Anyone who has heard any song by parliament knows instantly the difference. George Clinton = king of funk

Bpm
 

Beats per minute tend to often be a determining factor.

If you compare Sylvester (DISCO)... to let's say something from Instant Funk (FUNK)... the BPM tell the story.

This may be simplifying things... but it's one good way to tell the difference.

I always thought that the "four on the floor" beat pattern is what made disco, disco. And it's definitely different from funk music.

I think the main difference between funk and disco is that funk tends to be rough and rugged around the edges while using breakbeats while disco is more four to the floor and pop influenced. Granted, the lines tend to be very blurred, as already stated, groups like Chic and Kool & the Gang straddled the line between funk and disco.

Knock disco all you want, but you really wouldnt have EDM and especially house music if it weren't for disco.

Disco has the groove of funk, but in general none of the depth lyrically or musically. Sometimes that isn't true, P-Funk made "One Nation", one of their best albums, and that has a disco vibe. Disco isn't hard-hitting, it's more sensible for the white folks who used to fill up the dance clubs, and that's essentially what makes it different.

For me:
Disco is 4 on the floor rhythm, Funk is on ‘the one’ and more syncopatic in the rest of the measure.
Disco is more polished and funk is more raw.
Disco is more poppy, funk is more jazzy.

For me:
Disco is Relight my Fire, It’s raining men,
Funk is e.g the late James Brown, Parliament. The Meters
and EWF.
Disco is Rose Royce, Anita Ward.
Disco is violins, funk is horns.

Hi Jazzuci, couldn't agree more!! Glad this old post is still getting some attention!

I seem to like a lot of groups that did BOTH.. like Detroit's One Way, great underrated band right there!

I'm seeing a lot of good explanations here, and several people mentioned that disco is is four-on-the-floor, but I didn't see anyone directly state that funk is all on the one. (Forgive me if I've overlooked that statement somewhere in this thread.)

Here's Bootsy Collins explaining "the one."