Funny you ask. Back in my early Navy days, us hard rock and country rockers (think Skynard) hated disco. We actually used that saying, "Disco Sucks!".
Interestingly, on my first Navy cruise to the PI when looking to buy some decent speakers I could afford at the Navy Exchange, I used Donna Summers' track, "I Feel Love" to compare speakers. It has the highs, mid-range, and lower base. It still has a groove if you give it a try.
The trappings of disco ruined soul music (and careers). The trappings of new wave/mtv ruined music in the 80s as well as established acts added drum synths and other bogus sounding instruments to sound “contemporary”.
Older artists (and some youngbloods) have cast off those examples of bad judgment (the overuse of strings has also been jetisonned).
You want to listen to disco? Fine, I prefer to what is referred to as “Northern soul” (typified by the Northern England record buying public who rejected the trappings of disco tinged 70s souls). They’d come into London to see a soccer match and buy some records. The dealers would say “don’t bother showing them that, they just want that Northern Soul”.
Some mistakenly think it refers to 60s soul records from Philly, NYC, and Detroit. It can include Memphis, Houston, New Orleans and elsewhere.
The Dap Kings (who have used numerous names over the past 15 years) helped craft appreciation in America for new acts that play the older style music (they own the labels they often are on). They’ve gotten note for being Amy Whinehouse’s backing band but they go much deeper than that.
I have no use for “disco”. Dancing’s fine. So is soul.