Eurobeat Saves The Day The World

Nana Mizuki ~ Synchrogazer
~ Senki Zesshou Symphogear OP

THE POWER OF MUSICAL FRIENDSHIP : DEFEATING NOISE
(Synchrogazer’s Symphogear being just an excuse to speak of Eurobeat)

In Japan in 1985, the term “Eurobeat” was applied to all continental-European dance music imports. These were mainly Italian and German-produced Italo-disco releases. That sound became the soundtrack of the Para Para nightclub culture, that has existed since the early 1980s. Japan experienced Italo disco through the success of the German group Arabesque, which broke up in 1984. This did not prevent the release of two Italo disco-sounding singles in 1985 and 1986, produced and mixed by Michael Cretu (of Enigma). The later solo success of Arabesque’s lead singer Sandra further introduced this sound to Japan. This attracted the attention of many Italo-disco producers (mostly Italians and Germans) and by the late 80s while the Germans faded out of the outdated Italo-disco scene and went for other newly rising popular scenes, mainly trance, the Italians created a new sound especially for Japan, but virtually unknown in the rest of the world. In Japan, this music is called “Eurobeat”, “Super Eurobeat”, and “Eurobeat Flash”.

In the early 1990s when Eurobeat’s popularity was gradually decreasing in Japan, two Japanese men, the owner and a managing director of Avex, a small import record shop at the time, decided to release a compilation CD. They went to Italy and met Giancarlo Pasquini later known as Dave Rodgers, then a member of the Italo disco band Aleph, and eventually released the compilation CD, the first Super Eurobeat, which proved an instant success and re-sparked Eurobeat’s popularity in Japan.

Despite its European origins, the Eurobeat style’s main market has always been Japan, where its synthetic and emotionally upbeat stylings are popular. Even though many European people and American people have heard of Eurodance, Euro disco and Euro house, this flavor of Eurobeat is largely unknown in Europe and only recently became somewhat popular in the Western world. It appeals to open-minded Italo disco fans and some Euro-house fans.

The anime series Initial D, based on the manga by Shuichi Shigeno, uses Eurobeat music regularly in its episodes during racing scenes between the characters, and because of this it has come to the attention of some anime fans outside Japan.

(wiki)

NeoShinka