Visitors to the Sea Dog in Bangor took a step back in time Wednesday night, returning to an era when disco and funk reigned.

Lights flashed as Motor Booty Affair mounted the stage. The introduction from their album “Feel the Love” intoned: “Born in the darkness of interstellar space, eleventy-seven billion years ago, a solar system emerged from a contracting molecular cloud of funk and gas, deep within the Afromedra Galaxy. When the core of this cloud became dense enough, gravity triggered the collapse of its innermost layers and thus formed the Funktarian System. The Planet Funktar, along with its three moons — Barry, Robin and Maurice, and its neighboring planet, Laceyopolis, and its five moons — Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon, became home to a superior race of beings known as Defenders. This is the story of a remote band of Defenders, whose job took them to every dark corner of the universe, spreading the love and bringing people together.”

That’s basically what the Defenders of the Funk did Wednesday, as people came together in the packed microbrewery, stood shoulder to shoulder, and danced.

With colored lights washing over them, the Portland-based quartet looked like volunteers in George Clinton’s P-Funk army, wearing towering Afros, polyester shirts, huge sunglasses and tons of gold jewelry. Vocalist-percussionist-guitarist Witchdoctor, vocalist-lead guitarist Superfly, drummer Cyclone Link Skywalker Jr. and bassist Dr. Freakenstein joyfully spread the word to a few hundred willing disciples.

The few square yards that passed for a dance floor at the Sea Dog were jammed. Those seeking passage would hold their drinks high like a torch, lighting the way to freedom on the other side. Many were cruelly disappointed, as they annointed the dancers along their narrow path.

Perhaps dancing was too strong a term. With negligible room, people more or less vibrated in place, like atoms in a superheated molecule. Space was slightly more available in the second set, but no one could break out their Travolta moves.

Motor Booty Affair was a literal jukebox of ’70s hits, from “That’s the Way I Like It” to “Le Freak,” from “Shining Star” to “Brick House.” They also slipped in a handful of their originals, including “Can U Dig It?” and “Booty Bake.”

The crowd ranged from those who weren’t even born when the songs were hits to those in their 50s. Many people had goofy grins on their faces as they savored music they knew was a guilty pleasure.

One young woman summed up the event’s appeal well: “This is like sitting in the back seat of my parents’ station wagon, listening to the radio on the way to Girl Scouts.” (On behalf of all those over 30, let me just say: “Ouch!”)

Other than the band’s separate costumes for the two sets, there was little period dress, other than one couple in leisure suits and ‘fros. Still everyone knew how to “get down tonight.”

Motor Booty Affair landed in Bangor to take followers on a pleasurable time-capsule cruise. It was a chance to enjoy the feel-good music of the ’70s, without all the attendant social baggage.