In perhaps a more positive light this time, I’d like to revisit the subject of modern music and what Eurobeat stands to learn from it. There are, of course, those who continue to surmise that “American Top 40″ will continue to kill the genre and that all hope is lost and yadda yadda (because God forbid that any OTHER countries are capable of producing garbage on a large scale). In light of these sunshine patriots and their doom-and-death view on things, I would like to suggest, instead, that there is in fact light somewhere in this tunnel.
First I propose a closer look at some of this “Top 40 Garbage”. We have such unimaginative songs as “Party Rock Anthem”, Maroon 5 turning out cheap pop with Christina Aguilera, and for every Skrillex and Deadmau5 song we have about 20+ poor copies from musicians who exert as much effort into making an audio experience as they do eating corn flakes. So, yes, there are bad things to be gathered from this. BUT before we start signing the death warrant for all genres that aren’t cheap mimicries of anything remotely good, let’s take a look at some of their facets, hm?
“Party Rock Anthem” is one of several new reflections on 2011′s taste… mostly club-oriented music with relatively high BPMs in contrast to prior years. Additionally, it features a prominent “synth-solo” section just after each chorus. Maroon 5′s “Moves Like Jagger” is heavily dependent on unashamed drum machines. Dubstep typically has beats-per-minute counts of 140+. In some circles Dubstep has unusual dance structures based on the bass-drop.
Do you see what I’m getting at here? Club-oriented, music with poor/silly lyrics, full of synth-solos, with unusual dance styles and 140+ bpm? Hmmmm, let’s think about that.
HELLO! COULD IT BE ANY MORE FREAKING OBVIOUS?
THE PATH FOR EUROBEAT TO AT LEAST STAND A CHANCE IN THE USA HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER!!! THE TIME FOR IT TO START SHOWING UP IS NIGH!
Why does nobody understand this? Why do people insist upon such hatred and despise when they could, nay, SHOULD be basking in this opportunity? If anything, the current traits in American Pop Music as of RIGHT NOW, the very moment in which I type this, have never been MORE receptive of Eurobeat! If anything, Eurobeat producers should be THANKING American Top 40 for the opportunity to display a more musically-inclined version of what so many of us already consume.
Think of it much like the Organic Boom here in the USA. As more and more citizens became aware of the low quality of their processed foods, local and organic food companies found a chance to emerge from the rubble and begin selling their wares in traditional USA supermarkets. It’s not that it wasn’t around before, or that people simply didn’t like organic food until then— no, these companies found an opportunity to strike and they seized it. That’s why you now have several more options in your supermarkets these days, and the impact has lasted quite some time now.
Eurobeat stands such a chance now, should it choose to act. SCP understood this YEARS before the rest, with acts like Go2, Jager and others creating Top-40-flavored versions of their Eurobeat tunes (or, alternatively, piping it into their Eurobeat songs in trace amounts, particularly with Jager). There will need to be minor adjustments, such as a reduction of the use of multiple artist-names for different varieties of acts, etc… but think about what stands to be gained!
Some suggest that giving Eurobeat American exposure in nightclubs and bars and whatnot will tarnish its reputation, that it’ll somehow “sink to Top 40′s level”. This is a common thought from groups who like having their neat little niches, their “secret clubs” where nobody else is allowed in unless their tastes match to a capitalized T in Times New Roman. As I’ve mentioned before, this sort of thing kills a genre. And, most importantly,
MUSIC THIS GOOD AND THIS FUN IS MEANT TO BE EXPERIENCED BY AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
Eurobeat as a whole now stands to do one of about three things.
One, it seizes this opportunity and begins to show its face in American radio, nightclubs, bars, ADVERTISED iTunes releases, and the like, and begins to capitalize on a low point in America’s Pop music to influence it to become better.
Two, it shies away from the opportunity and continues to resign itself to its position as a ‘niche’ genre, for little cliques on the internet to chortle and chuckle about as they play “Secret Club” with a genre undeserving of such a fate.
Three, it remains in its current state of flux, neither excelling nor completely crashing financially, neither a full-fledged niche nor reaching quite enough people in other audiences to regain its mainstream appeal.
Some might suggest that I’m being ethnocentric by suggesting that only American Pop Music will save Eurobeat like so many Americans like to assume. And, yes, on first glance it does seem like I’m waving an American Flag like an overenthused Boy Scout with patriotic tears in his eyes. But… well, let’s take a look at Eurobeat’s former main audience, Japan. Right now K-Pop and American Top-40 are ruling the charts. J-Pop artists like Ayumi Hamasaki and Namie Amuro are either modifying their own sounds to reach larger audiences, or being overtaken outright by Vocaloid producers with a more international sense of what’s popular. Additionally… take a listen at what sells well in other countries, say… the UK. The UK was listening to this kind of club-specific music for YEARS before the US decided to mix it with rappers’ traditional fondness for degrading women, excess of all sorts of worldly appetites, and violence in massive quantities. (Whatever happened to their contentedness with just “being in the house”?) The point is… well, yeah, American Top-40 *IS* sort of the sole boon for Eurobeat’s mainstream re-appeal.
We can spare Eurobeat the dark fate of irrelevance if we act swiftly. Xenophobia (or, as the case may be, hatred of one’s own country) will only detriment Eurobeat’s potential to reach as many listeners as it rightfully deserves. I’m not saying that Eurobeat needs to change drastically to do so, either— as it stands, current progress in the genre has never been more appropriate for US audiences— but it simply cannot afford to ignore the current situation.
I know I haven’t.