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Claes has been hooked on disco from day one. Now he's sitting home in his villa with some 5000 records.
Johan Wirfalt has check it out.
When you meet Claes it's hard to believe he's a guy who burns for disco.
He's around thirtyfive, and he looks just like anybody. But home in his house Claes has got records, lots of records. He
estimates the collection to be around 5000 records. Of these nine out of ten are 12"singles, mostly disco.
- I'm an ordinary guy with a rare interesst - I've got a lots of records, says Claes.
He got interessted in music when he was around ten years old and started listening to the new local radio stations, and
since it was disco that was THE thing then, it became disco for Claes too. In the beginning he bought mostly 7"singles (45's),
but soon Claes realized it was the breaks in the disco tunes that was the best.
- The first 12"single I bought was Imagination's "Music and lights". That was in 1981, and ever since then I've
been sold out on 12"singles. 7"singles I had already bought for years, but it was then I started collecting records
seriously.
Why did you start collect records?
- I started buying singles because I liked the music. But at the same time I wanted to own the music myself, not only
hear it on the radio.
Quite soon Claes started to play records out. Even if it was mostly in private parties, Claes continued as a DJ until he
got his own family in the early 90's. He followed when disco turned into house, but it has always been the disco music that
has been closest to his heart.
- The best music was made in the late 70's and in the early 80's. After that it became more and more synths, and the
music lost much of the life it used to have earlier, I think. But at the same time much of the music that I love the
most is based on drum-machines. So actually I like music no matter how it sounds, just if it's good.
Are your records a part of you?
- Definitly. Disco is both a hobby and a part of me. I'm marked by my records and I really couldn't imagine a life without
them.
Do you spend much money on records every month?
- When I was "on top" in the 80's it was some thousand swedish crowns a month. These days it's not very much at all. I
never pay more than 200 swedish crowns for a record. It will show up sooner or later, and I've got time to wait.
One funny thing with Claes is that he don't put too much prestige into his relation to music and records. To him ABBA's
"Voulez vous" is just as good, and worth just as much, as ever Double Exposure's "Ten Percent".
- I just care about how it sounds in my ears. The stuff that I like is the stuff that I buy.
What's more important to you than your records?
- My wife and kids are of course more important. But of all the material stuff I've got are the records the best. I have
always lived through the music, but I wouldn't like to live without my records.
How does one notice on you that you're a record collector?
- First I think it's just so fun with records. Secondly I never get rid of any stuff. I have sold off if I've had second
copies, but never else. I try to just buy records that are good, even if I periodically get tired of songs, I keep them.
I guess that makes me a collector.
- Then I also think it's just a record collector who drags his wife from New York on a sunday morning to go over to
New Jersey and look for disco 12"singles, finishes Claes with a laughter.
© DiscoSthlm October -99
Disco Inferno - Disco in the head
Text Johan Wirfalt
Disco is fun, because it still gets people to do strange things even today. Some people spends lots of time in dusty
warehouses in search of the most sought-for 12"singles from the late 70's. Others makes web-pages on the Internet. And then
there's a few who does it both.
In february 1997 Claes uploaded his first web-page ever on the Net. The page was called Disco Inferno and the
idea behind it was simple.
– I had been surfing around for a while and noticed that there wasn't that many good pages about disco on the Internet.
I thought then that I should do a little page myself. I wanted to let people know of all the exsisting good disco music, so
I put up some links and wrote a couple of tributes to my favorite producers.
Since then have Disco Inferno grown considerably and Claes is these days more known by his net-alias Discoguy.
Disco Inferno has become one of Internets best sources for disco facts. Claes has interviewed legendary producers like
Patrick Adams, written very much about the classic record labels Prelude and West End along with getting
e-mails from disco fans from all over the world.
– Internet is a very good place to exchange thoughts about music. It's often through the Internet people get to know
"new" disco tunes they didn't know before.
Claes grew up with disco. Already in the 4-6'th grade back in Stureby in the late 70's he choose side. The rockers didn't
like it, but on the other side Claes and his disco friends could dance to much cooler music in the class-parties. Twenty
years and five thousand 12"singles later, the music still refuse to let go.
– I still discover songs I've never even heard of before and that's the fantastic thing with disco. Much of the stuff
that was released was crap, but there were also very much good music made that disappeared among the huge number of records
that was released.
When Claes was younger he used to play records out quite often, but these days it just becomes spontanious "gigs" at
home for his wife and kids. Many hours a week is instead spent on Disco Inferno.
Claes describe himself as part of the Internets disco family and he've got regular contact with the people behind some
ten other sites. Besides this some of Claes' idols from his youth has spontaniously contacted him since they've visited his
site.
– Everyone has been very kind. Taana Gardner and I often speak over the phone, Colonel Abrams called
me when he got my number by Taana, Tom Moulton sent an e-mail after a friend of his had checked out the site. So
everything is going great. But I have to admit that I was a little nervous when I got hold of Mel Cheren, founder of
West End Records. He's somehow like the number one guru.
What is it that's so special with disco?
– I really don't know how to answer that, but there's a feeling in the music that's very uplifting. The music is
designed for dancing and having fun. You get happy by disco, it's as simple as that.
© Nojesguiden November -99
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