Eurodance
Eurodance (sometimes referred to as Euro-NRG, Euro-electronica or Euro) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s in Europe. It combines many elements of rap, techno and Eurodisco.[2] This genre of music is heavily influenced by the use of rich vocals, sometimes with rapped verses. This, combined with cutting-edge synthesizers, strong bass rhythm and melodic hooks, establishes the core foundation of Eurodance music.[2]
Not to be confused with Eurobeat, Eurodisco, or Europop.History[edit]
Background[edit]
Eurodance music originated in the late 1980s in central Europe, especially in Germany, where rave parties were becoming popular. By 1987, a German party scene was started, based on the well established Chicago house sound and Belgian new beat. The following year saw acid house making a significant impact on popular consciousness in Germany and central Europe as it had in England.[6] In 1989, German DJs Westbam and Dr. Motte established the Ufo Club, an illegal party venue, and co-founded the Love Parade.[7] The parade first occurred in July 1989, when 150 people took to the streets in Berlin.[8] It was conceived as a political demonstration for peace and international understanding through love and music.[8] On 19 July 1989, Black Box's single "Ride on Time" was released. The song spent six weeks at No. 1 in the United Kingdom and it was the UK's best-selling single of 1989.[9] It contained the Korg M1's "house piano"[10] which can be found in many Eurodance releases. On 27 September 1989, Technotronic's single "Pump Up the Jam" was released. It reached number one in Belgium[11][12] and Spain,[13] and it popularised the house variant called hip house in Europe.[14] On 9 November 1989, the Berlin 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 DJ Paul 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.[15] In the same year, German producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (under the pseudonyms Benito Benites and John "Virgo" Garrett III) formed the Snap! project in Frankfurt. Snap! songs combined imported hip hop and soul vocals adding rhythm by using computer technology and mixing electronic sounds, bass and drums, mainly house music. By doing so a new genre was born: Eurodance.[16]
Rise and fall[edit]
Snap!'s first single, "The Power", released in 1990, reached number one in the Netherlands,[17][18] Spain, Switzerland[19] and the United Kingdom,[20] and it helped to raise awareness of the genre within Europe. In the following years, other Eurodance acts formed in Frankfurt, including Jam and Spoon, Intermission and Culture Beat. After the breakthrough single "Rhythm is a Dancer" by Snap! in 1992 (number 1 in 12 countries),[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] new groups started to pop up all over Europe, mainly in Belgium, Netherlands and Italy. From 1992 till the decline of popularity after 1995, the sound became more and more NRG-oriented, leading to songs raising in B.P.M. up to 150. The notable songs which defined the genre in this period, dubbed as the "golden era" of Eurodance, are "It's My Life" by Dr. Alban in 1992 (number 1 in 8 countries),[30] "No Limit" by Dutch group 2 Unlimited in 1993 (number 1 in 14 countries, it was Europe's biggest-selling song for 1993),[31][32][33] "What Is Love" by Haddaway in the same year (number 1 in 13 countries),[34][35][36][13][37] "Mr. Vain" by Culture Beat also in the same year (number 1 in 13 countries),[38][39][37] "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex in 1994 (number 1 in 12 countries)[40][41][42][43] and "Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop)" by Scatman John in the same year (number 1 in 9 countries).[44][45][46][47][48] In the same period the popularity of the genre also expanded further to East Asia, in nations such as Japan, South Korea and Taiwan; towards the end of the golden era also in Russia.
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 as happy hardcore and house music,[49] but not all the groups followed this trend immediately. Notably, the group 2 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 more club-like sound.[50] Nevertheless, in the second half of the decade the popularity of Eurodance started to decline, and "Scatman's World" by Scatman John was the last major hit of the original Eurodance sound in the Eurochart Hot 100, being number 1 for 3 weeks between late August and early September 1995.
In late 1990s the classic Eurodance sound gradually morphed into progressive house.[5] Notable examples of successful Eurodance songs of this era are "Coco Jamboo" by German band Mr. President in 1996,[51][52] "Freed from Desire" and "Let a Boy Cry" by Italian singer Gala, "This is Your Night" by Amber and "Bailando" by Paradisio in the same year,[53][54][55] "Barbie Girl" by Danish-Norwegian group Aqua in 1997,[56][57] "Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!" by Dutch group Vengaboys in 1998,[58][59][60] "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Italian group Eiffel 65 in 1999[61][62] and "Around the World (La La La La La)" by German group ATC in 2000.[63][64][65] Basshunter, Scooter and Cascada saw significant success during the 2000s,[66][67][68] however, by the early 2010s, popularity waned, and by about 2012, Eurodance music disappeared almost completely from the majority of European radio airplay.
Definition[edit]
The term "Eurodance" gradually became associated with a specific style of European dance music. During its golden years in the mid-1990s, it was referred as "Euro-NRG"; in Europe it was often called "dancefloor".[69]
While some use a much broader definition of what is considered "Eurodance",[1] 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.[70]
Hands Up[edit]
Hands Up (also known as handz up! (stylized as HandzUp!) or dancecore in Eastern Europe) is a style of trance music, and a derivation of Eurodance. The genre comes from its name, meaning music that requires listeners to "put their hands up", as well as fitness and danceability.
The genre developed in Germany in the mid- to late 1990s as part of the emerging trance music scene. Representatives of Eurodance such as Starsplash and Mark 'Oh are sometimes regarded as forerunners of Hands Up. The biggest commercial success was the music until the mid-2000s.
The synthesizer melodies are often catchy and simple. Often the vocal melody is accompanied by a synthesizer. In contrast to techno, short, high-pitched synthesizer tones are used. Hands Up does not rely on the structure of tension build-up, but rather is based on the typical verse-chorus pop music scheme. The main elements are the bassline, drums and a catchy lead sound. A typical stylistic device of Hands Up is pitched female or resulting feminine vocals, but male vocals are also common. In addition, distorted, autotuned, chopped and repeated spoken phrases are common characteristics.