# The Waxonia Desk: What the DJs Kept

Five records whose lives were decided in a booth rather than on radio — a closing ritual, a flop rescued by a mix, the first commercial twelve-inch, and a record a London sound system took its name from.

- **Picks:** 5
- **Genre:** Disco
- **Years:** 1973–1980
- **Curator:** The Waxonia Desk
- **Updated:** 2026-08-29
- **Curator's page:** https://waxonia.com/artist/the-desk/
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-what-the-djs-kept/

## The picks

Selected, not ranked — the order is the curator’s, and carries no claim about which is best.

### [Chic](https://waxonia.com/artist/chic/) — [Good Times](https://waxonia.com/track/chic--good-times/)

*1979 · Atlantic*

The bassline that financed hip-hop's first hit, and the record a Ladbroke Grove sound system named itself after in 1980. Few records have been repurposed this many times and survived all of it.

Also on: [Disco](https://waxonia.com/genre/disco/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Chic%20Good%20Times) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=iGKQapswGaY)

### [MFSB](https://waxonia.com/artist/mfsb/) — [Love Is the Message](https://waxonia.com/track/mfsb--love-is-the-message/)

*1973 · Philadelphia International*

The closing ritual of the Paradise Garage, played to the same room often enough to become liturgy. Some records are made by DJs years after they are recorded, and this is the clearest case.

Also on: [Disco](https://waxonia.com/genre/disco/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/MFSB%20Love%20Is%20the%20Message) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=7b1umcmfaXY)

### [Loose Joints](https://waxonia.com/artist/loose-joints/) — [Is It All Over My Face](https://waxonia.com/track/loose-joints--is-it-all-over-my-face/)

*1980 · West End*

Disco at its strangest and least commercial, rescued by a mix. The rare groove tradition was never about obscurity for its own sake; it was about records that were better than their sales.

Also on: [Disco](https://waxonia.com/genre/disco/), [The Waxonia Desk — In the Room](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-chicago-in-the-room/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Loose%20Joints%20Is%20It%20All%20Over%20My%20Face) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=hn27RiqRj7s)

### [Double Exposure](https://waxonia.com/artist/double-exposure/) — [Ten Percent](https://waxonia.com/track/double-exposure--ten-percent/)

*1976 · Salsoul*

The first commercially released twelve-inch, which is a format question as much as a musical one. The extended mix changed what a DJ could build over the course of an hour.

Also on: [Disco](https://waxonia.com/genre/disco/), [The Waxonia Desk — The Hundred](https://waxonia.com/selection/the-desk-the-hundred/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Double%20Exposure%20Ten%20Percent) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=rP0EPsS3OdQ)

### [Funkadelic](https://waxonia.com/artist/funkadelic/) — [One Nation Under a Groove](https://waxonia.com/track/funkadelic--one-nation-under-a-groove/)

*1978 · Warner Bros.*

The border case, and here as one. Funkadelic on a disco list is arguable, and a list nobody could argue with is a list nobody chose.

Also on: [Funk](https://waxonia.com/genre/funk/).

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Funkadelic%20One%20Nation%20Under%20a%20Groove) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=gQw7b489DlE)

## About the curator

The people who write the rankings on this site. We keep the lists honest, we argue about the order, and we get asked the same question more than any other: where should someone actually start. These are our answers.

Elsewhere: https://waxonia.com/

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Hand-curated by Waxonia. We host no audio; all links point to streaming platforms.