| Eurodance | |
|---|---|
| Other names |
|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1980s, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, France, Sweden, Denmark, United Kingdom, Germany[5] |
| Derivative forms | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Regional scenes | |
| |
| Other topics | |
Eurodance (sometimes referred to asEuro-NRG) is a genre ofelectronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s inEurope. It combines many elements ofrap,techno andEurodisco.[2] This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich vocals, sometimes withrapped verses. This, combined with cutting-edge synthesizers, strongbassrhythm and melodichooks, establishes the core foundation of Eurodance music.[2]
Eurodance music originated in the late 1980s in central Europe, especially in Germany, whererave parties were becoming popular. By 1987, a German party scene was started, based on the well establishedChicago house sound and Belgiannew beat. The following year sawacid house making a significant impact on popular consciousness in Germany and central Europe as it had in England.[6] In 1989, German DJsWestbam and Dr. Motte established theUfo Club, an illegal party venue, and co-founded theLove Parade.[7] The parade first occurred in July 1989, when 150 people took to the streets inBerlin.[8] It was conceived as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through love and music.[8] On 9 November 1989, theBerlin Wall fell; free underground techno parties mushroomed in East Berlin, and a rave scene comparable to that in the UK was established.[7] East German DJPaul van Dyk has remarked that the techno-based rave scene was a major force in re-establishing social connections between East and West Germany during the unification period.[9] In the same year, German producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) formed theSnap! project in Frankfurt. Snap! songs combined importedhip hop andsoul vocals adding rhythm by using computer technology and mixing electronic sounds, bass and drums, mainlyhouse music. By doing so a new genre was born: Eurodance.[10]
Snap!'s first single, "The Power", released in 1990, reached number one in the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and it helped to raise awareness of the genre within Europe. In the following years, other Eurodance acts formed in Frankfurt, includingJam and Spoon,Intermission andCulture Beat. After the breakthrough single "Rhythm is a Dancer" bySnap! in 1992, new groups started to appear all over Europe, mainly in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. From 1992 until the genre's decline in popularity after 1995, the sound became increasingly NRG-oriented, leading to songs raising inbeats per minute up to 150. Some of the genre's defining songs in this period, dubbed as the "golden era" of Eurodance, are "It's My Life" byDr. Alban in 1992, "No Limit" by Dutch group2 Unlimited in 1993, "What Is Love" byHaddaway in the same year, "Cotton Eye Joe" byRednex in 1994, and "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" byScatman John in the same year.
By 1995, Eurodance dominated European charts with 5 singles in the top 10 of the singles charts. Despite its success, many observers within the music industry said that the Eurodance sound had to change or die, and Eurodance producers and singers started to follow different paths and different sounds, such ashappy hardcore and house music,[11] but not all the groups followed this trend immediately. Notably, the group2 Unlimited wanted to remain within Eurodance sounds in order to remain chartbusters, although the producer De Coster predicted a retreat from a pop-like to a moreclub-like sound.[12]
In the late 1990s, the classic Eurodance sound gradually morphed intoprogressive house.[13]
Amid 2024, an influx of videos on social media platforms would be uploaded under the guise offar-right propaganda, using snippets taken from songs of the genre. This primarily adheres toTikTok.[14]
While some use a much broader definition of what is considered "Eurodance",[15] over time, the term particularly came to refer to an NRG-based genre from the 1990s which included a solo vocalist or a rapper/vocalist duet.
Most Eurodance is characterized by synthesizer riffs, one or more vocals with simple chorus, one or more rap parts,sampling and a drum machine clap beat.[2][16] Sometimes non-rap vocals are used.[16]
Eurodance often carries a positive, upbeat attitude; the lyrics usually involve issues of love and peace, dancing and partying, or expressing and overcoming difficult emotions. The early to mid-1990s Eurodance vocals were frequently done by a solo vocalist or a mixed rapper-vocalist duet such as the male–female duets of2 Unlimited,La Bouche andMagic Affair.[16][17]
Many groups used variations of the rapper-vocalist theme, such as a German rapper with American singers (Real McCoy), or the use ofreggae rap as inIce MC andFun Factory, or combination of rapper and reggae vocalist like in theLife in the Streets album, orscat singing as inScatman John.[16] Solo singing artists such asAlexia,Whigfield andDJ BoBo also contributed to the genre. Some acts like the Swedishdance-pop originated groupAce of Base use more pop vocals rather than rap/soul vocals along with Eurodance sound.[18][19] Pop vocals were particularly popular in the late 1990s Eurodance productions. The Swedish groupRednex also introduced Americancountry music elements into the sound.[20]
Eurodance lyrics are almost always sung in English, regardless of the artist's nationalities.[16] However, there are cases like in the Belgian group'sParadisio where Spanish lyrics are used along withlatin music elements.[21][22]
Almost all Eurodance emphasizes percussion and rhythm. The tempo is typically around 140beats per minute, but may vary from 110 to 150.[16][23]
Most Eurodance is verymelody-driven. Most Eurodance songs are inminor keys, similarly totechno. This, along with positive lyrics, helps contribute to the overall powerful and emotional sound of Eurodance.[2] Besides the contribution of the female or male vocals, there is often a noticeable use of rapid synthesizerarpeggios.[2]
Eurodancemusic videos were often seen with dance acts by the main vocals of the songs (or models ad-libbing), often dancing in bright-colouredinfinity cove studios or wide, urban spaces (stations, parking garages) with high visual contrast, or in empty nature scenes.
Electronicbeats describes the cliché Eurodance music video as having "strobe-lit rave scenes, pixelated ‘90s computer graphics and, of course, an urban montage: cue the subway stations, streetlights and business commuters". "Pump up the Jam"'s music video is described as having a "colour scheme of brilliant reds, greens and purples in a staggering array of chequered backdrops [...] [It is] a great insight tot the power of music videos on party wardrobes".[24] Bright, sometimes over-saturated colour schemes were used, with contemporary party clothing or outfits referring tospace-age, with videos that were fully or in part usingcomputer-generated imagery elements and effects.Large, sometimes digitally multiplied,dance troupes also frequently featured.
As the music is largely electronically generated, shots of artists in studios or playing at concerts, frequent in videos of other genres, were infrequent.
.JPG)
From the early to mid-1990s, Eurodance was popular in Europe; the style received extensive airplay on radio stations and television shows, resulting in many singles appearing in the charts. Technotronic from Belgium had hits with "Pump Up the Jam" and "Get Up" (featuring Ya Kid K).
By 1996, the popularity of this genre had started to decline. From then, the classic Eurodance sound gradually morphed intoprogressive house.[13] By 1997 and towards the end of the millenniumhouse andtrance music increased popularity over Eurodance in Europe's commercial, chart-oriented dance records.[25][26][27] In the early 2000s, the mainstream music industry in Europe moved away from Eurodance in favour of other styles of dance music such asnu-disco,electro house,dance-pop andR&B.[28][29]
AfterCappella'sGianfranco Bortolotti set up Media Records in Brescia, northern Italy[30][31][32] to release his 'commercial European dance music' (a set-up which included fifteen studios featuring various production teams working almost non-stop on a huge number of records) he decided to take the label into other markets and set up a UK office in the UK. Run by Peter Pritchard and featuring many records byStu Allan's British Eurodance actClock, this record company would eventually turn into hard house labelNukleuz (known for its DJ Nation releases).
As Media turned into Nukleuz, it would fall toAll Around the World Productions to be the label in the 21st Century which was more likely to release Eurodance tracks in the UK than other, with itsClubland TV music channel still having regular blocks of Eurodance videos in 2020[33][34] (though extending its scope to include hits by David Guetta as well asCascada andScooter)
During the 1990s, Eurodance became popular in Canada, which produced its own variant called Candance (although it was mostly referred to as "Eurodance" or "dance music").[35] Eurodance received significant airplay on radio stations in theGreater Toronto Area such asPower 88.5,Energy 108 andHot 103.5. Montreal was also a major Eurodance market, withMC Mario's famous radio show onMix 96, calledParty Mix andBouge de là, a popular TV show onMusiquePlus. Eurodance featured prominently onElectric Circus, a dance-party TV show broadcast nationally in English and French versions.[36] Beginning in mid-1992, Eurodance began to dominate theRPMdance chart in Canada, with acts such as2 Unlimited,Snap!,Captain Hollywood Project,Culture Beat,Haddaway,Whigfield, each reaching number-one.
From approximately 1992 to 2000, Canadian acts such asCapital Sound,Love Inc.,Jacynthe andEmjay had success with the Eurodance sound. The Toronto sound was more pop-oriented, while the Montreal one was more house-oriented.
Compilation albums such as theDMA Dance: Eurodance series (1995–1997) from Interhit Records andDance Music Authority magazine were popular and helped to define the genre as well as to make it accessible in the U.S. and Canada.[37]
It was then that the DJs who used to play what was previously known as Euro dance hi jacked the genre and it mutated into the commercial sound people tend to call Progressive House today.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Electro House rose to prominence in the early to mid 2000s as a heavier alternative to other house subgenres that were prevalent at the time.