Question: Will eurobeat ever have a 'heyday' again?

[Mindsweeper]

We need more (good, active) indie producers. Avex sux

[zoupzuop2]

Eurobeat is a rare gem, I hope it never gets main streamed, generic and popular!!!!!!!!!

The "Super Secret Treehouse of <strike>Hipster Bullshit</strike> True Fans of Real Music" mindset is the most suffocating and toxic mindset a genre's fans and publishers can have, and is perhaps the largest reason why the Eurobeat sound we know it is practically dead from pure stagnation, why producers are tired beyond the help of rest of making the stuff (if they haven't outright stopped altogether, a la Festari) and why Avex refuses to try anything that might even come close to keeping the genre alive in any sense of the word.

Long live the blasphemy and perversion of innovation, long live seeing new genres burst from the bastardized carcasses of their predecessors.

Feel free to enjoy the old style— I still do. But we (fans and Avex responding to fans) have held... not a smoking gun, that killed the genre, but the plastic bag that we put around its head to "preserve" it from breathing the "bad air" of innovation and adaptation. Yet we dare to be stunned and shocked to see it choke and gasp for air.

If something new comes from Eurobeat as a genre, as I hope it does, it will be disgusting in its irreverence. And I, for one, will welcome the God-forbidden monstrosity's form, dripping from the flesh of its former shell, with open arms. This creature will finally serve not the needs of a niche, nor of the world, but of its creators— and it will be disgusting and beautiful as such.

I'm giddy with anticipation~ Okay maybe I overdid it with the monster thing but you get the idea.

[Mindsweeper]

Well now, we can't just keep eurobeat 4000 feet underground forever, it'll disintegrate. But at the same time I wouldn't want it to become top-10 material, because it would almost certainly change to the point where it wouldn't be recognizable anymore. (not that I think that's what you were calling for zoup)

Avex has most of the big italo labels by the neck and they fucking suck at marketing. They reject good, unique songs (akibachi amirite?). They refuse to consider that maybe eurobeat has an audience outside of Glorious Nippon. I feel they're more responsible for stagnation and shitty direction than all the fans and producers combined.

I'm making an open call-no, a friggin' challenge- right now to anyone who's even mildy musically inclined to get up and start eurobeating.

Can't play music? Write lyrics!
Can't write lyrics? Team up with above!
Can't do either? Sing!

I know there's plenty of musical people on this board, so why the fuck haven't we all teamed up yet? Sorry for that IN10SITY there, but I've seen this argument before and still nothing has happened.

(to start, I myself am quite confident in making eurobeat and eurobeatesque tunes but I can't write lyrics for shit, I am accepting lyricist applications)

[M2-EB]

Feel free to enjoy the old style— I still do. But we (fans and Avex responding to fans) have held... not a smoking gun, that killed the genre, but the plastic bag that we put around its head to "preserve" it from breathing the "bad air" of innovation and adaptation. Yet we dare to be stunned and shocked to see it choke and gasp for air.

If something new comes from Eurobeat as a genre, as I hope it does, it will be disgusting in its irreverence.

Avex responding to japanese fans. I didn't see they making something for the sake of overseas fans (maybe a survey or two, and Youtube abandoned channels, etc…).
"Eurobeaters" are stuck in the past? Most probably.
Even so, with every new release, I always see some new elements being tested, being slowly implemented, growing experiments into an old music style.
I like eurobeat against all odds and want to see it to the very end (if that ever happen).

[para_rigby]

Eurobeat is a rare gem, I hope it never gets main streamed, generic and popular!!!!!!!!!

The "Super Secret Treehouse of <strike>Hipster Bullshit</strike> True Fans of Real Music" mindset is the most suffocating and toxic mindset a genre's fans and publishers can have, and is perhaps the largest reason why the Eurobeat sound we know it is practically dead from pure stagnation, why producers are tired beyond the help of rest of making the stuff (if they haven't outright stopped altogether, a la Festari) and why Avex refuses to try anything that might even come close to keeping the genre alive in any sense of the word.

Long live the blasphemy and perversion of innovation, long live seeing new genres burst from the bastardized carcasses of their predecessors.

Feel free to enjoy the old style— I still do. But we (fans and Avex responding to fans) have held... not a smoking gun, that killed the genre, but the plastic bag that we put around its head to "preserve" it from breathing the "bad air" of innovation and adaptation. Yet we dare to be stunned and shocked to see it choke and gasp for air.

If something new comes from Eurobeat as a genre, as I hope it does, it will be disgusting in its irreverence. And I, for one, will welcome the God-forbidden monstrosity's form, dripping from the flesh of its former shell, with open arms. This creature will finally serve not the needs of a niche, nor of the world, but of its creators— and it will be disgusting and beautiful as such.

I'm giddy with anticipation~ Okay maybe I overdid it with the monster thing but you get the idea.

AGREE X10000! It is a dumbass thing for fans to say, "Oh noes, if eurobeat goes mainstream, it'll kill the genre!!!". The genre is dying because of that mindset. I think that some studios are really trying to reach out to the fans (again, like I mentioned, SCP & Sinclaire) who are outside of Japan. We really need to let these studios how much we appreciate their music and what we can do to help so they can continue making music. I would love to be a lyric writer for SCP, so we will have to see.

[M2-EB]

It is a dumbass thing for fans to say, "Oh noes, if eurobeat goes mainstream, it'll kill the genre!!!". The genre is dying because of that mindset. I think that some studios are really trying to reach out to the fans (again, like I mentioned, SCP & Sinclaire) who are outside of Japan. We really need to let these studios how much we appreciate their music and what we can do to help so they can continue making music. I would love to be a lyric writer for SCP, so we will have to see.

… what is eurobeat after all? EDM, isn't it? And what is mainstream EDM? In my point of view, it's pop music or profitable/marketable EDM (that ends up being pop). Again, I reiterate, eurobeat is not dying.
That is a dumbass thing for fans to say…

[para_rigby]

I think people worry about the main parts of eurobeat being taken away if it were to be too heavily influenced by other genres. Some people lamented for years about this, but eurobeat still keeps on going with its basic structure intact. So no worries there. I would certainly be glad to see how the genre can integrate other styles/influences in the future. Like I mentioned previously, studios have messed with disco, pop, rock, techno, rap, and trance in their productions. Those are the songs that tend to stick out from the rest of the eurobeat catalog because of their uniqueness.

[zoupzuop2]

Avex responding to japanese fans. I didn't see they making something for the sake of overseas fans (maybe a survey or two, and Youtube abandoned channels, etc…).
"Eurobeaters" are stuck in the past? Most probably.
Even so, with every new release, I always see some new elements being tested, being slowly implemented, growing experiments into an old music style.
I like eurobeat against all odds and want to see it to the very end (if that ever happen).

To be fair, not every Eurobeater I've met is so stuck in the 'old way' that they wouldn't be open to change. I just notice that those who DO tend to hold that view tend to hold it VERY strongly, and it's stunning to see the vitriol with which they will denounce anything that is not to their liking.

And... granted, a handful of labels have dared to try new elements in their music, but they have seldom torn the genre into exciting new directions more than once. Trance influences seem to have been the only somewhat-lasting exception, but even then it has maybe changed things dramatically a whopping once or twice. SCP's been VERY willing to dabble with the formula in a detectable way (Hanami, Welcome to the Show, Higher & Higher More & More, etc), but I've yet to see the same persistence in innovation in other labels. (This isn't to say other labels haven't tried; rather, that they don't seem to have releases that reflect these attempts as often as SCP does.)

And, I don't decry the 'old style' for any dislike of it— I love it, genuinely, dearly. Hell, most of my own releases are poor imitations of the late 1990s/early 2000s ABeatC sound at best (or bad DJ Command imitations), because I love that particular sound so much it's what I used to learn the conventions of the genre.

But with neither the permission to grow within itself nor room for engagement with and competition alongside other genres of dance, the genre's sound has had no direction in which to go, so it floats in place, neither recharging from innovation nor benefitting from its already-depleted stores of nostalgia. Even if avex DID pull a Monstercat (that is, attain non-exclusive publishing rights for tracks on a compilation and do the marketing/promotion legwork with a chunk of sales as compensation... which I think would be a strong idea to try), the sound itself would soon grow stale. Even mainstream EDM has changed more dramatically in the last four years.

There are things avex could do TODAY to actually give Super Eurobeat a fighting chance (and I say Super Eurobeat because it is, at the moment, the de-facto largest source of content for the genre, sufficiently large to drown out any possible competitors in its sphere), but I can't say with absolute certainty that it would survive without drastic changes. Compositions within the style itself are entirely possible, but it would take something new to stimulate new listeners instead of call back its existing dutiful roster, which is the genuine measurable metric for genre revival.

[para_rigby]

Zoup, a couple of questions from one long timer from to another.

1. Does eurobeat have the capacity to live outside of SEB and Avex? Like, if Avex pulled the plug on the series, do you think the labels would keep going? I'm rather torn over this future situation.

2. You talk about the lack of innovation. I completely agree with you. SCP is probably the freshest studio out there these days (I know I may get killed over this comment) due to their innovation. Sinclaire has done a particularly good job with the idea of "classic and at the same time progressive". I was worried about the label when it first hit SEB in the 180s, but Bratt has certainly won a good title. What are the pros and cons of the other labels at this point, for you? Some people really like the weird sounds of Sunfire, but I fear it is a lack of quality and creativity on Dave's part. Saifam relies on too much on half-assed female tracks nowadays (there are some exceptions). Lastly, I feel that Delta is in a major rut since Newfield left the label. Even, Clara's vocals don't excite me like they used to. Thoughts?

3. Are we starting to see a more international fanbase for eurobeat now than in Japan? I wonder at this point. There are a decent amount of fans in North America, South America, and Europe. Should the producers start catering more to the international fans? More digital releases?

4. What would you tell the labels to spice up their productions?

[jp75]

Nahhhhh, I would not want to see it mainstreamed and comercialized in every corner of the street like any other popular genre.
Eurobeat is unknown, difficult to reach, special and a rare diamond. Keep it that way!!!!!!

[para_rigby]

Nahhhhh, I would not want to see it mainstreamed and comercialized in every corner of the street like any other popular genre.
Eurobeat is unknown, difficult to reach, special and a rare diamond. Keep it that way!!!!!!

First off, do you think that eurobeat would ever go mainstream/top 40? No. Too odd of a sound to most people. What I am saying is that eurobeat needs to be progressive to survive. We're not stripping it of its structure, but it needs some new sounds to keep it fresh.

So....please. Don't keep saying the same thing over and over. We get it.

[M2-EB]

We can throw money to the labels if we want to, we can buy all of their releases - by doing that, they'll know that their fans are real and supportive; We can have direct contact with most producers, no need to be wondering this or that; Eurobeat is changing slowly it's not sounding today as it was sounding 10 years ago. In the next 10 years it'll be different too.

What eurobeat really needs to survive is less useless discussions like this one and more action.

[Vadio]

What eurobeat really needs to survive is less useless discussions like this one and more action.

Totally agree. Myself, for more little than it can be, this is what I'm doing for eurobeat: Whenever I get the chance, I'll talk about Eurobeat to a person that doesn't knows about it. If they seem interested, I'll send them a song or another...like I said, it's a veeery little thing to do, but hey, I think that each new fan is a win.

I, myself, don't know crap about composing/writing/singing, so I think I wouldn't be of much help to join the "eurobeaters". But when I'm hearing eurobeat (HRG songs, to be exact), I always feel inspired to think about a game with eurobeat OST in it. (No, not like Para-Para Paradise.) If someday I really have an idea, I'll try by all costs to get in touch with some eurobeat label out there, so they can work together and create the soundtrack. But this is just me, daydreaming again (though if I do have an idea someday, I'll be sure to go for it xD It would be good to introduce the genre to an audience that probably never heard of it, even if the vocals would probably not be present, considering it would be a "background music").

Also, I think people already did this, but, have people already tried sending messages to Avex, emails, trying to get in contact with them, or anything? Sending suggestions, idk...have people tried to do this even with some of the labels? (apart from SCP and Sinclaire that are active at social medias) (Side question: does HRG have an official page on any social media?)

But, well, I think that's what I had to talk for now...about buying releases, I'm a considerably new fan to eurobeat (I think I really started to get into it at the beginning of this year), so I don't really have made any purchases yet (I hear the songs from Youtube), but I'm seeeeriously thinking about Tornado and Friends - The Trailblazers. Would you guys recommend it? I really want "Magna el Pirana"

Now, I'm really done.

[M2-EB]

Also, I think people already did this, but, have people already tried sending messages to Avex, emails, trying to get in contact with them, or anything? Sending suggestions, idk...have people tried to do this even with some of the labels? (apart from SCP and Sinclaire that are active at social medias) (Side question: does HRG have an official page on any social media?)
(…) thinking about Tornado and Friends - The Trailblazers. Would you guys recommend it? I really want "Magna el Pirana"

People definitely had this discussion years before and all the same unchanging stuff, I bet.
Avex is really difficult to contact, don't ask me why, they won't reply. SCP and SS are active in their official pages but we have producers' personal pages also advertising stuff: Domino, Lolita and Kaioh (from Go Go's), Rimonti, Malvicino and Festari(?!) (from HRG) and Newfield (from Akyr) posting news from time to time, just to name some examples.
HRG does have an official website but it's very outdated… you can have fresh info from Rimonti himself.
I would recommend you to buy whatever release you can afford, as I said, it's good for the producers to know that their works are recognized (money-wise too).

[para_rigby]

Wish that Delta, Dima, and Sunfire were using social media a bit more. I know Dima did when DarkSky was active.