- Not to be confused with Eurobeat (Song) or Eurobeat (Label).
Eurobeat (also known as Euro Beat and ユーロビート, Yūrobīto) is a style of Electronic Dance Music (EDM).
What is Eurobeat?[]
Original term[]
In its original meaning, Eurobeat is a collective term used to describe closely related forms of music that emerged from the interaction of Hi-NRG with Eurodisco and Italo-Disco, and that replaced the classic Hi-NRG of the early 1980s, a kind of “post-Hi-NRG”.
The term emerged in the British gay club environment of the mid-1980s, when the term “Hi-NRG” ceased to reflect the current music played in clubs, and a new term was needed to distinguish the new music from classic Hi-NRG, such as the works of Patrick Cowley and Boys Town Gang. The main distinguishing feature of Eurobeat from classic Hi-NRG is a strong groove, combining a punchy bassline with powerful drums, which, as a result of Hi-NRG being slowed down under the influence of European music, were given more room to breathe.
The term primarily encompassed late Hi-NRG in the spirit of Ian Levine and late Bobby Orlando, the British form of Dance-pop (S.A.W. works, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, etc.), Hi-NRG-derived Italo-disco (aka Italo-NRG, that is, almost all Italo-disco since 1985) and Eurodisco (like Fancy, Blue System and London Boys), New Beat (at least at first, which was probably the source of the New Beat's name), and continued to be used in relation to Eurodance and Euro House in the 1990s[1], as genres continuing this tradition.
With the death of all Disco music in Western Europe at the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, along with this music, the term largely fell out of use in the West, but in Japan, where the music continued to be popular, "Eurobeat" continues to be used to this day in its original meaning.
Italian Eurobeat[]
Eurobeat is a type of dance music derived from the Italo-Disco and Hi-NRG music of the 1980s. It became very popular in Japan during the 1990s and peaked in popularity around 2000, after which it declined. Eurobeat is characterized by a fast BPM around 140 to 160, passionate and energetic vocals, and a heavily synthesized sound. Much of Eurobeat is made in northern Italy (especially in Lombardy) and is often sung by Italian singers.
Japanese Eurobeat[]
Japanese artists and producers also created Eurobeat (J-Euro). At the start, these were mostly covers of Italian-Eurobeat songs or, in some cases, Japanese productions but composed by Italian artists.
In recent years, this side of the genre had a revival, with both Japanese and fans from other countries (such as United States, Canada and Spain) making original productions (Indie Eurobeat). This part of the genre is known as Doujin Eurobeat or Touhou Eurobeat.
Some significant J-Euro labels include Akiba Koubou, SuganoMusic, A-One, Eurobeat Union, and SOUND HOLIC. Some significant indie labels include Odyssey Music and Axis Mundi Studio.
History[]
Origin of the term[]
The term "Eurobeat" was already used in early 1985[2], mostly in Japan to refer all productions coming from Europe, mostly Italy and Germany. Some early 80s song charts used the Eurobeat term for early Hi-NRG tracks[3] (name adopted later in 1987).
At that time, there were two genres with the "Eurobeat" name, one for Europe based on the Dance-pop and Eurodisco, and other for Italy derived from the Italo-Disco and Hi-NRG genres.
Back then in the mid-80s, the term was used in Japan for some Italo-Disco compilations, such as That's Eurobeat series; being the greatest exponents Mauro Farina, Michael Fortunati and Ken Laszlo.
Early Days & Super Eurobeat[]
Labels such as Time Records and The SAIFAM Group/Asia Records already exited at the moment. However, some fans believe that the first proper Eurobeat songs were made in 1990, at the A-Beat-C label.
By this time, the genre was already a hit on Japan, mostly on Para Para dance compilations and Japanese discotheques.
On early 1990s, it started the Super Eurobeat series, one of the most known and longest CD compilation albums ever made. This was originally made by Beat Freak as a compilation of Time Records productions. This quickly became a hit in Japan, with Avex Trax buying the rights of it on the late-90s. Avex Trax, subsidiary of the Avex Group, was established in September of 1990, as a result of a significant encounter between Avex's founder, Masato "Max" Matsuura, and the acclaimed Eurobeat artist and founder of A-Beat-C, Giancarlo Pasquini. He proposed an exclusive distribution arrangement to Matsuura, suggesting that Avex take charge of distributing his new label's content in Japan.[4]
Over time, Time Records, which had been producing Italo-disco since 1984, gradually evolved its sound to become more fitting for the new Japanese audience. Though originally headed by Mauro Farina, Giuliano Crivellente, and Florian Fadinger, Laurent Gelmetti eventually took up the producer’s mantle at Time and evolved the sound into Eurobeat by 1992. Farina, Crivellente, and Fadinger continued to operate Asia Records, which dominated the later That's Eurobeat albums, a competitor to Super Eurobeat.
1995 - 2000[]
Eurobeat's tempo became faster and faster as the mid-1990s passed. Producers from Time Records especially broke away to form new labels, including Live Music/Hi-NRG Attack, Vibration, SCP, and Delta. Delta became one of the most successful Eurobeat labels of the late-1990s, boasting songs made by Andrea Leonardi and Laurent Gelmetti. Popular Eurobeat singer Clara Moroni headed the label and sang many songs for it.
Avex also created new compilations to go alongside Super Eurobeat, which was approaching its hundredth volume in 1999. These compilations were Maharaja Night – Hi-NRG Revolution (1992-1998), Eurobeat Flash (1995-1999), and Super Eurobeat Presents Euromach (1999-2002).
Time Records reinvented itself after Laurent Gelmetti stepped down as producer. Gino Caria and Sergio Dall'Ora took over production in 1995. During 1996 to 1998, Time Records produced many hits under the work of three producers: Sergio Dall'Ora, Davide Di Marcantonio, and Luca Pernici.
2000 - 2018[]
Around the year 2000, Eurobeat was reaching a zenith in popularity. Avex Trax, which continued to have a virtual monopoly on all Eurobeat releases, demanded producers change their production styles to create a new sound befitting the next century. For A-Beat-C, the altered production style heralded in a golden age of production, but many other labels saw the quality of their productions decrease under Avex’s strict stylistic demands. Some labels took a few years before their productions really improved for the tastes of the majority. Note that a few labels did not see their styles change, especially if they were making songs for other companies.
Though Eurobeat saw a continued decline in popularity over the 2000s, Super Eurobeat albums were still released almost every month. Super Eurobeat Vol. 141 opened up the series to other labels, and after that more labels continued to join the series. GoGo's Music, Akyr Music, Dima Music and Eurogrooves began to make music starting in the late-2000s.
In 2008, Sergio Dall'Ora left Time Records in order to create Eurogrooves, with this, Time moved away from the genre to these days. At the same time, A-Beat-C close its doors, with Pasquini now making music for Sun Fire Records, a label founded by his then wife, Evelin Malferrari.
The beginning of the 2010s was another point of decline for Eurobeat, as many producers and singers left the genre. Super Eurobeat went on hiatus in 2012, and beginning in 2013, albums were more infrequent. The last Super Eurobeat album was Vol. 250, in 2018. It was a celebration of 25 years of music. Super Eurobeat lived on as a yearly compilation after that, through annual releases on The Best of Super Eurobeat, beginning in 2019.
2019 - Present[]
After the end of the main Super Eurobeat series, many labels stopped producing Eurobeat regularly, but long-time producers kept the Eurobeat scene alive. Giancarlo Pasquini created Dave Rodgers Music, Roberto Festari created NickTheBeat (and later Hybrid Mix with Mandie Rem), and Roberto Gabrielli created GReurosound. Other labels like Delta and SCP continue making music.
Of named labels, some still depends on the now annual Avex releases, such as SCP Music, Hi-NRG Attack and Asia Records; while others release new content during the year by their own, which are Delta, Dave Rodgers Music, Hybrid Mix, etc.
Popularity[]
The genre gain popularity because of many reasons across the decades. Here's some of the most known:
Discotheques[]
Eurobeat became very popular on Japanese disco clubs and discotheques, such as Maharaja Roppongi.
Para Para & Rhythm Games[]
The Para Para dance style is a synchronized dance that originated in Japan which has its first boom in the late 80s. When European genres came to the country, Para Para dancers slightly moved to genres like Italo-Disco and later Eurobeat.
This led to the inclusion of these genres in well-known Japanese rhythm game series, for example DanceDanceRevolution was the first one to feature the genre in 1999. Later in late 2000s, it started the ParaParaParadise series, games characterized by the exclusive use of Eurobeat songs.
Disney would not be left behind, in the early 2000s, labels Avex Trax and A-Beat-C, as a request of Walt Disney Records, produced a total of 5 albums with covers of the most famous songs of the company. Of which, the most famous would be "Mickey Mouse March" by Domino.
Initial D series and other media[]
Initial D is a 1995 manga made by Shuichi Shigeno. The anime adaptation of the manga featured this genre as part of the main soundtrack, this was because of its high tempo which worked perfectly for the car racing featured in the series. Other reasons for the inclusion of the genre to the series were that the anime was being produced by Avex Mode, another subsidiary of the Avex Group, and because of the great popularity of the genre in Japan.
This marked a turning point in the history of the genre, this became more and more popular, now even outside of Japan and Italy, with the anime being distributed on several countries. This also caused the genre to begin to be linked to cars and racing, as a result, many songs based on this topic were made.
The genre was also popular that was used on other known media. Car related series such as the All Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC) and the 2009 movie of Wangan Midnight; TV dramas or realities such as SMAP×SMAP and Shibuya-kei Joshi Pro Wrestling.
Eurobeat Artists[]
Almost all Eurobeat songs involve male or female vocalists. Some famous vocalists of Italian Eurobeat include Mauro Farina, Elena Ferretti, Clara Moroni, Giancarlo Pasquini, Tomas Marin, Gino Caria, Karen J. Wainwright, Elena Gobbi Frattini, Annerley Gordon, Fernando Bonini, Davide Di Marcantonio, Patrizia Saitta, Giordano Gambogi, Simone Valeo, Maurizio De Jorio, Alessandra Mirka Gatti, Christian Codenotti, Ennio Zanini, and Alessandro Gilardi.
Some Eurobeat singers have achieved wider recognition outside of their fanbase to some extent. For example, Mauro Farina who co-founded The SAIFAM Group, the biggest label in Italy, which encompasses many other genres like Italodance, Pop, Speed, Fitness and others. Additionally, some artists appeared in the reality singing competition The Voice Senior, for example Elena Ferretti, who garnered 2nd place in the first Italian edition of The Voice Senior in 2020; Marco Rancati, who participated in the Canale 5 talent show "The Winner Is" and in the third edition of The Voice Senior in 2023. Furthermore, singers Cristian De Leo and Elisabetta Gagliardi competed in the second edition of The Voice of Italy, in 2014.
Aliases & Groups[]
Eurobeat singers usually do not sing under their own names, but rather under aliases. For example, Giancarlo Pasquini usually sings under the Dave Rodgers name. Even some aliases are used by multiple artists, and most artists use multiple aliases, which brought many confusion to many fans to still now days. This also ended in the creation of many aliases with only one song. Some artists also formed temporal groups, Pasquini was part of Aleph for a long time; other example is Coo Coo, The Spiders From Mars and Go 2. Other singers have sung under their own names, despite releasing songs under various aliases. Classic examples are Gino Caria and Annerley Gordon, who previously had sung both under her own name and various aliases, has recently sung under her first name "Annerley" since 2021.
Many reasons to this were gave over the years, but the most plausible one is that, due to the high demand for new songs every month and the lack of singers, the labels started to release their songs under different names[5], in order to give the illusion that there were always several singers. In addition, several models and/or singers worked as frontmen/women to several of these aliases. Furthermore, if a certain alias became popular, it was prioritized in order to release several songs under it, no matter if they were sung by different vocalists.
In recent years, some singers who previously had used multiple aliases have begun to use their real names. For example, Gabrielli Roberto Eurosound artists Claudio Magnani, Andrea Delfino and Elena Ferretti. On the other hand, other labels finally adopted one or two aliases for just one singer. Examples of this are Clara Moroni (who sings as Cherry and Leslie Parrish), Giancarlo Pasquini (as Dave Rodgers), Federico Pasquini (as Kaioh), Tomas Marin (as Mega NRG Man), Roberto Festari (as Nick Festari), Ennio Zanini (as Fastway, Dusty and Go 2), Christian Codenotti (as Ace and Go 2), Cristina Tosi (as Christine), Mauro Farina (as Ken Martin or Mark Farina), Luca Torchiani (as Luke), Davide Di Marcantonio (as David Dima and Dream Fighters), Alessandra Mirka Gatti (as Domino), etc.
Trivia[]
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