, he has garnered millions of plays on his remixes of Chromeo, Baby Bash, and many more while evolving his deep yet groovy flair and released his first original that sent a ripple effect amongst the deep house community. His wobbling basslines and jolting guitar strums that characterize his works emit an air of nostalgia while appealing to the recent inclination towards deep house. Just like Chromeo or Giorgio Moroder take their knowledge of the disco and infused it with house and pop in their own unique ways, Jerry Folk takes on the same challenge.
But instead of using pop as a primary ingredient, the Norwegian beatsmith pulls inspiration from the current deep house and indie landscapes to make his productions his own. The names of other disco-driven artists named above are well established in the industry and have managed to make their lasting impact. Jerry Folk is emulating their past success, but he does so in his way, leaving him with the self-guided role of a rising modern day disco ambassador.
