Casablanca Records was founded in 1973 in Los Angeles by Neil Bogart, a charismatic industry figure who had previously worked at Buddah Records. Named after the classic Hollywood film, Casablanca quickly became one of the defining labels of the 1970s, fusing music, image, and excess into a brand of its own.

At its peak, Casablanca was synonymous with disco and glam spectacle. The label’s breakthrough came with KISS, whose theatrical rock shows mirrored Bogart’s flair for marketing. But it was the disco explosion that truly made Casablanca legendary — with artists like Donna Summer, Village People, and Giorgio Moroder creating a string of era-defining hits. Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby” (1975) and “I Feel Love” (1977) weren’t just hits — they helped redefine the sound of dance music, merging sensuality with early electronic production.

Casablanca was also known for its lavish album packaging, wild promotional parties, and extravagant spending — often more rock’n’roll than the rock acts themselves. While the disco backlash around 1980 hit the label hard, and its merger into PolyGram effectively ended its golden era, the name Casablanca remains shorthand for 1970s excess, glamour, and high-gloss pop culture.

Nerd note: early Casablanca vinyl pressings are famous for their rich, full low end — especially the Giorgio Moroder–produced sessions — and the label’s airplane logo variant from 1975–77 is a collector favorite.