The streamlined, propulsive grooves of early B.T. Express singles like “Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied)” and “Express” kept dance floors filled throughout the ‘70s and marked the gradual transition from early-‘70s staccato hard funk to the slick, frictionless rhythms of disco’s golden age. The wonderfully kitschy sci-fi imagery that graces the cover of B.T. Express’s sixth album, 1980, marks it as a deliberate response to the challenge posed by the strange futuristic sounds that were redefining dance music as the decade dawned. Though it was only a middling commercial success, 1980 is easily a match for B.T. Express’s beloved early work. The gleefully sleazy “Give Up the Funk (Let’s Dance)” would become an underground R&B hit, but nearly every track here is equally capable of igniting dance floors, particularly “Funk Theory,” which compares favorably to George Clinton’s more experimental funk workouts from the same period.