We grow ever closer to Super Eurobeat Vol. 200… an incredible milestone for any kind of compilation, if you ask me. It would be no stretch to say that Eurobeat has truly changed since Super Eurobeat Vol. 1— the tempo has sped up, it has gained more flavors and varieties, borne spinoff genres such as Hyper Techno, risen, fallen, risen again, fallen again, risen once more, and fallen into a sort of middlin’ state, with the next rise scheduled for when 200 is released. (Don’cha love how Japan has these things planned out~?)
As such, I’d like to take a moment to observe how each label has been performing since Super Eurobeat Vol. 190 (meaning, going from 191 to 197, as I’ve not heard 198 yet, barring a few clips), and offer my input as to how they can either maintain their current momentum or build up a new one. For the sake of time and interest, I’ll restrict my discussion to the labels currently vying for space on Super Eurobeat, those being ABeatC, Delta, Dima, Eurogrooves/Time SPA, Go Gos Music, Hi-NRG Attack, SAIFAM, SinclaireStyle, and SCP.
Let the fanboy accusations begin~
ABeatC
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Burning Like Fire by Dave Rodgers ft. Alex DeRosso, A Neverending Night by Mickey B, Space Boy (Grand Mix) by Dave Rodgers, Fire Dragon by Dave Rodgers ft. Patrick Rondat, Give Me Sunshine by Futura, Pirates by Rich Hard.
MY TAKE:
ABeatC has recovered from their 170s-180s stumble. I’ll be blunt— the loss of Oliva and crew did tax ABeatC quite a bit, but Pasquini and Raimondi have used that to their advantage over time and done something most labels lack the initiative to do: Experiment and express. This didn’t always work, but the 190s proved that they’ve done their homework on what works and what doesn’t, and have produced some songs that reflect not just a return to higher-end production, but expression on levels I didn’t expect. (tl;dr: I didn’t expect Dave to be so artsy!) With songs like Space Boy (Grand Mix) and Give Me Sunshine by Futura, we’ve seen the ABeatC crew in a light I never expected, in ways that actually hold our interest. (I must also add, Pirates continues to remind me of Gurren Lagann, for whatever odd reason. That, my friends, is a VERY good thing. Dave really seems to have had some fun with this one, and Rich Hard is an alias I welcome openly.)
The exception to this would be the most recent entry, “I’m Superstar”. While sparse production worked somewhat in Give Me Sunshine (the traditional Japanese flavor fleshed it out just enough), I’m Superstar simply sounds sophomoric, underproduced, unfinished and unacceptably, poorly done.
One stumble aside, ABeatC has still proven to be back in the game with their recent entries.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Artistic, Surprising, Resurging.
Delta
NOTABLE TRACKS:
My Gasoline by Daniel, Tonight Tonight by Kevin Johnson, Doctor Love 2009 by Kevin & Cherry, Rock You by Mad Max
MY TAKE:
Not enough Kimmy. D:
Anyway, Delta proved to do just fine after the changes since 170, proving to be very solid with tracks from any of the producers/writers. Newfield, Moroni, Capaldi, Rizzi, and the other multitudes of names have more than proved to be stable, formidable forces to be reckoned with in the last few SEBs. This may prove counterintuitive to consider, seeing as their space on recent SEBs has dwindled (though anyone familiar with the Akyr drama would find this to be no surprise whatsoever); a shame, really, since they’ve had some fantastic work.
One thing I do notice, on SEB 196 in particular, is that Delta seems suppressed somehow. Upside Down by Queen 26 could have stood to be a little fuller, and it seems to sound like it was just on that brink. Also, Bye Bye Tokyo is, without doubt, a cover of Boom Boom Sexy Lady from Hi-NRG Attack… even as such, it serves as an interesting mind-morsel, to consider how songs would sound through the ears of another producer. (Though I keep hearing Garcon singing along when I hear it… rather scary, really. P: )
That aside, I imagine Delta will continue to be a strong force to be reckoned with. Drama with Avex aside.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Consistent, Formidable, Strong
DIMA
NOTABLE TRACKS:
One Day by Kate Rush, Fever of Love by Stephy Martini, King of the World by Dave Dima, Save A Prayer by David Dima
MY TAKE:
Dima is a wizard.
That’s the only way I can explain his magic. Every song he’s put out since he rejoined SEB has been, at the VERY least, high-end and interesting. The 190s have been no exception; in fact, one improvement that has been wrought with One Day by Kate Rush, would be that Dima seems to have shaken off his sense of melancholy. With soundworlds that inspire my awe as a fan AND a writer, he still continues to produce work that is very much “his style” without going stale or rehashing. (Also, thank you for introducing some estrogen into your singer’s pool… Dima was almost notorious for having reverse-SinclaireStyle syndrome.)
My only complaint for Dima was already addressed in 196; he can write happy, poppy tracks with as much proficiency as he can dark and stormy tunes.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Powerful, Fresh, Majestic
Eurogrooves
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Hurricane Man by Gold-Rake, I Remember by Kasanova, Video Killed the Radio Star by Tina Ray, Save Another Day for Me by De Leo
MY TAKE:
Time/Time Spa/Eurogrooves… no matter what you call them, they are STILL one of the most consistent and persistent labels in Eurobeat today.
The best part, though, is that Eurogrooves is most definitely a refreshed entity from the clearly tired Time. Eurogrooves has put out more energetic, raw, rough songs next to songs with a great deal more star power than much of what they produced in the 180s as Time. I haven’t liked every song they’ve put out as the new label, but they certainly have held strong during the jump to a smaller label.
Hurricane Man and Video Killed The Radio Star have shown me what has changed about Eurogrooves the most. It seems this time that Dall’Ora is no longer afraid to be very aggressive, sometimes outright raw. Something is much more alive in both of these tracks, as if this energy has been bound up in Dall’Ora by request from Avex. I’m glad to see it unleashed.
The sounds, I would like to quip, still sound very much the same. Dall’Ora still manages to make things interesting, but it’s still very much the same product, in both good ways and bad. Not my favorite label, but certainly not my least favorite… Eurogrooves, Time Spa and Time have stood the test of their namesake, and I respect them for their consistency.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Dependable, Refreshed, Experienced
Go Go’s Music
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Runaway by Leo River, Looka Bomba (cover) by Go Go Girls, Nack 5 by Domino & Kaioh, Ultra Mi-Ha Deluxe by Project 2, Shot Shot Shot by Giorgia V, Stop City Lover by Derreck Simmons.
MY TAKE:
I have much to say about GGM, both bad and good. Let’s start with the bad, so we can end on a good note.
GGM may be a relatively new label, but they are very scared of trying new things, for my money. I can already tell how most of the tracks will go, as the soundworlds are nearly identical in EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Barring maybe the occasional Mari-San track, it’s all the same— cool intro, hit-synths in the riff, the same drum samples, Domino as backup, guitars… not a bad thing in and of itself, but every track sounds very much the same to my ears, even so far back as 175. For a crew that once churned out very unique songs at Rodgers Studios, Oliva and Gatti have yet to really produce a lot of tracks that have surprised me yet. That’s only happened twice— once with Manuel’s sole entry, Gas Gas Gas; the other, with Shot Shot Shot because they actually bothered to hold out the hit-sound to sound more like an actual Eurobeat saw-brass. They border on being stale for me, which is a sad thing to say about Oliva and Domino, once responsible for very unique and interesting tracks.
Also of note is Mari-San. She’s a new voice, with songs that are certainly worthy of merit, and I won’t say they’re bad songs. But I just outright dislike how she sounds. She sounds like she jumps between her normal voice and as if she were singing through her nostrils, making her sound even more nasally than Garcon (which is quite a feat). She’s… a good SINGER, insofar as she hits all the notes with accuracy; I just don’t like how she sounds. I’ve heard some of her more soulful songs; I prefer hearing her in that context.
Now, the good— GGM has seldom been mediocre. Just because they’ve been repeating the same formula, doesn’t mean it’s degrading. Nothing is fundamentally “broken” about their formula so there’s no need to truly “fix” anything. Even with this consistency, they do continue to innovate— why not combine the energy and youthful sound of Leo River and the soulful croon of Mari-San? BAM— we get Project 2 with a great song, on which I don’t mind Mari-San’s singing at all. Why not have Giorgia V sing a song that isn’t necessarily as cutesy as Go Cosplay and Race Queen? BAM— Shot Shot Shot, a surprising number that revived my interest in the singer/cosplayer. (Also, they try lyrics that wouldn’t usually go well in Eurobeat, and somehow it actually adds some charm to it all.) Also, the idea of endorsing popular radio stations and TV Channels is a GENIUS business strategy, not only cementing them in the Eurobeat community’s ears but the Japanese Public’s, all the while earning royalties.
Also, as much as I have distaste for the overuse of the hit-synth, it’s proved to be quite a different approach to the Eurobeat formula. A “stale” sound for GGM is still a “fresh” sound in the Eurobeat world.
GGM has proved to be very much the opposite of ABeatC after all— afraid to try anything radically new, but never really truly failing either. (I actually didn’t mind “Hurry Up Hurry Up” by Lolita, a song oft cited as GGM’s “first” mishap.)
IN A FEW WORDS:
Same, Flashy, Formulaic but Innovative.
Hi-NRG Attack
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Ride On My Speedy Car by Garcon, Ike Ike 2009 by Pistol Girl, Dolcevita Tonight by Rick Castle, Wild Boy Bad Love by Joe Banana, Stargate by Starkly Ice.
MY TAKE:
Hi-NRG Attack sounds the most suppressed to me as of late, for some reason.
For a label that seems to be the quietest in terms of drama and non-music news (and maybe the most compliant with Avex), it seems very mistreated— HRG has seldom seen more than a couple spaces on SEB in the 190s yet, and something about the recent productions suggests that Avex is asking HRG to forgo some of their former magic. While Ride On My Speedy Car was certainly great and catchy, songs since then seemed to lack inspiration. Pistol Girl didn’t do too poorly with Ike Ike 2009, but I vastly preferred Bazooka Girl’s version (Yes, as in, the one that sang the first version… you can find this on iTunes, JunoDownload, and other services). Dolcevita Tonight had potential to be something new (and in fact, it did have a sort of glow in the intro and really displayed Rick Castle’s style which I appreciate), but instead turned out to lack a hook. This carried on into Wild Boy Bad Love… again, more potential, wasted without something for the listener to remember other than the vocals.
Perhaps, however, Hi-NRG Attack is snapping out of this funk placed on it. I could’ve sworn Stargate was produced by another label, but it is still Hi-NRG Attack’s credits on the song. It has everything HRG has lacked in recent entries— lyrics that make SENSE, an actual HOOK, a very non-HRG soundworld (in fact, almost old-school in a way), and a swirling, starry space around the chorus. I always love when Rimonti, Accatino, Festari and Girbaudo surprise me like this— I can know for sure that they are still very creative and enthusiastic about creating works that keep our interests.
Two quips: One, the female songs seem to lack longevity for me. It has been a very long while since I have heard a HRG-Female song that has stuck with me. If Baby Bazooka is still in business, I’d love to hear what she’s written. Two, I want another “Oh Oh Cowboy” (for those who haven’t heard this formerly unreleased gem, go look it up on iTunes and buy it more than once)— western theme, BLAZING but still hooky riff, and lots and lots of Rimonti.
HRG was my first real favorite label, and I still have a lot of respect for them. I think they can produce catchier tunes than they’ve put out lately, and I look forward to it with every release.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Suppressed, innovative, tired, persistent (meaning, they still put in a lot of effort)
SAIFAM/Boom Boom Beat
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Kiss Me Divine by Ken Martin, Bad Desire 2009 by Mark Farina ft. FCF, Shine by Mr. Max, Hung Up by Tipsy & Tipsy
MY TAKE:
I need to make up my mind about BBB. But so far they’ve really improved my impressions about a label I once didn’t care a button for.
After 189, I figured SAIFAM would continue to produce songs that sounded generated and rehashed, and 191 proved me simultaneously right and dead wrong. Kiss Me Divine is in fact a cover of an earlier song from the catalog named “Divine”, and they did ANOTHER cover two albums prior. That said, though, the real “rehashes” stop there— Not only did Kiss Me Divine seem fresher and more energetic than Tokyo Tonight, it had much more feeling to it. While I would say that Mauro Farina’s singing has struck me as accurate and without feeling in prior songs, in KMD it seemed alive, almost emotional. Suffice to say, the track won a lot of respect for the label from me.
Bad Desire was another cover/remake, of which I’ve heard the original. Even so, Mark sounded like he was having fun and putting more emotion into the remake of the classic, and it struck me as more a celebration of the original than a remake. Not as great as KMD, but I still found it refreshing to hear SAIFAM have some feeling.
Shine. Oh man, Shine. Shine took me entirely by surprise. Like quite a few songs SAIFAM has put out, it has a lot of elements I absolutely cannot stand in Eurobeat lumped into it, but I still find myself obsessed with it the next day. Whatever my opinion of SAIFAM may be, Mark Farina is a musical mastermind with a nack like no other for hooks; combined with a bit more emotion he could raise his label a few notches in my book. We need more tracks that had Kiss Me Divine’s emotion.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Surprising, Emotional (moreso than usual), Catchy as hell
SCP
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Wildlife by Jay Lehr, Purple Emotion by Go2, Number One 2009 by Fastway & Christine, Hot Vampire (cover) by Go2, Happy Valentine by Ai Yamamoto, Monsters Ready by Fastway, Kooky Spooky by Scream Team, Bright Time by Jay Lehr
MY TAKE:
Take a look at how many Notable Tracks I listed. That’s a lot. There’s a reason— most of them are very well-done.
SCP has sort of been one of the hot labels since its entrance into SEB, and the 190s have proved that Castagna can still produce some great tunes. However, I sense a small amount of fatigue on the horizon.
One thing I’ve liked about SCP is how accessible it is to non-Eurobeat fans; I could play these songs around my friends at a dance party and they’d hardly think twice (or, worse, call it “DDR Music”). The singers simply GLEAM with star power, and there’s hardly a generic title in the bunch.
That said, some of the former masters aren’t sounding quite so smashing as they used to. While Number One 2009 outright overtook the original in sheer production, energy and awesome, songs like Monsters Ready and Kooky Spooky, while not bad by ANY means, show signs that maybe Castagna and crew could stand to take a breather and refresh, as they seem somewhat reliant on the formula. (And, is it just me, or was it Avex or SCP that missed the memo that Halloween is NOT in April?)
That said, SCP is STILL shining very brightly, and made a VERY bright move with its live shows in Italy and the UK. If they keep up the amount of energy and flash they have now, they could still stand to be one of the highest-performing labels in Eurobeat.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Somewhat Stressed, Powerful, Fun
SinclaireStyle
NOTABLE TRACKS:
Looking For Lovers by Ducky Chix, Too Young to Fall in Love by Dejo, I Will Survive by Megan, King & Queen <Classic Mix> by Tora.
MY TAKE:
Sinclaire has only recently surprised me in terms of production; his earlier works could have been presented in the 160s without me batting an eyelash, but newer tracks have proved harder to brush off.
Looking For Lovers is a showcase of the kind of SS track I love to brush off— any time a synth riff reminds me of pixies frolicking on a big silk banner, it’s already not doing so hot. Pitched vocals didn’t win it any points either, proving to be nothing really different from the reverb-y soundworlds and soft synths. I expected newer entries to be like this.
Too Young to Fall In Love proved to surprise me. Needless to say, I was relieved to hear Sinclaire incorporate some well-needed testosterone into his tracks, and reintroduce Maurizio DeJorio under a new alias, Dejo (by the way, Dima called, something about stealing his idea). I actually liked the energy of this remake of Gino’s original, and they synth riff sound choice was unlike the usual pixie dust Sinclaire tended to work with. Yes, it’s still rather reverb-y like the 160’s, but something sounds fresher in TYTFIL than prior entries.
Then I was blown out of the water.
I Will Survive blew my mind right off the bat. Yes, it’s still reverb-y Sinclaire-tell-tale production, but… something seemed far darker, more… murky, in a good way. And the synth riff sound choice definitely harkens back to Sinclaire’s more creative tracks, of which I definitely count this as one. Dark, unique and brooding, this song earned a lot of respect from me. King & Queen didn’t disappoint either, with an energy and soundworld unlike anything I’d heard from SS yet (and actually escaping the 160s sound… how about that~!).
SinclaireStyle has much going for it right now, but Sinclaire still needs to remember that the new era of Eurobeat is very different from now. He’s learning that now, from what I can hear, and will soon be taking his label up a few notches.
IN A FEW WORDS:
Improving, Traditional, Catching up Quickly, Quirky