The Salsoul Orchestra

The music world's prime disco big band, the Salsoul Orchestra recorded several of the tightest, chunkiest disco themes of the 1970s and early '80s. Organized by Vincent Montana, Jr. in 1974, the group was an experiment in fusing funk, Philly soul, and Latin music together in a highly danceable discofied style with room for solos. With arrangers, conductors, and whole sections of instruments contributing to the sound, the Salsoul Orchestra routinely included up to 50 members. Though the Salsoul sound became passé in the wake of disco music's explosion and rapid commercialization, Salsoul was a heavy influence on house music in the '80s and even the return of disco-inspired electronica during the following decade. The Top 40 crossover hits "Tangerine" and "Nice 'n' Naasty," along with the Loleatta Holloway collaboration "Run Away," are among their most successful and enduring floor-fillers.