To Long Time Listeners...

Everything that is eurobeat can be discussed here.
Akira
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Post by Akira » 08 Jul 2014, 18:34

I'm not the best person to talk about the "evolution" of eurobeat sound since I got into eurobeat during the SEB 210s and therefore I have not "lived" this evolution. But I have listened almost every SEB album and have noticed this change.

Being so "new" to the genre I prefer the poppy-trancy tracks mainly by SCP. Most of them are actually the ones that got me into eurobeat! I especially think they're doing their best this year, experimenting with tracks such as Welcome To The Show or Higher Higher More and More. I enjoy that their songs never get too "heavy-sounding" or too tiring to listen to (the fact that they're shorter than other tracks also contributes to this!) I also agree with their approach of focusing on the artist and providing digital releases.

I miss the old GoGos Music too, Sandro was an awesome producer.

I also tended to like Asia/BBB from a few years ago but now most of their tracks are just generic. Same goes for Dima (which is one of my favourite labels from the SEB 190s~210s period).

About Hi NRG Attack, I don't like when their tracks got "dirty" during the mid-2000s era. I love most of their mid/late-90s and early-2000s tracks, though. Now I sort of like their new tracks, but most of them sound too filled with sound for me. I like their synths and stuff, but to me the mix is just TOO heavy.

And most of the people from this forum may hate me for this, but I've never been a fan of either Delta or SinclaireStyle. I obviously like some of their tracks (My Body Sweat or the old SS tracks, for example), but for the most part they don't hype me.

Finally, A-Beat-C was sort of a good label during the mid-2000s but then they became SunFire, which is as I see in this forum, everybody's favourite label *irony*
Amateur indie eurobeat producer. Check out my music here! https://soundcloud.com/super-nova-473010963

WinterdrivE
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Post by WinterdrivE » 08 Jul 2014, 23:02

^ If it makes you feel any better, I'm not much of a fan of New!Delta (post Capaldi) or Sinclaire Style either. They both have their moments, but lately, as a whole I haven't been too fond of them.

If I were to break it down label by label as some others have, I think I'd pretty much agree with most of the sentiments above.

That and I wanted one more opportunity to stress the fact that ABeatC/SunFire went straight down the toilet after Oliva left. so far down the toilet they're at the waste management facility. I'd say they own it, but that implies that something better than sewage is being produced. OK, OK, I just really wanted to get that jab in. They're not quite that bad sorta... They have their moments too; they're just fewer and further between. Like... once a year... maybe...

Also, I'm really disappointed that Gogo's has become an SCP clone. Not that I dislike SCP (its my favorite label of the 220s, actually) but I also liked Gogo's, and I'd much rather have the extra diversity.

Like others have said, Dima's been pretty generic and yawn-worthy lately. Although, there're a few 220s Dima releases that give me hope. I thought Dance Eurobeat and Dancing on the Street were pretty good. Also, (tangent time!) why the love for Fever of Love? Its not just this thread, but I've seen it mentioned elsewhere as well. I've never had an actual desire to listen to that song beyond the first time, which was only by merit of the fact that I hadn't heard it before. Granted, after hearing Speed Demon and Emotions, I'm really disappointed in any less of an impressive vocal performance from her. But I don't find the music/compisition that exciting either. I don't hate it, but there's nothing about it that makes me wanna come back.

Echoing Akira's comment, I'm not too fond of HRG's recent changes either. Its hard to explain, buts its lost/losing that bouncy quirkiness that really made HRG for me. "Heavy" really is a good word for it, though.

Saifam I was never a big fan of, so to me its still just 'eh' as per usual.

SCP, well, like I said, they've been my favorite label of the 220s. So far, Higher Higher More and More is the only recent SCP song I really can't stand.

Shawaazu
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Post by Shawaazu » 09 Jul 2014, 00:46

TIME: Best era Dima & Luca Pernici writing era.

A-Beat C: Best era 1997 - 2004-ish

Delta: Best era 1997 - 2004-ish

Hi-NRG Attack: Best era late Eurobeat Flash, early Euromach.

SAIFAM: Best era 2006

Dima: Best era, pre SEB 200.

SCP: They are pretty good whenever.

Gogo's: Best era: SEB 179 - SEB 218.

Sinclairestyle: Consistantly good so far with a few missteps.

Great era for most if not all labels: 3.5 boom era (SEB 120 to 150).

eXtaticus
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Post by eXtaticus » 09 Jul 2014, 01:15

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para_rigby
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Post by para_rigby » 09 Jul 2014, 03:26

I'll put my thoughts in on the studios:

SUNFIRE: Since there was the A-BEAT C / GGM split, much creativity was lost in the process. Sunfire productions sound very empty and the synths and melodies are much left to be desired. Dave sounds unenthusiastic, Futura/Oceania are shrill and unlikable, and Rich Hard's accent is one I cannot get past. Feels like Dave is just doing music now because he feels obligated.

SCP: They have been a favourite of mine since I started listening to the genre. I feel like they are the one studio that is consistently evolving, experimenting, and growing. Their songs have definitely been more complex and full this decade. I love that they communicate with fans and have digital releases. They've also released such a massive amount of hits over the past 5 years, IMHO.

DELTA: Oh, my lamenting about the changes that went on with production once Newfield left. Like others, I feel that Capaldi's productions are bland and generic. The synths used sound very much the same and melodies are uninspired. The last great Delta song was Go Shinkansen. Really wish they would use new synth sounds.

HI-NRG ATTACK: The Italo-disco sounds from the early 200s were unique, but they were not my cup of tea. They have had a fair share of good songs since then like "Magic of Sunshine", "Kool Kitten", and "Cactus Man". They are really capable of fun songs, but they are few and far between. I cannot hate on them for experimenting with new sounds. I loved their early Eurobeat Flash songs.

SINCLAIRE STYLE: I was initially unsure of the early releases back in the 180s, but they have grown on me tremendously. As others have said, Sinclaire is good at balance the old with the new. He's always been about fun synths and melodies. Dejo and Roberta are great vocalists. I wish we could have more vocalists than the 4 or 5 we have there right now. It seems that the studio is winning over eurobeaters with each release. And it does not hurt that it is the only studio still producing hyper techno.

DIMA: Oh, no. I feel REALLY mixed about this studio. They started out with such a strong opening in the 180s and 190s, but I feel the songs sound the same--especially with David. And with the absence of Alexy/Kate Rush, the studio's roster seems bare. We've only been getting generic David songs and this Ultraviolet gal that I don't much care for. I bet if this used some influences from his time with Vibration, we could get new ideas to play with.

GGM: Where did you go?! Like others, things have fallen apart for this studio. Where did Lolita, Mega NRG Man, Betty Beat, Georgia V., and the rest of the gang go? They started off incredibly strong, but with so many vocalists gone, it's sad to see how things are moving. On the other hand, I do appreciate that Ritmo & Blu are letting the name be used in their studio. Interested to see where they go from her. MORE ELENA, PLEASE!

SAIFAM: They were so good in the 160s, IMO. This was their hayday on SEB. We had Lupin, Milk & Coffea, Ken, Mark, etc. with some killer songs. Now, it seems we got some horrible speed bullshit in the 210s and a plethora of okay songs from the ladies this decade (Wildside song FTW). Would like to see more effort put into their songs.

LASTLY: I really do wonder what eurobeat's future holds. Many of the producers that made the genre awesome have passed, moved on, or are MIA. I don't know if I can really see the series getting to 300. I remain optimistic besides that point. I would love to see SEB invite indie artists to be showcased or have some inclusion of J-EURO produces like DJ COMMANDO. We shall see...

drnrg
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Post by drnrg » 09 Jul 2014, 07:05

I can say that I enjoy all labels depneding on thier performance on each cd. back when TIME was on the series, I was very Bias towards anything they released. It did and still does sound supirior to any other label. Thier sound might have changed, but even with each different Producer at the helm, TIME still had a certain Italo feel that just meshed perfectly with what I craved for in Eurobeat.

Now adays I jump from label to label. On one cd HRG Attack might be my fav, on another, it might be Sun Fire. Lately its been DELTA that;s getting my blood pumped. A few volumed back I was crazy for Sinclaire. It just varies with me. So much to the point, where Pamasy songs are sounding a lot better to me.

So was TIME/Eurobeat's departure a horrid thing, Yes it was, to the point that I will always miss them tremondouzly, but at the same TIME, I didn't think I would still be this into the new era of Eurobeat. So it goes both ways.

In the end, I will always concider the pinnacle of each label when they first began, or better yet when I was introduced to them.

TIME= late 80s -Early 90s to HRG Attack production team era.

Eurogrooves= As far as I'm concerned Dall Ora was incapable of producing a bad track. and a master at Eurobeat song intros and breaks.

ABeatC= The very beginng when Gino wss involved and when they still had that FLEA records style. NRG Boys- Heart & Body remains my favourite ABeatC record.

Sun Fire Consistant ly good writing. I believe he saves the best tracks for himslef. ex: 1 Fire, Fire Dragon, but he really doesn't have a choice, since his rostre is so small. More singers= more scucess.

Vibration= When Gino caria was involved in the composing and vocal works.

DELTA= the very beginning. Newfield was gold to Italo/Eurobeat.

SCP= The very beginning and the era that introduced Jay Lehr.

HRG Attack= First exception. I love them continuously for thier Dead Or Alive inspired melodies, but that short lived Italo revival really got me lost in my Italo zone.

Sinclaire Style - I barely really started getting into his post DELTA production. I really hated the first productions that sounded like produced underwater.

GGMs= For me they havnt been consistant. I'll like one Mega NRG Song, but then would hate the next release. Thier female sung songs are few and rare that I will play nowadays. It would probobly boil down to a stellar Domino track.


but most of these labels fall pale compared to my true love for the late 80s and early 90s ITALO NRG Eurobeat

FLEA
HIGH ENERGY
DISCO ENERGY
EUROBEAT
ASIA
FCF
RADIORAMA
STIL NUVO

and TIME records who started before all those and surpassed them.

jeurobeat
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Post by jeurobeat » 09 Jul 2014, 18:55

All current labels still make good songs once in a while, Sinclaire being my favorite since he started at A beat C. However, I could write a long post on this subject as well, but this pretty much sums it all up:
drnrg wrote:but most of these labels fall pale compared to my true love for the late 80s and early 90s ITALO NRG Eurobeat

FLEA
HIGH ENERGY
DISCO ENERGY
EUROBEAT
ASIA
FCF
RADIORAMA
STIL NUVO

and TIME records who started before all those and surpassed them.
Of the labels still producing, to me Asia, A beat C were at their best in the late 80s and early 90s.

Mindsweeper
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Post by Mindsweeper » 09 Jul 2014, 23:42

A few people have mentioned that older eurobeat was simpler and had less things going on. I don't think this is true though. I bought the multitrack stems for Doctor Love and Stop Your Self-Control (before they mysteriously disappeared from tradebit :P), and there were buttloads of layers, it was just as dense, if not more dense, as modern eurobeat.

I believe the reason older stuff doesn't sound as crowded is because audio engineers didn't brickwall and smash the poor things to death back then. The loudness war is especially unforgiving to a busy genre like eurobeat, there's just too much stuff going on to justify squashing it so much.

I've been hearing some clipping grossness on a lot of SCP lately (The filter sweep in the latter half of Welcome to the Show was super bad). Basically every Delta production in recent years has some nasty fuzzy sizzling on the high ends, and I can't even feel the kicks properly in a lot of songs anymore.

Hopefully this obsession with loudness will die down soon.

drnrg
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Post by drnrg » 10 Jul 2014, 00:43

Mindsweeper
A few people have mentioned that older eurobeat was simpler and had less things going on. I don't think this is true though. I bought the multitrack stems for Doctor Love and Stop Your Self-Control (before they mysteriously disappeared from tradebit Razz), and there were buttloads of layers, it was just as dense, if not more dense, as modern eurobeat.

I believe the reason older stuff doesn't sound as crowded is because audio engineers didn't brickwall and smash the poor things to death back then. The loudness war is especially unforgiving to a busy genre like eurobeat, there's just too much stuff going on to justify squashing it so much.

I've been hearing some clipping grossness on a lot of SCP lately (The filter sweep in the latter half of Welcome to the Show was super bad). Basically every Delta production in recent years has some nasty fuzzy sizzling on the high ends, and I can't even feel the kicks properly in a lot of songs anymore.

Hopefully this obsession with loudness will die down soon.
That's an excellent observation. You realize that is what killed vinyl. The sound was just becomming too distorted because of the heavy layering of the new Eurobeat craze. Towards the end Boom Boom and HRG Attack maxis just sounded terrible. The melodies and vocals were lost to that loudness war.

#Infinity
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Post by #Infinity » 10 Jul 2014, 17:51

I only briefly mentioned all of the labels earlier in this thread. Here's a case by case overview of my impressions:

Sunfire - While not as drearily produced and uninspired as A-Beat C in the late 170's and 180's decades, this label's more recent songs have been primarily mediocre. Its biggest weakness is probably its excessive focus on female aishu songs, utilizing weak-voiced artists like Futura and Norma Sheffield on a constant basis. Even Rich Hard, who sounded so effective on the aggressive Pirates, has performed nothing but slower tracks as of late, and they've gotten progressively weaker over time. Rodgers' own Into the Sunrise was excellent, but I wish smashing hits like this were more common. Although I've come to adore Mickey B.'s Miss You, I can easily tell that it was made in 2008, based on the instrumentation and just that Mickey's brief comeback at A-Beat C was during that time.

Delta - While probably one of the stronger remaining labels on the series, Delta has been severely lacking in terms of musical variety. Morris Capaldi has been the only remaining producer for quite some time now, and he's been maintaining the exact same instrumentation style since late 2007. Although I flat out love tracks like The Jungle Is On Fire, Dreamers, and One Shiny Day, I do still miss the label's huge range of artists and producers from during the 170's and 180's.

Hi-NRG Attack - This label has not fared well into the 200's century. Recalling my list of post-2000 eurobeat anthems, there hasn't been a single major standout to come out of the studio since Moo Moo Dollars in February 2007 (Bomba comes close). Back around the late 90's and early 2000's, HRG was actually one of the best-produced and most musically advanced labels in existence. Ever since they began taking things in a lighter, more synthesized direction in 2005, that magic has slowly dissipated. These days, it feels like they've lost much of their own identity, either toying with different genres in an attempt to stay original or just rehashing the same old schtick. Often, I'll enjoy some of their songs for the first few listens, but their replay value is almost always horrible. Nothing in recent years vachieves the staying power of their earlier classics.

SCP - In my opinion, the most overrated label, at least in recent years. Even though many of their newer songs are quite strong, especially Hot Hot Racin' Car, the two Bliss songs, and The Element of Fire, a great chunk of their material just seems really forgettable, in my opinion. Many people praise the for still being fresh, but while their broad roster of vocalists and varied productions do often pay off, the melodic structures lack the staying power of their pre-SEB 200 material. I also don't enjoy the thinner synths and more heavily compressed beats, both of which contribute to its relatively hollow sound in recent years.

Dima - Oh dear. No label has fallen from grace quite as quickly as Dima Music. Despite turning out some groundbreaking classics in the 180's, 190's, and, to a lesser degree, the 200's, it feels like the writers here haven gotten increasingly bored of producing music and now just recycle every trope from Dima's earlier creations, minus that extra spark. Even though SEB 221 was a pretty good album for the label (I also like Flying Free, even though the lyrics don't fit the production), the 220's have otherwise seen them hit a new low, with very few tracks that even qualify as decent.

SinclaireStyle - Sort of a tale of two SinclaireStyles. On one hand, Leonardi's male tracks have been consistently stellar in recent years, recapturing much of the same energy that worked so gloriously in the late 1990's, while at the same time toying with more progressive instrumentation and musical structures. On the other side, however, the label's female-led tracks have been mostly unimpressive for several years now. Melodically, they tend to be very soft and light, which meshes lousily with the label's firm, synthy production. Roberta always seem to drown out amidst all of the chaos surrounding her vocals.

Saifam - I appreciate Maura Farina for at least writing original material again after producing almost nothing but covers throughout the 200's and 210's, but as with most labels these days, Asia Records has sounded rather stale in general. They were at the pinnacle of musical creativity from 1999 through 2006, but after that, they've honestly never sounded the same since. Hurry Hurry Hurry was good, but I still miss the plethora of incredible male tracks like Hi Hi Mazinga, Dream of You, and Disco Energy.

GGM - To be fair, this label was already starting to decline a bit around the 210's, but their productions in the 220's are pretty hit and miss. Disregarding the fact that they sound almost indistinguishable from SCP now, some of their tracks have been quite impressive (Sunlight, Manga Style, and Far From the Light), while others are marred by terribly incoherent melodic construction (Just Say Yeah, Bad Girl, and Ready to Love). I think this label would sound a lot more balanced if Sandro Oliva and Elena Gobbi were still present alongside Domino and her son.
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drnrg
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Post by drnrg » 11 Jul 2014, 04:54

@infinty's review.

Agree on most counts. Especially DELTA. You even chose 3 of my favs and they sound really super. I also wish the classic "Turbo Disco" intro was retired a bit for a more fresher sound.
but what got me was on HRG Attack. I can't recall you ever going crazy for thier male sung tracks, but guess you really must be getting bored, cuz I remember a a few years back the praise you were giving some of the Ciao Ciao tracks. Even to a point where you charted "The Magic of Sunshine" higher than me on a year end list. "Together" was another Ciao Ciao hit you liked a lot. I guess you havn't gotten back to those as of late?

#Infinity
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Post by #Infinity » 11 Jul 2014, 12:20

drnrg wrote:but what got me was on HRG Attack. I can't recall you ever going crazy for thier male sung tracks, but guess you really must be getting bored, cuz I remember a a few years back the praise you were giving some of the Ciao Ciao tracks. Even to a point where you charted "The Magic of Sunshine" higher than me on a year end list. "Together" was another Ciao Ciao hit you liked a lot. I guess you havn't gotten back to those as of late?
Those two songs are definitely among the better tracks Hi-NRG Attack has put out since 2007, but I wouldn't consider them masterpieces per se, as I do Moo Moo Dollars. Other recent HRG songs that I really like but don't completely adore include:

Back in Danger / Jeff Driller
Bomba / Franz Tornado and the Bombardier Girls
Kiss Me Now / Baby Gold
Bang Bang Crashing of the Boom Boom / Ciao Ciao
Matrioska Niet Katiuska / Mad Cow & the Nevski Avenue Girls
Tom Tom Go! / Mara Nell
I Am A Liar / Lilly
Hard To Say I'm Sorry / Michelle Rose
Make Me Wonder / Lilly

That may seem like a fairly large list, but if this was for tracks produced in, say, 2001 to 2004, then it would be significantly longer. Also, that period has far more songs that to me, like Moo Moo Dollars, are not just great, but phenomenal.
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eXtaticus
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Post by eXtaticus » 11 Jul 2014, 17:43

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Last edited by eXtaticus on 19 Dec 2017, 23:45, edited 1 time in total.

drnrg
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Post by drnrg » 12 Jul 2014, 04:13

#Infinity
Make Me Wonder / Lilly
Great song. It may interest you to know, that that particular song was soley produced by Nick Festari. Musical arrangemnets,mixing and vocals.

#Infinity
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Post by #Infinity » 12 Jul 2014, 07:41

drnrg wrote:#Infinity
Make Me Wonder / Lilly
Great song. It may interest you to know, that that particular song was soley produced by Nick Festari. Musical arrangemnets,mixing and vocals.
Elisabetta Gagliardi sang the track, though?
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