Super Eurobeat 217

[WNight]

01. Up & Dance, Up & Go / Lou Master (9.5)
My favourite SCP song so far - and without a doubt, SCP's 2011 song to outdo, which I highly doubt since we're only left with 218. The moment I heard this track, I was literally taken off guard. For the most part, I do agree that the SCP male tracks tend to stay in their own comfort zone most of the time, but this one feels very different. For me, this song is pretty much twice the red bull and adrenaline as compared to the typical male SCP song, which is right up my alley. My only gripe with this song is that it should be the euroextended version featured, which I heard featured improved intro, outro and middle section, something this SEB version desperately needs. Other than that, this is a solid SCP male track that would remain in my playlist for quite a while.

02. Disconnected / Hotblade (9)
The only reason I would rate this below Up & Dance, Up & Go, is because this track has even worse small details - there's barely an intro to speak of, and the middle section is sub-par at best. Complaints aside, this is also another SCP track that is sure to stay in my playlist for a while. It's melody is phenomenal, and I think that vocalwork wise, this is easily Hotblade's best performance to date. I had initially thought that I would burn out on this song after a week or so, but it's still going strong even after 2 weeks. Now, if only the euroextended version was featured, I could see this song setting the roads ablaze.

03. Sun Fire / Dave & Futura (9)
I don't consider myself a duet guy by any means, but man was this beyond good. While most of the Dave & X duets seem like it was produced at halved effort, this song seemed more like 120%. It allows me some possibilities I otherwise wouldn't give much thought to as far as duets are concerned. We (Or perhaps I), have already established the fact that wonderful small details are a signature feature of Sun Fire songs, so I probably don't have to touch on those any further. The melody is a hark back into Dance In My Town territory, only with a slightly more appealing sound to it courtesy of the Sun Fire style production. This is in my opinion, the perfect track to have by your side when you need a song to better your mood, and without any hesitation, my top Dave & Futura track so far. Now, with the end of the year nearing, it would be perfect if the both of them had a solo track each doing what they do best on 218, I am keeping my fingers crossed!

04. Rocketman / Mega NRG Man (8.5)
The verses are pretty forgettable, but the rest of the song fortunately aren't. This song doesn't push any new boundaries for Tomas himself, but somehow or another, I still enjoy his songs a lot. Overall, solid stuff.

05. Forget My Heart / Marika (7) - Not as good as Stay With Me but still a pretty decent song.
06. The Top / Ken Blast (7) - Very standard Delta presentation, with a few slightly more interesting elements but that's about it. Best KB song so far though.
07. You're Amazing / Norma Sheffield (6) - Best Norma song ever, and mostly because it has that Sun Fire style production.
08. Every Heart Wanna Fly / Irene (5) - One of Irene's weakest entries in my opinion.
09. Rock My Heart / Roberta (4) - Yet another dull song after the equally dull No Turning Back.
10. Dance Boom Boom / Tipsy & Tipsy (4) - Not a bad song actually, but seriously now, enough covers.
11. The Dark Side Of Your Moon / Dee Dee (3) - Easily the worst Dima sung track I've heard this year.
12. Flying Over The Sky / Jungle Bill (3) - Overly wacky, not really my cup of tea.
13. Touch Me / Nikita Jr (1) - Ah sweet, sweet low-NRGs. This track makes me nauseous, period.
14. Feel The Magic / Sally (1) - Horrible vocals and an entirely forgettable melody. Need I say more? One of the worst Dima Music track this year.

[EurothunderNL]

Eurothunder's Top 10 SEB 217:

01 NIKITA JR touch me
02 MARICA forget my heart
03 LOU MASTER up & dance, up & go
04 IRENE every heart wanna fly
05 SALLY feel the magic
06 HOT BLADE disconnected
07 KEN BLAST the top
08 ROBERTA rock my heart
09 HELENA lonely night (healing vers)
10 MEGA NRG MAN rocket man

[drnrg]

Dr. NRG’s Super Eurobeat 217 review
TIME to review the latest SEB. I also threw in a few vinyl covers to give it my own personal touch.



1.) Ken Blast - The Top (Delta music industry)
The cd starts off with the much awaited return of one of Eurobeat’s most dynamic new comers; Ken Blast. In my own way, I have always kind of compared Ken’s vocal delivery to that of Christian De Leo of Eurogroove’s records. On this; his third SEB showing, I am more convinced than ever. Not only for the obvious attitude of “I am The Game”, but also for providing the genre with a most needed boost to push it on through the decade of the 2000s. Not only, the genre, but also the Delta label itself has suddenly started to produce immediate memorable material once more. This new Ken Blast song spares no prisoners. It’s exactly what I would call a mega powerful Synth fest. The intro, which for me is an integral part of the song, has all the magic a DELTA song can provide. Not necessarily a long intro, but the melody and especially, the added piano give it that epic feel which readies the listener for what is in store as the track commences. Epicness, Power and everything that will push a record to the top. Instantly catchy verses and chorus is only the tip of the iceberg, because this song provides one of the best spoken breakdowns I have ever witnessed in a Eurobeat song. There is a Gino Caria song which does something similar, that I can’t recall now, but it gives me that same feeling of epic bliss. Some members have complained that Travis has gone a little overboard with his ego oozing lyrics and vocal delivery, but I say, all the power to him. To call yourself “the game” is certainly risqué, but for me it’s almost a given that Eurobeat music should be delivered in this fashion. Let’s face it; The genre is up against a multitude of various other dance genre’s and to have survived this long has to be about attitude. Attitudes that past masters like Caria, Pasquinni, Bonnini and De Leo have served up in the past. I’m actually glad to be including Travis; Ken Blast ,in such said list and I myself am a little jealous that it’s not me taking the chances and doing what Travis is doing for the genre. It’s one of those songs that anyone can relate to his/her life and be inspired. It’s all about taking chances and standing up for what you believe. I can only hope or; should I say, wait patiently for Ken’s next epic showing. Need I add that “The Top” has a picture perfect outro as well. I’m definitely on board with the majority of the E.P community in saying that “The Top” is certainly Ken’s best track to date.
10/10



2.) Roberta- Rock My Heart (Sinclaire Style)
To put a Sinclaire track next to a DELTA brings back old TIMEs. Not only has Bratt almost discarded those wimpy screamy synths from his first tracks since the launching of SS records. Remember that “Too Young to Fall in Love” remake? He also brought back the classic 90s melodies to his songs I admit that I have really liked his last songs from this past year. I think Bonnini gave the label that much needed power boost to inspire Sinclaire to also start producing much more memorable songs for his female vocalists. Roberta Grana is certainly no stranger to Eurobeat, but I believe she finally found a perfect vehicle to showcase her abilities with this track. The intro; a very essential part of the Eurobeat song structure uses a synth effect that I instantly adored. Clashing those aishu style synths with Sinclaire’s monster man effects that he used on Bon’s “Toy for Love”, is a complete give away that this will not be an aishu song, but rather a powerful one. Another aspect his female vocalists have probably been waiting for him to produce for them. The song takes a few listens to get into it’s groove, but take another listen and hear that it’s actually quite worthy to sit alongside female sung classics like “Yesterday” and I dare say “Heartbeat”. There really isn’t anything missing to say this is not an instant Sinclaire classic and yet you still wish it had that one last ingredient. I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that’s all it needed for me to give it just one grade higher. Perhaps a break down in the middle like Cherry’s “Give Me the Night”? Something really musically aggressive to really clash with the aishu style synths in the riffs; which ;in my honest opinion, is just a tad overused in the middle of the song. Or maybe a cut & paste job of the intro, but played with a little, so it wouldn’t sound exactly the same? Still; that last accapela –like verse; where the music is dropped and Roberta is accompanied only by percussion effects, is very special and one of my favourite parts of the song. I’ve actually debuted it early on my top 40 list, because I believe it can grow on me in these upcoming months. I also give it heavy airplay for that magical intro, which I wish Sinclair had brought back one more TIME as a breakdown. Let's hope for more Sinclaire power in the future.
+8/10

3.) Sally- Feel the Magic (Dima Music)
We are Up to one of two Dima Tracks on the cd. Could AVEX be growing just a little tired with Dima’s aishu Style or is Dima himself a little off on this track? The point being, that this cd is certainly all about the speed and power and this song just gets left in the wind. I love Dima, but this song has to be one of his most immediate forgettable and uninspired sounding offerings ever. It baffles me how it made the cut? The intro is almost nonexistent and I couldn’t pickout anything remotely interesting about it. I can usually pick up on an epic vibe in one of Dima’s songs by the intro alone, but this TIME my gage was on bland. The riff sounds a bit promising and I’m sure would be more effective on another song. It’s actually the only part I like. Actually, the bridge to the chorus is pretty decent too. That and the hand clap here and there, but that’s about the only life the song breaths into me. The vocalist; Sally, sounds very drowned out during the verses and almost uninterested to sing at all. Dima can usually produce an exiting female sung aishu song, so I don’t know what happened here? He was definitely not channeling songs like “Wonder Woman Dream” nor the epic “Sunrise, You’ll Always Be Alive” cause this song sounds kinda dead in my honest opinion. I also haven’t read any members praising it, so I doubt it was anyone’s standout track off the cd? All I can say is thank goodness Dima has another showing on this cd.
-6/10



4.) Hotblade- Disconnected (SCP)
One of SCPs newest members is next on the cd and what a hell of a track he has a chance to showcase. First off; rather than to complain about the 3:56 minuet track actually appearing on the cd; I’ll just pretend it never existed and review instead the mind blowing proper extended from iTunes downloads. This version has all the ingredients of old school Eurobeat that I have been craving since the last Christian De Leo song graced the Super Eurobeat series. So let’s get down to the nitty gritty as I declare it my new Favorite song off the collection. Hotblade; is definitely the next incarnation of SCP’s former King 'O' Beats, Fastway. SCP has other very talented vocalists, but Hotblade sounds like the new improved Fastway for the 2000s. Hotbalde; As his name suggests ,is a blade and on fire. Like a Flaming sword slicing through all the Eurobeat sound waves. So fast and powerful that he literally disco-necks and leaves his peers behind in the dust. There was a Fastway classic; not “Number One”, but “Shock Out” or something along those lines, that when I first heard in extended version left my speakers on fire. That’s the effect I got when I played this version on my stereo last night. Let’s start off with the intro. SCP is not known for particularly long intros, but for the most part, they do inject a lot of power onto the song. This intro goes about 10 notches over the usual SCP intro effect and introduces the listener to an instantly catchy riff. No rehash job, but a style I can recall hearing in some Blast label songs. Very effective and speedy. His vocal delivery is somewhat “Screamy”, but it took a few listens and Bore’s praising to actually come to terms with the fact; that this is Hotblade and he wouldn’t sound effective in any other way. The way he emphasizes on each syllable in the chorus is also one of the reasons I love Eurobeat ‘s male singers. I got no beef with hearing “Disco- Neck- Ted”. Let’s face it; if he would pronounce the word as is should be, then it would sound bland and boring. Hotblade’s take on the word is Eurobeat at its peak to my listening pleasure and the reason why the chorus is so effective. So with that out of the way; I can safely say this is my favorite track of the bunch and the reason is not even showcased on the actual cd. That reason being the break. I don’t know, but this song features one of the most ear catching effects on a breakdown ever from any other SCP song. It’s all according to the Disconnected title of the song. To best describe them; I would say some Mega Amp sounds turned up to the max sounding like R2 D2 on speed whistling at some female robot. I don’t know, but it’s so fucking cool that I could listen to that breakdown all day. Reminds me of Joe Banana’s “I’m Your Gangster”‘s breakdown, or better yet that awesome complete breakdown of music from Go2’s song on SEB 197. The rest of the song is as great as an Aggressive Eurobeat song can be. SCP spares no shout outs as one is used at the end of everyline. They even stuck in a Kika and Fancy style shout out right before the chorus. Everything is just so over the top, but perfect sounding at the same TIME; that U just know ,SCP was gearing this song as a shot of adrenaline to shake the Eurobeat crowd out of the Italo trance we were in a few discs back. Still a nice trance to be put in, but damn this song blows your freaking mind from start to finish. This is the “Number One” reason why I prefer extended versions and this song has provided me with one of best old school extended in years. And for all those complaining that an extended is nothing more than a cut and paste job, I’m pretty sure SCP has just proved you all wrong.
10+++/10

Guess I’ll take a page out of the current reviewing style and do a few songs at a TIME as well. Up next ,The song that got toppled off the top spot upon hearing Hotblade’s “Disco- Nected” extended version, SunFire’s record label anthem song, that maybe should have taken a page from “Louder and Faster”, The return of the Nikita Jr. twins(haha) and maybe it’s TIME for Saifam to hang it up? All this, on the next round of Dr. NRG’s SEB 217 review.

[Vadim]

Doc here really puts the point down.

Just the points:

Logical next step for eurobeat teams (DIMA, GGM and SCP) is to go back to SEB 170-180-s melodies and styles…

To SCP: Pamsy all the way……if not by herself, then bring back these powerfull melancholic melodies of Pamsy times…!

DIMA music:

Aleky as a singer is sadly now gone from eurobeat…but different female vocalists can continue such a good old style at DM…DM had awesome style with Desiree and Aleky and it is a right thing to get back to that.


DELTA, HRG, SinclaireStyle are presently on a right track with their female productions.

[Jay]

Sally is more like a BUBBLE GUM style which is excessively cheesy in melodies.
It has nothing to do with real and powerfull Aishu Eurobeat like Desiree or Norma Sheffield.

Infinity calls these BUBBLE GUM influenced disasters of Heather and Sally a *drunken aishu* style.
…Right on, sister..!!

If you don't like 'Feel the Magic' because you think it sounds shit, then say that, but don't hate the song because you can't figure out whether this is 'bubblegum', 'real aishu', or whatever (what the fuck is 'real aishu' anyway?).

[Vadim]

. Is it so hard to fathom that a song can borrow elements from a range of styles/genres and still be classified as 'eurobeat'?

We have to be tough on this issue cuz there only one eurobeat compilation left on this planet..so it must be a fair eurobeat game...Eurobeat as any other kind of music has it's boundaries...

you or anybody else seriously doubting whether Vibration's songs were 'eurobeat' or not. If you don't like 'Feel the Magic' because you think it sounds shit, then say that, but don't hate the song because you can't figure out whether this is 'eurobeat', 'real aishu', or whatever (what the fuck is 'real aishu' anyway?).

It was not about Sally being eurobeat or not...cuz this song IS EUROBEAT...
it is more about DM producing a superior and more authentic eurobeat style which gets a much higher fan prefference.

Btw, Sally song in itself actually was not too good either...

[Jay]

I'm not expecting everybody to like everything that's released on SEB, but even if you may not like Dima's bubblegum material, Vadim, the fact that the labels are diversifying and giving us a range of material to listen to is something that should be admired, not assaulted. That bubblegum style of music from Dima isn't new either, by the way. Vibration was renowned for it.

It's sad. Whenever producers incorporate other styles/genres into their music and try new things out, it's met with such vehemence from the fans that it forces the labels back into their comfort zone. We're seeing that happen with HRG right now; they're going back to that overdone wacky style because hardly anybody enjoys their slower material. SCP

[Vadim]

Vibration was renowned for it.

Vibration stuff you may be reffering to was a very different style..

It's sad. Whenever producers incorporate other styles/genres into their music and try new things out, it's met with such vehemence from the fans that it forces the labels back into their comfort zone.

It's inevitable that not everything which is tried can and will work...
To note, SEB 170-180 was such a great success in fan popularity cuz SCP did experiment on it with Pamsie e.t.c. The difference is that Pamsie style experiment was a success on all levels....

We're seeing that happen with HRG right now; they're going back to that overdone wacky style because hardly anybody enjoys their slower material

.

Actually, it was the fans that got HRG to produce the slow style in the first place. Just say *magic of sunshine* and you'll see what a crowd of that tune's fans will arise... Id say that HRG gets a rather strong support from here for their slow female style... Wacky style is back only by a popular demand cuz ppl missed wacky male aliases...Females will still remain italo style, hopefully...so we don't loose the good female italo style in gaining something different for male HRG side.

[para_rigby]

We're seeing that happen with HRG right now; they're going back to that overdone wacky style because hardly anybody enjoys their slower material.

My issue with HRG was that when they were doing their wacky vibe on tracks like that "Internet Killled The Eurobeat Star" it had gone to the point of ridiculously squeaky vocals and almost random sounding synths. Once they went to slower productions it was okay for the time being. Many of us fell in love with their material from Euromach and Eurobeat Flash. Those were great times (and can't forget their titles from the 140s-170s!).

On another note, people here are now complaining that SCP doesn't sound like it did even a few years ago. Where's Pamsy, they say. I remember clearly that back in the day people did nothing but constantly lament the use of trance sounds in a eurobeat song. Bitched then, want now. Ironic?

[jeurobeat]

Bitched then, want now. Ironic?

No, because I don't think the people complaining about the trance style (like the doc and me for instance) are the same people who want that style back

[Vadim]

On another note, people here are now complaining that SCP doesn't sound like it did even a few years ago. Where's Pamsy, they say. I remember clearly that back in the day people did nothing but constantly lament the use of trance sounds in a eurobeat song. Bitched then, want now. Ironic?

If it's up to my personal position, than it hasn't changed....I am still opposed to trance sounds...yet my essay was not about my personal prefferences but about a bigger picture...

Back in the day the sounds were difficult to adjust to, but eventually SCP won over even such harsh opponents like myself and Doc by brilliant songwriting style that went with Pamsie and the like...

[the_ditz]

To SCP: Pamsie all the way……if not by herself, then bring back these powerfull melancholic melodies of Pamsie times…!

God knows, fans have begged SCP to do so for long enough…maybe it’s time to finally make it real...?!

Doesn't look to be happening any time soon - unsure whether Pamsy has moved on to other things or not, but the production team told me that it's difficult to arrange studio time with her as she lives quite a distance from their studio now.

DIMA music:

Aleky as a singer is sadly now gone from eurobeat…

I reckon that Aleky maybe just hasn't had the time recently to record as many songs. She recorded Little Twin Stars for the Sanrio compilation, so that may be featured on 218 too...

[Vadim]

I reckon that Aleky maybe just hasn't had the time recently to record as many songs. She recorded Little Twin Stars for the Sanrio compilation, so that may be featured on 218 too...

Yes, this fantastic tune will be on SEB 218. Let's hope DM will get their females in position and get the hit factory going again with the right style.

[Vadim]

Doesn't look to be happening any time soon - unsure whether Pamsy has moved on to other things or not, but the production team told me that it's difficult to arrange studio time with her as she lives quite a distance from their studio now.

It can happen in a second...cuz it's not really about a singer, it's about bringing back the powerfull and dramatic SCP songwriting style of SEB 170s -180s era.

Pamsy is still a fantastic project to bring back, but they can also do her style with any other singer at their disposal...

GGM in turn can bring back their Lolita and Virginelle for some power...

This is how Eurobeat can become once again a knock out music.

[the_ditz]

Pamsy is still a fantastic project to bring back, but they can also do her style with any other singer at their disposal...

I totally understand what you are meaning here, but I think a lot of the style that was displayed in Pamsy's tracks could only really be executed as effectively by Alessia de Boni thanks to the very unique vocal tone and the level of pure emotion that she could inject into every lyric. I miss her so much

Anyway, great review drnrg - looking forward to reading some more. I'm gonna try and finish mine tomorrow - can anything touch The Top??