| New beat | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Mid-to-late 1980s, Belgium |
| Typical instruments | |
| Derivative forms | |
| Subgenres | |
| |
| Regional scenes | |
| Belgium | |
| Local scenes | |
| Antwerp | |
New beat is a Belgianelectronic dance music genre that fuses elements ofnew wave,hi-NRG,[2]EBM andhip hop (e.g.scratching).[3][4] It flourished in Western Europe during the late-1980s.[1]
New beat spawned a subgenre called "hard beat" (a blend of EBM, new beat and acid house)[5] and became a key influence on the evolution of Europeanelectronic dance music styles such asBelgian techno,hardcore techno andgabber.
New beat originated in Belgium in 1987,[6] and was popular in several music clubs across Western Europe.[7][8] Sometimes described as "new wave disco beat"[9] the genre has been characterized as a blend ofnew wave,hi-NRG,[2]EBM (which also developed in Belgium[10]), andacid house.[3][4] New beat is the immediate precursor ofhardcore electronic dance music, which developed in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany around 1990. Belgium's native form of hardcore that emerged from new beat is also known asBelgian techno orrave techno.[citation needed]
The genre was "accidentally invented" in the nightclub Ancienne Belgique (AB) inAntwerp whenDJ Dikke Ronny (literally "Fat Ronny") played the 45rpm EBM record "Flesh" byA Split-Second at 33 rpm, with thepitch control set to +8.[7][11][12] In addition to A Split-Second, new beat was also heavily influenced by other EBM acts such asFront 242,Signal Aout 42 andthe Neon Judgement, as well asnew wave acts such asFad Gadget,Gary Numan,New Order,Boytronic[9] andAnne Clark. Nightclubs such as theBoccaccio[9] soon made the genre a major success.[7]
In contrast to EBM, new beat records did not appear within a certain subcultural context[4] and were mostly produced to enter the international music charts.[9][2] In Belgium, compilations such asNew Beat Take 1 sold 40.000 units.[9] The Belgian sound was re-introduced to the United States market in 1989 through a compilation album known asThis Is the New Beat, released through Polygram Records.[3]
From 1988 to 1990, new beat spawned two short-lived subgenres with hard beat, a style that incorporated more elements ofEBM (e.g. the Concrete Beat – "I Want You"; Major Problem – "I Still Have a Dream"; Tribe 22 – "Acid-New Beat"),[5] and skizzo, atechno-influenced style, considerably faster than the original slow new beat style.
The most commercially successful new beat groups wereConfetti's[9] andLords of Acid, who received heavy airplay on the MTV Europe showParty Zone. A memorablenovelty song was "Qui...?" (1989) byBrussels Sound Revolution, who sampled parts of a press conference speech by former prime ministerPaul Vanden Boeynants after he was kidnapped by the gang ofPatrick Haemers.[13][14]
New beat artists and bands include Lords of Acid andTechnotronic, whileBelgian hardcore techno bands that emerged from the hard beat and skizzo subgenres includeT99,Praga Khan,Cubic 22, andthe Immortals.[15]
Modern new beat is known asmidtempo bass.[16] Modern artists described as "new beat" include1788-L,[17] andRezz.[17]Notaker described the subgenre as a "fresh sound that’s been generally unexplored in the mainstream electronic realm," further commenting on the versatility of the subgenre, stating "the range of which you can produce in this tempo range can be extremely gritty and heavy to really melodic and beautiful to calm, relaxing and atmospheric."[18] Rezz's studio albumCertain Kind of Magic peaked at number 12 on the USBillboardDance/Electronic Albums and her previous albumMass Manipulation received theElectronic Album of the Year awarded at theJuno Awards.[19][20][17]
The rise of the new genre did not only launch new artists; a few new record labels also were set up, especially to release new beat records. They lived a golden era with, despite not being mainstream, massive sales, and not only in their home country Belgium but also in the rest of Europe and specifically Ireland and the United Kingdom. Roland Beelen (Bellucci of the above-mentionedMorton Sherman Bellucci) and Maurice Engelen (ofPraga Khan) set upAntler-Subway Records.[21] There was alsoR&S Records, launched by Renaat Vandepapeliere and his wife.[22] Other labels include ARS,PIAS, ZYX Records and Music Man.
Hard beat (also known ashardbeat) is a subgenre of new beat that emerged in the late 1980s, encompassing more prominent influences fromindustrial music,EBM andacid house.
As the nineties progressed, the b.p.m. returned to normal, then accelerated, as DJs started playing techno with their turntables set to +8. A native hardcore was born, with labels like Hithouse, Big Time International, Who's That Beat, Beat Box and Music Man, and groups like Set Up System, Cubic 22, T99, 80 Aum, Incubus, Holy Noise and Meng Syndicate.