Topic

Disasters

The event, and the decisions that made it possible.

1: in music
9:26: average
9 min: in total
44: across the network

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9:26

Disco Inferno

The Trammps · 1976

Disco Inferno is a 1976 Philadelphia soul-disco record by The Trammps, produced by MFSB mainstays Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Earl Young, and co-written by MFSB arranger Ron Kersey. Its title track was inspired by the 1974 film The Towering Inferno. A Dolby noise reduction error during mixdown — later corrected by engineer Jay Mark — gave it an unusually wide dynamic range, making its kick drum and staccato strings hit with uncommon physical force. It landed on the Grammy-winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977. The record is not subtle, not ambient, not ironic. It is urgent, rhythmic, and built for motion.

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9:24

A Rainbow in Curved Air

Terry Riley · 1969

A Rainbow in Curved Air is a solo studio construction: keyboard and percussion overdubs on the A-side, saxophone drone and tape manipulation on the B-side. Made in 1968 on one of CBS’s first eight-track recorders. It established repetition, delay, and modal layering as core tools for electronic composition — not as texture, but as architecture.

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9:11

Aida

Giuseppe Verdi · 1989

A studio recording of Verdi’s Aida, made in 1989. Contains all vocal and orchestral numbers across four acts. Omits Verdi’s rejected overture. No source material describes performers, conductor, recording venue, or engineering choices.

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9:33

Akhnaten

Philip Glass · 1987

A low, dark opera built by deleting violins — and a Western fantasy dressed as ancient ritual.

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9:41

Aladdin

Alan Menken · 1992

A technically assured, narratively precise soundtrack built for mass appeal and cinematic utility. It delivers exactly what it promises: songs that advance plot, underscore emotion, and vanish from memory once the credits roll.