"Disco Dream" was a single released in 1981 by early rap group

The Mean Machine Mean Machine may refer to: Music * ''Mean Machine'' (Lucifer's Friend album) * ''Mean Machine'' (U.D.O. album) * Mean Machine (band), a Japanese rock band * The Mean Machine (rap group) * "Mean Machine", a song by The Last Poets on the album ' ...

through

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

. It is the only single the group recorded on that label, released on a 12" 33 RPM vinyl single (Sugar Hill serial number SH-564, also inscribed "VID-212-A19"). The track is significant for being the first rap song recorded which contained both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and Spanish, sometimes referred to as

Spanglish Spanglish (a portmanteau of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mos ...

. The group recorded a single on the Honey Hush label in 1986.

Track listing

*A1. Disco Dream (Vocal) (6:30) *B2. Disco Dream (Instrumental) (6:30)

Recording and credits

Recording was done at Sweet Mountain Studios in

Englewood, New Jersey Englewood is a city in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, which at the 2020 United States census had a population of 29,308. Englewood was incorporated as a city by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 17, 1899, from por ...

. The song was recorded to the tune of

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

' song

Pull Up to the Bumper "Pull Up to the Bumper" is a 1981 song by Jamaican singer Grace Jones, released as the third single from her fifth album, '' Nightclubbing'' (1981). Sonically, it is an uptempo electro-disco, post-punk, dance-pop and reggae-disco song with dub ...

with music provided by Sugar Hill's house band, including percussionist Ed " Duke Bootee" Fletcher and bassist Doug Wimbish. Doug mentioned in an interview that ''"I think Chris Lord-Alge was on the boards for that one"'' implying that Lord-Alge mixed the track. Engineering credits go to Steve Jerome. On the single, production credits go to "Sylvia, Inc. and Jigsaw Prod. Inc." The credits on the single include "S. Robinson, J. Chase, S. Santiago, D. Rivera Jr., J. McLean, J. Semprit". The first is producer/ Sugar Hill founder

Sylvia Robinson Sylvia Robinson (née Vanderpool; May 29, 1935 – September 29, 2011) was an American singer, record producer, and record label executive. Robinson achieved success as a performer on two R&B chart toppers: as half of Mickey & Sylvia with ...

, the last four are members of the group, and J. Chase was probably a producer (the name is listed as a producer on several other Sugar Hill singles). A keyboardist is also obviously present on the track; while no credit is given to one, the group says "Cool Cliff" in unison before a keyboard flare.

Other releases

The song has appeared in edited form (running time 4:28) on several

compilations. Many lyrics have been removed from the song, "including one inviting all listeners, ''straight "or even gay,"'' to party to their music."

References

{{authority control 1981 singles 1981 songs Songs written by Sylvia Robinson