Hi-NRG & Italo Disco: Differences and Similarities?

[para_rigby]

I'm sure it's a horrible dumb question to ask, but what are the differences and similarities between these two genres? They both seemed to have obvious disco roots, but I've noticed that Italo Disco is a bit more synth heavy rather than Hi-NRG's bass line. Anyone more qualified out there to explain the genres to me. And yes, I've looked a bit into it on wikipedia, but I would like some opinions from those "old school" people.

[drnrg]

The biggest difference would be where the two originated. Italo Disco for the most part originated in Italy as stated in the name Italo- Disco. The bpms were also worlds apart. The real old school Italo Disco was very relaxed in the BPMs. Listen to songs like Radiorama- "Vampires" or Tension- "My Dream" Not even the 70s Disco was that slow.

Now Hi- NRG started out mostly in Great Britan and stemmed a bit from New Wave. The first groups that carried the name Hi- NRG were Dead Or Alive and oddly Enough Banana Ramma. With thier songs; You Spin Me Round Like A Record and Venus. These were also on heavy rotaion on New Wave stations like KROQ. They were alo quite fastin bpms when compared to Italo Disco. The name High Energy is actually first used as a style in Evelyne Thomas's song of the same name.

Bobby O; who started out as a Dee Jay in New York aslo Played a great part in the Hi NRG Movement by starting off his own label with groups like the Flirts, Girly, HotLIne, Divine and his own name. What he did was use the melody of then Popular Hi- NRG songs, like Love Spy, Two Of Hearts.. erct.. and creat his own take on the songs. Motor Cycle Madness and Saving Myself are just some examples. Listen to these. The Flirts- "Danger", Diven- "Steb By Step", Bobby O- "Suspicious Minds"

Los Angeles; if you can believe that, had a huge Hi- NRG movement in the mid 80s. I know, cuz I lived it as a Dee jay and promoting such bands like Barduex, Tyrants In Therapy,Sabby Rayas, who produced Stop. Cover Girls... as well as other European groups, such as Tapps, People Like Usm Latin Lover and we all know who Fony de Wulf is, right? All these bands palyed at Casa Camino Real. The Club were I worked as Dancer, promoter and someTIMEs ,Dee Jay.

Freestyle actually started out as a hybrid of Hi- NRG. Listen to the first classics, like Fantasy Girl and Point Of No Return, Tell It To My Heart. very Heavy on synths, and still vert melodical like Hi NRG was known to be. Fantasy Girl is actually a lot faster in BPMs than most Hi NRG songs of the era.
The funny thing. that by the late 80s ; Hi NRG was loosing ground on clubs, so they remaned it Freestyle and quickly catagorized "Fantasy Girl" and "Show Me"- from the cover Girls into that genre.

I don't know too much about Italo Disco's history, since I was introduced to that style only when I started buying vinyl from TIME, Saifam and Flea labels, but uponhearing the real Old School sound songs that I mentioned in the first paragrapg; I can safley say, That I also hear from strong New Wave roots in there. Before the term ERurobeat came to existence, 90s Italo was still called Hi Energy. Many of Saifam's songs made direct connection to Popular Hi Energy songs. Mr. Black "Macho Man" samples Pete Burns from Dead Or Alive and "Passion" carries the title "Like A Bobby O" remix. Toby Ash also had a song aptly titles "Hi Energy"

Actually the differences are few, but somehow you just know when you hear the songs. Eurobeat, For its most part ,is just Italo Disco on speed and with many added basslines, but if you slowdown ;even songs like Garcon"Batman Is Bruce Wayne" to match Alphatown- "Japan Japan" or even Robert Stone- "Buring Heart", you will notice that they mix beautifully in the break and Itros.

I guess eveyone will have thier own opinions, but having lived through most of High Energy's peak era,That's how I catagorize the differences between the two styles.

Hope it helps you a bit and also listen to some of those songs I mentioned, so you can make your own assumptions as well.