...dang, really good ones, too.para_rigby wrote:Zoup, a couple of questions from one long timer from to another.
This one... is a hard call. I do think that a handful of labels are so tired of making the stuff day-in and day-out that they'd drop out, whereas a couple of others would stay to make it work. For those labels, it would be a pretty big struggle, as they've seldom had to do their own publishing, marketing, advertising (two separate but similar concepts), and other things that Avex used to handle. To make matters worse, they have a genre on their hands that is both well exhausted in its own home, and foreign/silly to other countries in which it's had little exposure.para_rigby wrote: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.
However, this would also give these labels complete creative freedom— 7-minute releases with 30-second trumpet solos? Go for it. Genre blending? Open fire. Releases and remixes from non-eurobeat artists on Beatport? Go nuts. Additionally, niches in the USA actually do seem to enjoy eurobeat in its current state, and while they're not the superheavy megaton punch of money the style overall could use right now, the legal tender that comes from niches is just as green and spendable as that from larger masses.
The potential opportunities are at odds with the dangers of the genre losing its de-facto source of power (inactive as it has been). Idealistically, if Avex pulled the plug and healthy competition formed to both spread the existing style to new places as well as try new things with it, the style (or whatever comes after it) would see growth. It would be an uphill battle, but it'd be just that— up a hill, not a wall.
• SCP is innovative because they've demonstrated to Avex that they have the current sound so down-pat that they've been given a little room to explore (gasp). What they've done that's radically different isn't just in acknowledging that other genres have grown in the last decade, but also understanding some of the sounds of the independent scene and faithfully adopting some of those techniques. I still adore Hanami, Welcome To The Show, and some of the recent main-series Eurokudos entries for the sophistication with which the deviate from the "italo-flavored masculine analog-brass 1990s eurobeat" flavor... as well as embrace it, from time to time.para_rigby wrote: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?
• Sinclaire's a mixed bag— I just don't hear him being progressive at all. In fact, I'd go so far as to say the difference between his sound from the SEB 160s to his return in 186 is minimal. But what I do hear from him that I don't hear as much in other labels is this... infinite love of the genre. Even in his worse releases, there's always this sense of "God, yeah! Wasn't that awesome? That was so fun, we've gotta do that again!" permeating every element, and it's often an element that keeps me listening even if I loathe the song itself— it's infectious, and people can hear it even if it's not something you can mix in or out in EQ.
• Sun Fire could be amazing, if Dave didn't seem so damn tired all the time. "Fire Dragon" was an absolutely stellar piece of work for Dave, ripe with precisely the kind of artistry the genre could use more of (even if all it took were some elephant samples and spoken word). But instead we get gross rehashes of "Wild Boys" with shitty forced-autotuned vocals that STILL manage to be off, and otherwise uninspired pieces. I still eagerly await another "Pirates", another "Fire Dragon", even another "Give Me Sunshine".
• Was I the only one that liked "Just A Love Story"? Sure, it was abysmal as a Eurobeat tune, but if it wasn't an overhyped chipmunked mess it'd be fantastic. I think SAIFAM, like any entity that's had to mass-produce new tunes every day, is tired of the style, and would need some time to evaluate if an independent style would serve them well. As many problems as I've had with some of their songs, I still hold "Black UFO" as one of the best eurobeat songs of all time, and if they still have that in them then by all means I welcome it. Until then, they're... uninspired, with glimpses of genius that should be encouraged, not snuffed.
• Delta and Dima share an interesting problem in that they're both housing some of the most solid producers in Eurobeat, but their releases have been very same-y lately. It's very clear they both care enough to keep it going, but they've got to reduce the workload demanded of their one-man production teams (Capaldi & DiMarcantonio, respectively) or get another person in there to shoulder some of the load. This isn't always the best appraoch (COUGHnewfieldandsinclaireCOUGH), but it's a better solution for both more numerous and more interesting productions.
• Hi-NRG Attack... I mourn for Live Music Studio. Their entries sound the most tired— not necessarily 'bad' by any means, in fact they DO try new things as well; just that it literally sounds like they need a vacation. The joy sounds forced, the humor is stale or reminiscent of their glory days, the production lacks energy... HRG needs its HEART back, at the risk of sounding like a cheesy kids' cartoon. I'd love to hear them try other genres like some of the experiments they've produced before (Anyone remember DJ Lobotron?), if it meant they loved what they did again. But at this point, it's up to them, and... really, REALLY painful as it is for me to type this, if they did stop producing eurobeat, I'd be extremely sad but I wouldn't hold it against them.
• With the dissolution of SEB (and thus Avex's crackdown on its competitors), I would be more than happy to see some of the smaller indie labels make a return. Blast, Plum, Beatfire, the works— I'd love to see what they would come up with.
I would say "yes", we are seeing a larger international fanbase. However, I would say that catering specifically to fans in these locations might not be the right move yet— I would venture that simply getting ENOUGH of the existing material advertised to them and in their hands would be a better first move.para_rigby wrote: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?
To sum up a breadth of material... most new and intermediate international eurobeat fans I know (who don't have a deep understanding of how far back this thing goes) are more than happy with the same style most of us are already either tired of or hailing as "better than anything that came before and will come after". If we get that to them first, we could pick up a new (even if small) wave of sales on the existing material before we start catering to their tastes.
Try everything. Nothing is off limits.para_rigby wrote:4. What would you tell the labels to spice up their productions?
Break the formula, break the sound designs, break the vocal stylings, break everything. Go so avant-garde that it gives people room to question if the song is even music, let alone eurobeat.
After literally decades of having their creativity boxed, the best way to accelerate back to full power is to break those extremes. Make a dissonant song about rough sex on a 7Eleven counter, blend genres while making a lyric-replacement cover of Oingo Boingo's "Tell Me Where My Friends Go". At this point it's a matter of throwing COMPLETELY new elements at the wall and seeing what sticks.
Part of what made "Fire Dragon" so damn effective was its combination of a bizarre new soundworld established in the intro— within a very short span of time, we're treated to bellowing elephants, rushed footsteps, and spoken word(!!), establishing precisely the kind of mindset that gave us a sense of awe thinking of the titular dragon. These elements in and of themselves weren't all that revolutionary, but in the context of eurobeat they were so out-in-left-field that they worked VERY effectively. Regardless of one's opinion on the track itself, one can't deny some of the innovation Dave injected into the song with just a handful of simple elements.
Nothing, barring those options deemed to be unethical, should be off limits. If they want to make a Big-Room-House-flavored Eurobeat tune where the lead instrument is the sound of a human breast smacking on a pot lid, then so be it. If they want to do literally an all-acapella track where every instrument was a voice, so be it. If they've had any batshit-insane ideas for new tracks, the time for those to become reality is now.
Then, when they've returned from the fringes, they'll have new ideas, inspirations, and techniques that will either give the existing sound new shape, or take whatever's next in a new direction. The fruits of their labor will be more important than conforming to the existing standards.
Sjoerd and I are actually both trained social media marketers! He just happens to have better outlets/time to practice his craft, ha. ; u ;para_rigby wrote: Wish that Delta, Dima, and Sunfire were using social media a bit more. I know Dima did when DarkSky was active.
Also, I'll be sure to buy it.
