Cosmic disco[1][2] (also called "Cosmic music,"[3] "the Cosmic Sound,"[4], etc.) is a style of dance music named after the "Cosmic" nightclub in northern Italy,[3] which the cosmic disco scene was centered around.[5][6] The Cosmic scene's most notable DJ was Daniele Baldelli,[6] who was hired as Cosmic's DJ in 1979;[3]Stylus Magazine has described Baldelli and Beppe Loda as Cosmic Disco's pioneers.[1] The Cosmic Sound included a very diverse range of musical styles, from electro and funk to jazz fusion and Brazilian music.[6]Peter Shapiro described Baldelli's music as a "combination of spaced-out rock and tribal percussion."[3] One genre that was usually not part of this mix was Italo disco,[6] which Baldelli believes was generally too mainstream and commercial.[3] The music's speed has been characterized by different sources as slow[7][2] and mid-tempo;[1] Baldelli himself states that he usually played at 90-105 bpm.[3] Baldelli would also play 45 RPM records at 33 and vice versa.[7] Cosmic music has been cited as a "touchstone" for contemporary "space disco" artists like Lindstrøm collaborator Prins Thomas and Andy Meecham of Chicken Lips.[6] It has also been cited as an influence on some later Italian house songs, such as Sueño Latino.[7]
The Cosmic club itself was located in Lazise, a small town on Lake Garda.[3] The club had a capacity of 1000 and decor inspired by American clubs like Odyssey 2001 (where Saturday Night Fever was filmed) and Studio 54.[3]
Brewster, Bill & Broughton, Frank (2006-05-22), Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: The history of the disc jockey (Revised (UK only) ed.), Headline Book Publishing, ISBN 978-0755313983