Ken Blast and Odyssey are one and the same person! (Meaning, it’s me!)

I am the very same Ken Blast that appears on “When The Sun Goes Down”, on track 12 on Super Eurobeat 201! Here’s hoping that you all enjoy the song, and I invite any constructive questions and criticisms you may have.
I think Newfield, Vince and Clara did fantastic jobs in their own right. I was just along for the ride, is all. P:

…more on this when I’m not looking up scholarships.

Magic Hammer (also known to some as RainbowDragonEyes or “Bellik” and the producer for “Hana” in the Super Euro Freak series) and I have joined forces for a couple songs on the now-available album, “Most Extreme Ultimate Thunder”! NITRO and I’M GONNA GET YOU are the ones we’ve collab’d on, so be sure to check those out alongside every other track availble! Buy all of them once, then buy them again! Tell your friends, family, coworkers, enemies, pets, strangers, everyone!

…and, no, the expletive on Nitro was not my idea. But, if it works for you, then, more power to ‘ya.

Okay! Some of you may have been paying attention to (or otherwise stumbled upon) my directions on how to use the basic Garageband instruments to create a basic Eurobeat arrangement. That is, just the basic sounds you can get once you update the Garageband Software. However, that guide does not address the Jam Packs that Apple has available for GB, which vastly expands the fledgling producer’s repertoire.

Welcome to Part 2: Kicking things up a notch! In this case we’ll be working with the Jam Packs that I have (meaning, everything but the Vocal FX Jam Pack), and working off the sounds supplied there!

OVERVIEW

So. You’ve tinkered a few times with the sounds I suggested last time and are pretty satisfied. But with the dearth of new sounds, it’s worth exploring new territory. In fact, in order to produce any amount of diverse Eurobeat works, one MUST learn to incorporate new/varying sounds. After all, not every Eurobeat song uses that synth-brass sound; most Aishu (slower, more sentimental Eurobeat) uses a rounder, more crystalline sound, and some songs use a shorter-length “clickier” brass that’s used in very quick succession (think Speedy Speed Boy or “Initial Rin” Buchigiri Ni Shite Ageru). And that’s EXCLUDING such groups as SAIFAM who will use darn near any synth sound, or Hi-NRG Attack who has used literal brass and even an accordion! Also, attentive listeners will notice that “stabs” prominent in most Eurobeat productions are difficult if not impossible to mimic in the basic GB sounds. With the new sounds in the Jam Packs this is no longer a problem. Before we go too crazy, though, we need to use the basics to…

FLESH OUT THE SOUNDBED

“Wha? Zoupzuop2, not everyone understands your music lingo.”
In layman’s terms, this means “make the song sound fuller”. If you have too many high-pitch instruments your song will sound tinny; too many bass sounds, it sounds drudgy and almost depressing. Also, too many sustained sounds makes the song seem like it “drags”, and too many quick sounds makes it sound weak (of course, these CAN be used to a composer’s advantage if taken into account). I find that the best productions have a nice mix of many layers of all of those; some mid-range sustained notes holding the basic chord structure together, with some hard-hitting bass and small trills of high-pitched strikes. Phil Spector is known for the “Wall of Sound” approach (amongst other things I won’t go into); I vary in the sense that instead of many instruments playing the same thing, my approach is many instruments playing similar/supplemental things that cover the general audio spectrum (High-Mid-Low). Given that much of this is personal approach and ‘flavor’, it’s up to you to agree and implement or prove that the opposite may be true.
Nevertheless, let’s consider some basic Eurobeat arrangements and how they can be attained with our new Jam Packs.

THE “STAB”

So many new producers don’t have this, and it really kills the Eurobeat feel if neglected! Fortunately we have a sound called “Ard Core” (hurr hurr) that we can modify to make a workable “stab” sound (a chord played on the same beats as the bass). Select the Ard Core sound, then next to the word “Manual”, click the pencil logo (I’ll refer to that step as “Modify” from here on for speed) and change the sound. I use these settings:

• MODULATION: 91
• CUTOFF: Crank it to 127.
• RESONANCE: 52
• ATTACK: 58
• DECAY: 102
• SUSTAIN: 103
• RELEASE: 51

That gives us our basic “stab” on the beats! You can already go back and fill these in for your previous tunes, or incorporate them into your new/current works. Don’t get too carried away though, we’ve just gotten started!

BEEFING UP THE DRUMS

Oh! Before I continue, if you have the “Euro Dance Kit”, start using that instead of Dance Kit. In fact, you can use that ALMOST exclusively, the sounds are MUCH more conducive to making decent-sounding Eurobeat. After all, Eurodance and Eurobeat are both descendant of the same parent genre (Italo Disco), so work with it as much as you like, unless the Dance Kit is your preference.

AISHU (*Sniff… sniff… SOB*)

Anyone who’s listened to Norma Sheffield songs at ANY point knows what Aishu is; this is quickly followed up by such names as Leslie Parrish and (arguably) Rick Castle. These songs tend to use a different setup than the traditional “BLAST ‘EM WITH ENERGY” approach. A common arrangement for this would be your basic Drum Kits, a round bass sound (try to go for one that’s not too distorted; the basic “Round Synth Bass” or Trance Bass with the echo removed works well), any sort of strings (I tend to like the Orchestra “Xtra Cello Sect Legato” a lot, it sounds a great deal like the same thing), and Berneray Chill (for the life of me I can’t seem to find the folder that contains this…) for the lead. The way I like to do things is I’ll take the Chill and pair it with a Piano, and let the sounds really ring out. Let the Chill dominate, in this case. Aishu is the closest thing to “dark beauty” you can get in Eurobeat, so let the riff really sound out, and don’t let much pollute the somber feel.

ENERGY’S OVER THE RED DEGREES~

Speedy Speed Boy! I Will Survive! My Rock is for Japan! Bratt Sinclaire really seems to like sounds like this, and we could argue that Go Gos Music’s “hit-synth” is very close to it. If you want to give this sound a try, let’s revisit our friend the Ard Core. This is a sound I’m still working out, to be honest, but what I’ve found comes close comes from Modifying Ard Core to these specs:

• MODULATION: 91
• CUTOFF: Cranked to 127
• RESONANCE: I like this high, like 114.
• ATTACK: 58
• DECAY: 28 (Remember, the sound doesn’t have much longevity of its own!)
• SUSTAIN: 17 (See above hint)
• RELEASE: 51

Remember to use this sound in really fast riff lines. Getting this sound right is a bit tricky, as it requires a certain flavor of riff, usually chord-based by default (whereas a synth-brass can be somewhat more single-note oriented).

YOU GOTTA FIGHT THEM ‘COS YOU’LL BE THE ONE

SAIFAM… they’ve put out songs I’ve loved, loathed, and both at the same time. In either case, they have some of the most distinguishable sound choices in the Eurobeat world, much like Hi-NRG Attack does. One such sound that sets them apart is this really heavy-hitting, almost distorted Bass. This sound doesn’t work in every approach, but if you want an aggressive sound with lots of speed and energy, hit this one up. (In fact, a good practice to have is to use more than one bass sound, or mix the same sound very differently each time so it sounds different. Don’t let your sounds go stale!)
For my “Saifam-esque” bass sound, I used a Digital Mono instrument and used THESE specs in the Modifier:

• TUNING: 42
• HARMONICS: 0. Zilch. Don’t touch ‘em.
• TIMBRE: 16 (BTW, for those unfamiliar with this term, Timbre— pronounced “TAHM-brr”, for reasons known only to whoever made the word up— has to do with the specific nature of the sound; I.E, why a saxophone sounds different from a trumpet or a tuba or a log of wood.)
• TIMBRE ENVELOPE: Also 16.
• DECAY: 37
• RICHNESS: 33
• DISTORTION: 3 (Could be 0, see why in just a sec)

Now hit up the Visual Equalizer and give the very extreme edges a very light boost. The reason we didn’t distort this sound is because the extreme nature of the sound as it is— with no harmonics and low numbers in other fields— gives it its own “carry”. You can apply overdrive to this sound but it’s unnecessary if you ask me.

SHAKE IT LIKE A POLAROID PIT-CHA

One thing I’ve noticed in a lot of Eurobeat songs is the use of Modulation— that is, when the synth brass starts to sound “shaky”. If you don’t know what I mean, revisit the basic Synth Brass sound we made together in the first EB in GB tutorial, go under the Piano Roll/”Scissors” button, and click the dropdown that says “notes” and click “Modulation”. Play around with it (and maybe the Pitchbend too if you haven’t already).
Now that you know what modulation sounds like, let’s put it to practical use. The sound we’ve made is a bit TOO “shaky” at 127 Modulation, so instead of giving a note/set of notes a constant value of 127, I make a “ramp” in the editor that goes from 0 to 100, then cuts off.
BY THE WAY! It’s important to know this about GarageBand’s Modulation/Pitchbend editors: To make one point just beneath the other (say you wanted to make the ramp I suggested), first you draw the beginning point at 0, then the end point at 0, THEN you click above it at the value you want. This may take some VERY slight mouse movements to get the exact value you want (God forbid GB could just let it work…), but it’s worth it.

Alright, I’m over it now, brah

Alright! That’s enough out of me. Those are some of the presets I use in Garageband when I arrange/compose, and my approaches. With this info, you’ve got enough to make Eurobeat songs worthy of attention and praise!
Before I conclude, though, some of you may notice I don’t address EQUALIZATION very much, at least, not for more than one instrument, anyway. The reason I don’t address this is twofold:

1. I’m still learning how to do this myself. Some sounds in the very same instrument field (basses, synth leads, guitars) need wildly different mixing in my experience, and not all of my songs follow the “proven” methods.
2. There is no ONE, SET way to do things. ABeatC and Go Gos Music do not mix the same way as each other. A Time song is mixed very differently from a Hi-NRG song. Most songs don’t use as much reverb as SinclaireStyle songs seem to use. I could go on, but the point is, it’s up to you to experiment, make mistakes, FIX the mistakes, and create unique mixes FROM those mistakes to make something that catches our attention.

In fact, my entire personal musicianship journey, from MIDISoft Studio to Logic Studio, could be claimed to be one big collection of small mistakes that worked. Now, go out and make yours.

Quick update, I’m not dead at all! In fact, I’m in the process of making an already big thing brewing, into an even bigger thing brewing. Look forward to something awesome in the next couple of months!

MANY TIMES PARTY IS GO! IT IS FOR THE FUN YOU VISIT AND MAKE YOUR LISTENS!

www.magichammermusic.com

…okay, in all honesty, it’s a project that the mastermind “RainbowDragonEyes”, known for “Dance On Fire” and “Blue Sky” from Super Euro Freak Vol. 1, has been working on. I’ve lent my writing and vocals to a couple of tunes, and the one that’s up on the page will be getting revamped vocals.

Oops. Vicky Vale ≠ Candy Taylor. I’m a moron~

Anyway, I was asked to review Super Eurobeat 198 for Super Euro Power Hour. It wasn’t an album I liked entirely (I’m enjoying 199 MUCH more thoroughly, EVERY label performed MUCH better in that one), but I did try to review the songs in a way that was both appropriate for SEPH and the labels listening in. I realize now that I started liking “Star Heart” a little more after this review, that I was a bit rough on I’m Superstar by Futura, and that I sound really nasally and geeky through the internal Mac Mic.

If I have said anything that offends any of the creative minds behind the Eurobeat world that happened to be on SEB 198, please let me know. I stand by much of what I said (though I can be a bit exaggeratory), and would love to know if I’m just not catching enough of what happened or what’s happening.

For anyone who wants to know how to create Eurobeat music with Garageband, you’re in a great deal of luck. This guide will help you grasp the basic instrumentation/arrangement for Eurobeat in the context of Apple’s Garageband. All you need is a basic understanding of music comprehension and beats (I.E, the difference between a quarter note and an 8th note), and you’ll do fine.

The biggest problem isn’t knowing WHAT to write; if you really want to know how to write in the Eurobeat style, first try mimicking songs you already like. Copy the styles of the labels you like, or songs from certain eras you like from those labels. Then try writing sound-alikes, songs that aren’t the same but close. Then branch off and try things that you like, and are unlike any other Eurobeat creation out there. Yes, Eurobeat’s known for songs that borrow liberally from other songs, so even if it DOES sound like another song out there (to my knowledge, the riff to “King & Queen” is re-used more than 10 times in the Eurobeat world, including independent/Non-Avex productions), you’ll be in good shape.
The biggest problem I hear of is getting the instrumentation right. You’ll need, at the very least, Garageband and the basic “Software Update” sounds (that means, you get the Dance kit in Drums) to get things rolling.

Now! The very least instruments you’ll need are the Dance Kit, a good synth bass (Round Synth Bass) tends to be just fine for learners, and a sort of synth brass/sawtooth. You may also want some strings to flesh out the soundscape/soundworld (pick one, terminology doesn’t matter, really), but if you’re JUUUUUST learning, you can forgo it for now. Get a basic dance beat going (Kick drum on every 1/4 note, open hi-hat on every other 1/8 note, for that basic Boom-ksssh boom-ksssh), and you have the drums. (Later you may want to add a snare hit on every other 1/4, but that’s another story.) Now, add a bass note on every other 1/8 note, so it matches up with the hi-hat. Now you have a basic dance beat, and if the bass sound you picked is right, you have the Eurobeat sound.

As for brass/sawtooth. This could go many ways, but I’m rather OCD with what I use in Garageband. I’m no expert on this because anyone could make a better sound, but it’s also just as easy to piddle around with the wrong sounds and end up with something completely non-Eurobeat. What I did to get a workable synth-brass, was I took the “Cheerful Trance” sound, and modified it (I.E, used the Analog Basic instrument editor). Nix any echo and/or reverb, Set “Mix” to Bright, “Tuning” pretty close to the middle (I have mine at 45), “Cutoff” at about 75, “Resonance” at roughly 19, “Decay” at its fastest setting, “Sustain” at its highest, and “Attack”… is up to you. I managed to get a good sound around 25. Setting it much lower makes it hit a bit less and therefore have less impact; higher than that, you have something a little edgy and closer to a good Sinclairestyle sound at best (and something closer to a bad General MIDI synthbrass at worst). You’re free to work with other settings, but that’s the one that’s borne the most success for me. The result is a bit like ABeatC meets DJ Command.

What I tend to use to create Eurobeat soundworlds in Garageband would be:

• Synth Brass
• Bass
• Dance Kit for kick and open hi-hat
• Rock Kit for closed hi-hat (every 1/8 note that isn’t taken by the open hi-hat, use it there)
• Any subtle synth-pad or strings sound to fill out the soundworld
• GUITARS. Guitars for sustained chords (much like the pads), guitars for leads… I’m a lot like Dave Rodgers in the sense that I’m a guitar nut.

The rest is what makes the song unique. Now try that and go nuts! Let’s revolutionize how Eurobeat runs, from the fan/independent side!

In, perhaps, a moot effort to keep this blog alive, I’d like to very briefly (as I’ve not much time) discuss the livelihood of Eurobeat; to wit, if it’s dying or still very alive. This discussion goes on rather heatedly on the Eurobeat Prime forums, pooling in very valid points on either side of the divide. Does avex’s choices damage or propel Eurobeat as a genre? What about increased piracy? Does FARM records have more power than we thought? These questions all only serve as smaller details to the question of if Eurobeat has much life left before a postulated “death”.

It is my take, then, that Eurobeat is quite alive as a genre, and will never fully “die” so much as fall into further obscurity. Eurobeat on a larger scale may not be doing very well, but on the small scales it is performing and adapting just as needed for a couple more years of success.

Exhibit A: Independent productions. We have never seen such an increase in independent projects as we have in the last couple of years. A corner originally occupied by only a few producers such as DJ Bouche and a fledgling DJ Command, we’ve now seen a slew of names appear on the scene: DTZ Project, #Infinity Productions, RainbowDragonEyes, Disko Warp, Sugano, and other names on which I’ve only scratched the surface.
These are not names I list meagerly; their participation in the Eurobeat world is not unnoticed. Disko Warp frequently makes their way into such big-name projects as Dance Dance Revolution, RainbowDragonEyes has gained a cult following for the appearance of two of its artists on Super Euro Freak vol. 1 (to fantastic reviews), and the artists appearing on Underground Eurobeat vol. 1 have also had sufficient fanfare to warrant another entry to the compilation, due some time this year.
In case you are unaware of the more famous works of the above-listed, a small sampling:

From DJ Bouche, his well-known Hare Hare Yukai remix:

And from DJ Command, “Can’t Beat Airman (Eurobeat Mix)”, perhaps his best-known track (sorry for the video, the originals are no longer on Youtube):

I’d be remiss to not showcase these productions as well:

And from the undefeatable Paradise Last:

Part two of exhibit A: Nico Nico Douga and the Vocaloids. Seeing as the vocaloids are very recent trends in Japan, one would suspect that their output in terms of music would nearly be restricted solely to recent genres. What we’ve received instead is a surge of Eurobeat production for our virtual-voiced friends. 2ch and NicoVideo seem to be happy hosts to large amounts of fan-made Eurobeat, nearly bursting at the seams with original Eurobeat creations and Eurobeat remixes of previous Vocaloid anthems.

Here’s one such medley of Hatsune Miku songs redone in Eurobeat:

And, a couple individual eurobeat mixes with other Vocaloids:

Exhibit B: Label count. It would only make sense that, if a genre were not profitable enough to continue being produced, it would not be produced and the number of labels would decrease (or simply change focuses), right?

The number of labels producing Eurobeat has only increased.

In the Avex/SEB camp ALONE we’ve seen increases; from what once was simply ABeatC, Delta, Time, Hi-NRG Attack, SCP, Vibration and BBB, we’ve now made the jump to ABeatC, Go Go’s Music, Delta, SinclaireStyle, Eurogrooves, Hi-NRG Attack, SCP, and Dima. If we consider Dima and Eurogrooves as replacements for Time and Vibration respectively, we have a two label increase (Go Go’s and SinclaireStyle). With an evident surge of the “Super Anime Remix” releases in Japan/Akiba, featuring remixes of popular songs from anime series, this increases the label count a great deal.

Part two coming when I have time~

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

Because I just can’t stand to do things in chronological order like most civilized people, I thought it’d be appropriate to include my review for SEB 195… after writing the review for 196.

As I explained in the previous post, the SEB 1*5s since 165 have this odd tendency to be very strong for that decade. Seeing as I own 175 (classic), 185 (high-quality) and 195, I can say that with some confidence.

I should warn you though; the review was originally posted on the Eurobeat Prime forums, and was originally posted in such a way to cater to the zeitgeist of the forum thread at that given time. Only a few modifications have been made.

I’ll proceed to prove my point.

BURNING LIKE FIRE
(By Dave Rodgers ft. Alex De Rosso) (ABEATC)
And then, in a flash of gold and white, Dave Rodgers did ascend, and the thunderous rock of several guitars did crash down upon the world, and there was much rejoicing. The people did enjoy the little “stops” and instrumental changeups, and the “traditional” ABeatC synth riff sound, and all was well in the Eurobeat world.
Also, Dave’s voice is BACK.
GRADE: A+ (100%)

ULTRA MI-HA DELUXE
(By Project 2, or Leo River & Mari-San) (GO GOS MUSIC)
I can’t stand Mari-San’s voice, but when it’s paired with Leo’s, it’s all bearable. GGM has really settled their style, and focuses now on the power of the song itself. Not as good as Burning Like Fire, but I really liked it.
GRADE: B+ (88%)

KING OF THE WORLD
(By Dave Dima) (DIMA)
Dima mixes the soundworlds of current Dima productions with some of the composition and writing style of early-mid Vibration songs. I wouldn’t mind if Dima were the king of the world, if for this song. Bonus points for reminding me of Hot Limit, though this song isn’t THAT different from previous Dima entries, excepting Fever of Love.
GRADE: A (95%)

STOP CITY LOVER
(By Derreck Simons) (GO GOS MUSIC)
GGM couldn’t leave well-enough alone. And good thing they didn’t, Stop City Lover is FANTASTIC. Even for a “same” soundworld, Tomas shines in high quality, one that harkens back to the hit that was “Back to 80’s” and then deals some MORE damage. Welcome back, Tomas.
GRADE: A (95%)

HURRICANE MAN
(By Gold-Rake) (EUROGROOVES)
Back in my SAIFAM-disliking days, I really listened around, trying to find a song that blew my mind. I was listening to the intro of “Like A Speedy Car”, thinking, ‘oh boy, I’ll need some convincing on THIS one’, then the synth riff hit.
I spent the next few minutes cleaning my mind off the ceiling and walls, it was that blown.
Now, glad to have my mind back together, I started track 5, “Hurricane Man”, and thought it’d be ‘just okay’.
Booming with testosterone and energy that was just plain absent in Time entries not long ago, I was thoroughly impressed with the song from start to finish.
Darn you Eurogrooves, I just cleaned this mess up.
GRADE: A+ (100%)

SAVE ANOTHER DAY FOR ME
(By De Leo) (TIME SPA)
While it certainly didn’t impress me as much as Hurricane Man (where is Avex getting all these Time entries, now that Eurogrooves is in business?), it was a… welcome entry. It was sufficiently energetic and enthusiastic.
GRADE: B (85%)

DON’T BELONG
(By Mari-San) (GO GOS MUSIC) (Good grief, again?)
Can’t stand her voice. I really did listen to the whole track, to see if my mind would change.
Nope. Nice try, but better luck next time.
GRADE: D+ (68%)

ROCK YOU
(By Mad Max) (DELTA)
I was fortunate enough to snag this before all Avex-related Eurobeat releases came down, taking the Eurobeat Masters compilations with them. A solid soundworld, biting guitars, Claudio Magnoni and some tight production stack in this track’s favor, hampered only by a somewhat weak synth riff sound. Not the catchiest thing ever but certainly a welcome addition.
GRADE: B+ (89%)

MONSTERS READY
(By Fastway) (SCP)
Did Avex mis-mark their calendar? Or do they have some sort of spooky holiday around this time of year in Japan? Great Fastway fare regardless, though the song could’ve been about anything else and we’d still like it, methinks. A bit “generic” for Fastway, but that’s not a bad thing, mind you. It’s catchy, masculine, and fun. Yes.
GRADE: A- (92%)

I WILL SURVIVE
(By Megan) (SINCLAIRESTYLE)
Many on the Eurobeat Prime forums are used to hearing my usual complaints about SinclaireStyle; I often complained that his soundworlds and synth riff choices were too weak and/or not sufficient for the song at hand.
Forget it. This song is the kind of gold our friend Bratt Sinclaire has needed. It forgoes the usual ho-hum tricks and really delivers a solid product. A synth riff sound that has some real substance and hearkens back to the Delta days, solid well-done vocals, and some really great bass, this track delivers in ways that only a few before it from the Sinclaire camp have since the 160s. My hat goes off to Bratt Sinclaire for such an improvement.
GRADE: A (95%)

SHINE
(By Mad Max) (SAIFAM)
I’m Tsundere for SAIFAM. They keep making songs that have these facets that I really, really dislike in Eurobeat, and in ways that I dislike them. And I’ll dislike the song, at least the first time.
…and it’ll be stuck in my head. And I’ll love it the next day.
Shine is just such a song. I HATE when vocals are sung over the synth riff.. I HATE overy simple synth riffs. And this song has BOTH OF THEM.
I love this song.. God knows why, and I wish he’d tell me because I sure don’t know. SAIFAM is just too fun for me to be mad at it for too long. It’s like a puppy that knocks over things but has these huge, cute li’l eyes. Darnit, Farina, I’ll make up my mind about you soon.
GRADE: B+ (87%)

KOOKY SPOOKY
(By Scream Team… Irene, right?) (SCP)
Members of the EB Prime forums have criticized this song for being too “lovey-dovey” or too silly… but that’s just it! It’s supposed to be a very “Scooby-Doo”-esque type of humor, and for all intents and purposes I imagine the singer of Scream Team as a sort of ghost-character singing the “lovey” parts, it makes the lyrics easier to ‘digest’. Fun synth riff, enjoyable sound world and sense of humor make this a great entry for my money.
GRADE: A- (93%)

WILD BOY BAD LOVE
(By Garc— err, Joe Banana) (HI-NRG ATTACK)
(I need to stop listening to “Shine” so I can re-listen to this and remember my thoughts on this one… darn it SAIFAM!)
Yes, HRG does sound very much the same in their intros and the like. Is that such a bad thing? I say nay. The song as a whole reminds me of On The Road Again To The Show, barring the synth riff. I do miss when the HRG synth riffs had hooks, but… Avex demands are demands, I guess. Ah well, I’m sure their unreleased material will house more power. For now, an above-average HRG song.
GRADE: B- (82%)

What a great album! I truly enjoyed almost all of it, which is quite a statement. Every label shone somehow, and even if their song wasn’t great at least it was above-par (excepting Don’t Belong, for my money).This album receives an A in my book (I’m not going to bother with a percentage grade), for all-around being above-par. Every label had at least a sufficient song SOMEwhere in the mix, and their efforts are noticed.

Here’s the purchase link: CLICK HERE to buy SEB 195