SUPER EUROBEAT Vol.160 Cover Art - © Avex Trax, Japan.

Eurobeat, as the name implies, is a music genre from Europe. It is a sub-genre of 80s italo disco (a.k.a. 80s Eurodisco). In the USA, marketed as Hi-NRG and for a short while shared this term with the very early freestyle music hits. "Eurobeat" is also directly related to the Japanese Para Para dance culture, but in a completely different way, explained later in this article. Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... Eurodance is a colloquial and marketing term for a type of European synthesizer-driven dance music which became popular worldwide in the early- to mid-1990s. ... Hi-NRG (High Energy) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged and then became popular in nightclubs in the early 1980s. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... Synthesizer as used in music, is a term derived from a Greek word syntithetai < synthesis (συντίθεται < σύνθεσις) and is used to describe a device capable of generating and/or manipulating electronic signals for use in music creation, recording and performance. ... A Boss DR-202 Drum Machine A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. ... Left: Rosa Hurricane, a heavy metal-style solid body guitar. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... Eurodance is a colloquial and marketing term for a type of European synthesizer-driven dance music which became popular worldwide in the early- to mid-1990s. ... Hi-NRG (High Energy) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged and then became popular in nightclubs in the early 1980s. ... J-pop (or Jpop) is an abbreviation of Japanese pop. ... Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also Para-Para or ParaPara) is a popular Japanese solo dance. ... An Asian American is a person of Asian ancestry or origin who was born in or is an immigrant to the United States. ... Image File history File links SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ... Image File history File links SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ... SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... Eurodance is style of dance music, popular in Europe during 1990s. ... Hi-NRG (High Energy) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged and then became popular in nightclubs in the early 1980s. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also Para-Para or ParaPara) is a popular Japanese solo dance. ...

The first use of the term "Eurobeat"

The Term "eurobeat", was first used at the UK, when the Stock Aitken Waterman team, created a commercial music genre, labelled - at the time - "Eurobeat". Those mid 80s hits (Dead or Alive, Bananarama, Jason Donovan, Sonia, Kylie Minogue, etc) were heavily based on how "Italo-disco" sounded to the Brits, during their holidays on popular 80s destinations (especially Greece, where Italo-disco was very popular). The same term also was used to describe the first hits from Pet Shop Boys and other UK-based dance electropop groups of the time. Those "eurobeat" hits, toped the UK charts, so they end up having some (underground) airplay on USA's radio stations helping from that stand on the evolution of New York's "Freestyle". MTV Europe also had a show called: "Braun European Top 20" at the time, that aired on MTV USA during summer 1987 to 1989, helping the spread of UK's Eurobeat sound. But after the summer of 1988 (UK's summer of love), UK's "eurobeat" music declined from popularity, with the exception of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. By the summer of '89 the term "eurobeat" replaced from various terms and the music changed to 90s european dance music and mostly eurohouse. Stock, Aitken & Waterman, sometimes known as SAW, are a British songwriting and record producing trio who had great success during the mid-late 1980s and early 1990s with many of their productions. ... The phrase Dead or Alive can refer to the following in addition to its common usage on bounties where it is a capture condition: For the New Wave band from Liverpool, see Dead Or Alive (band). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Jason Sean Donovan (born June 1, 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. ... Sonia Evans on the cover of her album, Sonia (1991) Sonia Evans (born February 13, 1971), better known as just Sonia, is an English pop singer from Liverpool, Merseyside, who was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Kylie Ann Minogue (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian dance-pop singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ... Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... Pet Shop Boys are an English synthpop/pop music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant who provides main vocals, keyboards and very occasionally guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards and occasionally on vocals. ... Dance as a musical form is a smaller musical composition intended for the presentation of dance. ... Electropop (also called Technopop) is a form of synth pop music that is made with synthesizers, and which first flourished from 1978 to 1981. ... MTV Europe launched on August 1, 1987. ... Kylie Ann Minogue (born 28 May 1968) is an Australian dance-pop singer-songwriter and occasional actress. ... Jason Sean Donovan (born June 1, 1968) is an Australian actor and singer. ... Eurodance is a colloquial and marketing term for a type of European synthesizer-driven dance music which became popular worldwide in the early- to mid-1990s. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music, the earliest forms of which originated in the United States in the early- to mid-1980s. ...

The use of the term "Eurobeat" in Japan

Meanwhile, in 1986, the term "eurobeat" moved to Japan's music market, to describe all the European (non UK based) dance music imports. Those imports were "Italo-disco" hits, produced mostly in Italy and Germany. That sound became the soundtrack of the Para Para nightclub culture, that has existed, since the early 80's. Japan knew the "italo-disco" sound, through the success of the German group "Arabesque", that parted on 1984 but released 2 singles in 1985 and 1986, produced and mixed by Michaele Cretu (of Enigma), that sounded very "italo-disco"-like. The later solo success of Sandra (she was the lead singer or Arabesque) helped even more to the introduction of this sound in Japan. That situation, took the attention of many italo-disco producers (mostly Italians and Germans) and by the early 90s, a new sound created by them especially for Japan, virtually unknown on the rest of the world. This was called "Super Eurobeat" and later evolve to "Eurobeat Flash" and many other subgenres. Because of all those various Japanese Eurobeat substyles, many fans use the term "Eurobeat" for all this scene. Despite being European in origin, (Super) Eurobeat's main market has always been Japan, where its synthetic and emotionally upbeat stylings are popular. Even though many Europeans and Americans have heard Eurodance, Eurodisco and Euro House, this flavor of Eurobeat is largely unknown in Europe and only recently became somewhat popular in the Western world. It has some popularity between open-minded "italo-disco" fans and some Euro-House fans. The anime series Initial D, based on the manga by Shuichi Shigeno, uses Eurobeat music regularly in its episodes during racing scenes between the characters, and because of this it has come to the attention of some anime fans outside Japan. Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... Para Para (Japanese: パラパラ; also Para-Para or ParaPara) is a popular Japanese solo dance. ... Sandra and Michael Cretu on german Tv Sandra is a famous german music group that consists primarily of Sandra Cretu (vocals) and Michael Cretu (writer and producer). ... Eurodance is a colloquial and marketing term for a type of European synthesizer-driven dance music which became popular worldwide in the early- to mid-1990s. ... Eurodance is style of dance music, popular in Europe during 1990s. ... House music is a style of electronic dance music, the earliest forms of which originated in the United States in the early- to mid-1980s. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... Initial D , transliteration, Kashiramoji DÄ«) is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodanshas Young Magazine since 1995. ... Manga )   (pl. ... Shuichi Shigeno (重野 秀一 or しげの 秀一 Shigeno ShÅ«ichi) is a manga-ka. ...

Eurobeat's sound (in the Japanese market) is its main link to its italo disco origins, where it was just one of many different experiments in pure-electronic dance. There are certain synth instruments that recur across the entire genre: a sequenced octave bass, Energetic (sometimes wild) and heavily used synths, distinctive brass and harp sounds, and tight, predictable percussion in the background. These sounds are layered with vocals and natural instruments (guitar and piano are common) into complex, ever-shifting melodies that, at their best, burst with energy.

In 1998, KONAMI a video game company made a hit video dance machine, Dance Dance Revolution. The game acquired eurobeat songs from the record label Dancemania from Toshiba-emi, at the press time, DDR continues to advertise eurobeat genre songs.

Explanation of the Eurobeat genre from the Japanese point of view

Eurobeat can create a number of different genres, while still keeping its own originality intact. In the late 1970s and early 1980s there were many new genres emerging from the creation of electronic music. Hi NRG Disco, 70s Eurodisco, Space Disco, Canadian Disco and Italo Disco (a.k.a. 80s Eurodisco) are some of them. When disco music became unpopular in North America (because of the Disco Sucks events took place in 1979), it remained in the limelight in Europe for many more years. In USA, the early 80s, disco linked with P-Funk artists like George Clinton, disco funk artists like Earth, Wind & Fire and the gay Hi-NRGdisco music scene. It has been suggested that Electronica be merged into this article or section. ... Eurodance is style of dance music, popular in Europe during 1990s. ... Space Disco, was a short lived 70s Eurodisco variation. ... Cover of the ZYX Music compilation album. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... P-Funk is an abbreviated, compound name for two bands, Parliament and Funkadelic. ... It has been suggested that P-Funk Mothership be merged into this article or section. ... Earth, Wind & Fire is a world-renowned American band which fuses different genres of music, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1969 and is led and founded by Maurice White. ... GAY can mean: Gay, a term referring to homosexual men or women The IATA code for Gaya Airport Category: ... Hi-NRG (High Energy) is a type of electronic dance music which emerged and then became popular in nightclubs in the early 1980s. ...

What follows in the article, is the description of "Eurobeat" (a.k.a. Super Eurobeat) as formed during the late 80s and 90s in Japan.

While modern music is often recognized by its lyrics, Eurobeat is recognized not primarily by its lyrics, but by its synthesized chorus known as the Sabi (short for Sabishigaru, not to be mistaken for the Japanese Wabi-sabi), which means "to remember someone or something" in Japanese. This of course refers to the generally acknowledged fact that you mostly remember the Sabi as opposed to the stanzas of the Eurobeat song. This broad genre can create a great number of different "sub-genres" within it because of this combination of harmony and rhythm. Sometimes it can still sound like the old disco music we know, sometimes it can be very "fast and happy" like Happy Hardcore or Speed Music, and occasionally it even uses guitars as a method of Saiba. A Japanese tea house which reflects the Wabi-Sabi aesthetic Wabi-sabi (in Kanji: 侘寂) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centred on the acceptance of transience. ...

One peculiar thing about Eurobeat is the fact that each artist is often credited with a variety of different aliases (See "Popular Eurobeat Artists" below for details). Artists usually adopt different stage names according to the mood of each song, or depending on who wrote their lyrics. For instance, Ennio Zanini has stated on the SCP Music website that he goes by the name of "Fastway" on songs which are more upbeat and sprinkled with high-pitched female backing vocals, and goes by "Dusty" on his more "serious" tracks. Also a popular theory is that Eurobeat artists such as Clara Moroni and Giancarlo Pasquini manufacture the same acts under many different names in order to "compete with themselves". (Compare to legendary House producer Thomas Bangalter, who is infamous for the same practice). Image:DaveRodgers. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Thomas Bangalter (born 3 January 1975) is a French electronic musician and founding member (along with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo) of the French house music duo Daft Punk. ...

Eurobeat also has notoriety for name recognition, lifting titles from popular songs and using them as the names of Eurobeat tracks. Examples are "Like a Virgin", "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", and "Station to Station." The Eurobeat songs that reuse song titles typically have nothing to do with the song it lifted its title from (i.e., not a cover). Name recognition is a concept used in politics to describe number of people who are aware of a politician. ...

The Eurobeat formula (for the Japanese market)

Like most musical genres, (modern) Eurobeat has a fairly specific formula to it:

intro → riff (musical synth) → a melo(verse) → a melo2(bridge) → a sabi (chorus) → riff (musical synth) → outro

The intro is the introduction into the song, the riff is the musical part without voices. The a melo, or a-melody is the first verse in the song, the a melo2 (a-melody 2) is the bridge of the song, and the sabi is the chorus of the song. The outro is the ending. There will also be a c melo (the second a melo) after the first sabi, as well as another a/b melo variant after the second sabi.

Eurobeat is notorious for its complex rhythm, always attempting to throw the listener in another direction, but the flow is usually a one way ticket. After the synth, the song usually repeats the verse, bridge, and chorus (although with different lyrics most the time) and then goes into a "breakdown" where there can be a variety of new parts to the song including a guitar solo, the dropping and adding of percussion, or a plain instrumental version of the track. Typically though, this only encompasses the verse and bridge; the chorus is usually sung once again, and then the synth and extro play. The extro can either be the synth played again, or something reminiscent of the intro. Another thing to note is that the intro is somewhat like an instrumental rendition of the verse, bridge, and chorus, while the synth is a lot like a synthesized version of the chorus. They don't have to sound completely similar, but they do in fact fit on top of each other most of the time.

Another theory is that in order to possibly qualify as a Eurobeat, a song must have one or more of the following in the title or somewhere in the song's lyrics - Love, Baby, Fire. The title of the song is almost always within the first line of the chorus, and most of the time, is at the very beginning of it.

There's a particular style of formula when it comes to the different "labels" of the Eurobeat world:

A Beat C: Typically follows the formula above, rarely straying away from a different type. This label is considered by the majority of the Eurobeat world to be the most "mainstream" label, taking a little bit of everything and adding it to their own style. They also have the largest amount of singers, which gives them variety.

Boom Boom Beat: This label can resemble house music very much if you listen closely. They typically use the formula of adding a new section of percussion, bass, and synth after every 4th measure. After the last synth (sometimes after the chorus is goes straight to the following) there is typically a percussion drop until there are only 4 measures of a "kick" or "hat" left. As with Vibration, BBB can be somewhat unpredictable, but they don't tend to stray away from this formula.

Delta: Usually drops percussion during the breakdown while the singer sings the first verse and bridge again. Synths are typically very "harsh"-sounding, and bass is relatively low depending on the producer of each track.

Hi-NRG Attack: As with Delta, percussion usually drops during the breakdown. The thing with this label is that it's known for its relatively "quirky" lyrics and rhythm. Synths are known to be very wild, sometimes playing a different note at every 1/4 beat.

Time: The interesting thing about Time is that most of the label's music includes a very long Intro and typically ends with a fade-out of the synth instead of an extro (which most labels don't do too often). To many, their synth can either be very intense, or can be a rather subtle, somewhat duplicated synth from previous songs.

Vibration: This label can surprise you. Sometimes they'll put in a simple percussion drop during the breakdown, and sometimes there is a very intense guitar solo or even new lyrics. Very unpredictable.

SCP Music: SCP almost always follows A Beat C's formula. Rarely is there ever a percussion drop, but instead you can find a guitar solo or "ad-libbing" of lyrics or synthesizers.

Popular Eurobeat artists

Main article: List of Eurobeat artists

List of Italo Disco artists Category: ...

Eurobeat compilations

There are many Eurobeat compilations series, the most famous (and longest running) are Super Eurobeat and the various "Super Eurobeat presents..." compilations by Avex Trax. Other notable compilations include: SUPER EUROBEAT Vol. ... Avex Trax logo Avex Trax or Avex Entertainment Corporation is a music record label originally from Japan. ...

• Aerobeat Eurobeat
• EuroPanic!
• Eurobeat Disney
• Eurobeat Flash
• Gazen ParaPara!!
• LovePara²
• Maharaja Night
• ParaPara Paradise
• Super Euro Best
• Super Euro Christmas
• That's Eurobeat
• The Early Days of SEB
• Tokio Hot Nights
• VIP Mega Euro Star

// Summary of Gazen ParaPara!! 俄然パラパラ学園 ～パラパラだよ！全員集合編～ Cover Art - © Avex Trax, Japan. ... Para Para Paradise is an arcade dance game made by the Japanese company Konami. ...

Eurobeat labels

• A-Beat C / Rodgers Music
• akyrmusic
• Delta
• Dima Music
• Farm Records
• GoGo's Music
• Hi NRG Attack
• LED Records (Includes Vibration, Eurobeat Masters)
• The S.A.I.F.A.M. Group (Includes Boom Boom Beat, Asia Records, etc.)
• SCP Music
• Sinclaire Style
• Time Records

External links

• Avex Japan Eurobeat - Official web site for Super Eurobeat.
• Eurobeat Prime - Extensive Eurobeat information and database.
• NRG Express - Eurobeat information from Japan.
• Eurobeat.org - Eurobeat forums and info.
• Eurobeat Evolution - Outdated Eurobeat website.
• ParaParaStage.com ParaPara/Eurobeat Forums
• Eurobeat.se - Some Eurobeat and Eurodance samples.
• Eurobeat-Italia - Italian Eurobeat Website with its own Forum.
• Eurobeat.cl - Chilean web site for Eurobeat and Eurodance.