About this Event
This event is FREE and open to the public. Pre-order your copy . Books will also be available for purchase at the event! Please RSVP to reserve your seat.
About The Book
A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–’79. An unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists, illuminating the styles and sounds from a decade that sparked a global phenomenon in music and culture. Exclusive comments from Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, founding members of CHIC, Labelle, The Trammps, Village People, Earth, Wind & Fire, and dozens more artists, songwriters and producers, offering fascinating insights that tell the stories behind the beats. From underground New York clubs to discothèques across the globe, A Night at the Disco illustrates how artists spanning soul, pop, disco, funk, jazz and rock defined nightlife during the 1970s and influenced popular music to the present day. With a foreword by Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire, this is a real treat for music, dance and disco fans everywhere.
About The Author
Christian John Wikane is a NYC-based music journalist and essayist. Since 2003, he's interviewed more than 600 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including Paul McCartney, Janelle Monáe, Donna Summer, Pete Seeger, Annie Lennox, Maurice White, Jimmy Scott, Carly Simon, and Kenny Gamble. He and filmmaker Sekou Luke currently produce the video series "Unscripted: Conversations with Christian John Wikane," which features his interviews with GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy-winning artists, and have also produced "Unscripted Live" at the Apollo Theater, City Winery, and Lincoln Center (2024 "American Songbook" series). Christian's also a contributing writer for PEOPLE Magazine and was Contributing Editor for PopMatters online magazine from 2006-2023. He was also credited as a consultant for HBO's Emmy-nominated Tina Turner documentary, Tina (2021), as well as CNN's Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over (2021) and HBO's Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2022).
Christian's had the distinct honor of curating and moderating several events on the main stage of the Apollo Theater for Apollo Education's "Live Wire" series, including "Legendary: A Conversation with Dionne Warwick and Melba Moore," "Bold Soul Sisters," a panel discussion featuring Nona Hendryx, Ruth Pointer, Kathy Sledge, and Rochelle Fleming, and "She's A Rebel: An Interview with Martha Reeves, Sarah Dash, and Joshie Jo Armstead." He's moderated two events for the Brooklyn Museum, "From Studio 54 to Number One" (2020) featuring Alfa Anderson, Linda Clifford, and Cory Daye, and "The Soulfulness of David Bowie" (2018) featuring Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark, and led an all-star panel for Stevens Institute of Technology's screening of CNN Films' Luther: Never Too Much (2024). He's also conducted a live Q&A with disco legends D.C. LaRue and Felipe Rose (original co-founder and Native of Village People) for Queer/Art/Film's screening of Thank God It's Friday (1978) at IFC Center.
Since 2010, Christian has authored extensive liner notes for more than 200 album re-issues by major and independent record companies in the U.S. and U.K., including more than a dozen releases for the Estate of Donna Summer. He's also conducted interviews for several BBC Radio documentaries, Sirius XM's Studio 54 channel, Chase Bank ("Inside Access"), and hosted/produced more than a dozen concerts at Joe’s Pub (the Public Theater), the Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. He's guest lectured for Barnard College's "Harlem Semester" Program (2017-2025) and has presented at EMP Pop Conference, the Parrish Art Museum, Apollo Education's "Master Class" Series, and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music. He's the sole author of Casablanca Records: Play It Again (2009), a 50,000-word oral history that documented the 35th anniversary of Casablanca Records and the co-author of A Night at the Disco (2026) and What the Band Wore: Fashion & Music (2023) — "A Top 20 Pick of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal — published by ACC Art Books.
About the Moderator
Thomas del Pozo is a Toronto-based vinyl DJ, record collector and long-time disco aficionado and historian. Thomas has been writing about disco music for over 20 years, beginning with his blog Disco Delivery and has authored liner notes for disco reissues on various independent labels. Thomas is passionate about the history of disco, its place in LGBTQ liberation and its continuing relevance across audiences and age groups.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Flying Books, 784 College Street, Toronto, Canada
USD 0.00
