The Rules

The orchestral sound usually known as "disco sound" relies heavily on strings and horns playing either linear phrases in unison with the soaring, often reverberated vocals, or playing instrumental fills while electric pianos and chicken-scratch guitars create the background "pad" phaser; bass guitar, piano, string synth, and electroacoustic keyboards (notably the Fender Rhodes piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, and Hohner Clavinet) and drums (including African/Latin percussion, timpani, and a drum kit, and electronic drums such as Simmons and Roland drum modules). The disco rhythm section was fleshed out with a rich variety of orchestral instruments, such as harp, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, saxophone, trombone, clarinet, flugelhorn, French horn, tuba, English horn, oboe, flute, and piccolo.
Most disco songs have a steady four-on-the-floor beat, a quaver or semi-quaver hi-hat pattern with an open hi-hat on the off-beat, and a heavy, syncopated bass line. This basic beat would appear to be related to/inspired by the Dominican merengue rhythm; other Latin rhythms such as the rhumba, the samba and the cha-cha-cha are also found in Disco recordings. Latin polyrhythms, such as a rhumba beat layered over a merengue, are commonplace. The quaver pattern is often supported by other instruments such as the rhythm guitar and may be implied rather than explicitly present. It often involves syncopation, rarely occurring on the beat unless a synthesizer is used to replace the bass guitar.

Wikipedia. Oh yes!