View source for Eurobeat

{{Short description|Music genre}}
{{Distinguish|Eurodance|Eurodisco}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Eurobeat
| image             = Super Eurobeat Vol.250 cover art.png
| caption           = ''[[Super Eurobeat]] Vol. 250'' cover art
| stylistic_origins = {{hlist|[[Hi-NRG]]<ref name=Arena/><ref>Cunningham, Mark "Good Vibrations: A History of Record Production" (Sanctuary Music Library), Alan Parson (Introduction), Brian Eno (Introduction) Sanctuary Publishing, Ltd; 2 edition (1998, Digitized 20 May 2010). {{ISBN|1-86074-242-4}}, {{ISBN|978-1-86074-242-2}}</ref>|[[Italo disco]]{{efn|Italy is a Eurobeat "Mecca" to either variant of Eurobeat; first produced in Italy<ref name=ECI>David D. Laitin, Robert Schuman Centre (2000). ''Culture and National Identity: "the East" and European Integration.'' European University Institute. Page 14.</ref> and West Germany.<ref name=ECI/>}}|[[dance-pop]]|[[Electronic rock|synth-rock]]}}
| cultural_origins  = '''British Eurobeat:'''<br />Mid 1980s, United Kingdom<br />'''Contemporary Eurobeat:'''<br />Late 1980s, Italy, West Germany and Japan
| derivatives       = 
| fusiongenres      = [[J-pop]]<ref>Keizai, Kokusai & Zaidan, Kōryū (cont.) "Japan Spotlight: Economy, Culture & History, Volume 23". Page 24 (Ng Wai-ming: "The Rise of J-Pop in Asia and Its Impact"). Japan Economic Foundation & the University of California. 2004. Quote: "JAPANESE pop music is commonly I referred to as "J-pop", a term coined by [[Tetsuya Komuro|Komuro Tetsuya]], the "father of J-pop", in the early 1990s. The meaning of J-pop has never been clear. It was first limited to Euro-beat, the kind of dance music that Komuro produced. However, it was later also applied to many other kinds of popular music in the Japanese music chart, Oricon, including idol-pop, rhythm and blues (R&B), folk, soft rock, easy listening and sometimes even hip hop."</ref><ref>Society for Asian Music (2003). "Asian Music: Journal of the Society for Asian Music, Volume 34, Issue 1". Page 1 ("Japanese Popular Music in Singapore"). The University of California.</ref>
| regional_scenes   = {{hlist|[[#United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]|[[#Italy and Japan|Italy]]|[[#Italy and Japan|Japan]]|[[#Germany|West Germany]]}}
| other_topics      = {{hlist|[[#J-Euro|J-Euro]]|[[Para Para]]|[[synthwave]]|[[Stock Aitken Waterman]]}}
}}

'''Eurobeat''' refers to two styles of [[dance music]] that originated in [[Europe]]: one is a British variant of Italian<ref name=ECI/> [[Eurodisco]]-influenced<ref name=Cultural>Ang, Ien & Morley, David (2005). "Cultural Studies: Volume 3, Issue 2". ''Routledge''. pgs. 171, 173, 170. {{ISBN|9781134957927}}. "Eurorecords had to have immediate cross-national appeal, musical simplicity was of the essence- a bouncy beat, just one chorus hook, elementary lyrics. The fun of these records was entirely a matter of sound quality, but once a record was a hit it took on a kind of sleazy, nostalgic charm of its own. It was precisely the brazen utility of these records, in short, that gave them gay disco consumer appeal too.[...] Eurodisco also had an obvious element of camp -British club audiences took delight in the very gap between the grand gestures of Eurosingers and the vacuity of their songs."</ref> [[dance-pop]], and the other is a [[hi-NRG]]-driven form of [[Italo disco]]. The former was developed in the 1980s, while the latter was developed starting from the early 1990s and continuing in the following decades, distancing itself from its [[Italo disco]] origins as time went on.

Producer trio [[Stock Aitken Waterman]] and pop band [[Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive]] made Eurobeat music more popular in the United States and Southeast Asia, where Eurobeat was historically marketed as [[hi-NRG]] (pronounced as "high energy"). For a short while, it also shared this term with Italo disco.

==Overview==
In the late 1970s, Eurodisco musicians such as [[Silver Convention]] and [[Donna Summer]] were popular in America.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Michael |editor1-last=Ahlers |editor2-first=Christoph |editor2-last=Jacke |first=Thomas |last=Krettenauer |year=2017 |title=Perspectives on German Popular Music |chapter=Hit Men: Giorgio Moroder, Frank Farian and the eurodisco sound of the 1970s/80s |publisher=Routledge|location=London |isbn= 978-1-4724-7962-4}}</ref>

In the 1980s, a highly polished production with "musical simplicity" at its core.<ref name=Cultural/> An average British Eurobeat song took very little time to complete.<ref name=BMI/> Bananarama's "[[Venus (Shocking Blue song)#Bananarama version|Venus]]" and Mel & Kim's "[[Showing Out (Get Fresh at the Weekend)]]" were said to be completed in a day, according to Pete Waterman of [[Stock Aitken Waterman]].<ref name=BMI/>

In the mid-1980s, Japanese label [[Alfa Music]] offered a deal with [[Italo disco]] singer, songwriter and producer [[Mauro Farina]] in search for music to target to [[Japan]]ese [[discoteque]]s which were very few and had limited access to suitable dance music.<ref name="Farina, Gelmetti, Arduini Italian interview">{{cite web |title=Ripartiamo dalla Musica - Ripartiamo dalla Dance |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_JFw2s89qw |website=youtube.com |access-date=12 September 2025 |first1=Mauro |last1=Farina |author1-link=Mauro Farina |first2=Laurent |last2=Gelmetti |author2-link=Laurent Gelmetti |first3=Roberto |last3=Arduini |author3-link=Roberto Arduini |date=2023-07-17 |language=it |trans-title=Let's restart with music - Let's restart with dance music}}</ref>

In 1990, then small Japanese import record shop [[Avex Group|Avex]],<ref name="Avex History">{{cite web |title=History of the Avex |url=https://avex.com/jp/en/corp/history/ |website=avex.com |publisher=Avex Group |access-date=12 September 2025 |language=en}}</ref> following expansion plans, bought the [[Super Eurobeat]] compilation series, which had its first volume that same year, and partnered with newborn Italian label [[A-Beat-C]].<ref name="A-Beat-C CD 1">{{cite web |title=ABEATC EUROBEAT SERIES VOL.1 |url=https://daverodgersmusic.bandcamp.com/album/abeatc-eurobeat-series-vol-1-2 |website=bandcamp.com |publisher=Dave Rodgers Music |access-date=12 September 2025 |language=en |quote=ABeatC is a brand created in 1990 when Tom Yoda (AVEX), Max Matsuura (AVEX), Alberto Contini, Giancarlo Pasquini (Dave Rodgers) and Alessandra Gatti (Domino) had a very important meeting in Contini’s house.&nbsp;…}}</ref>

A-Beat-C was the first label to progressively detach the term ''Eurobeat'' from being synonymous with [[Italo disco]] in Japan, establishing it as a distinct [[musical genre|genre]].

{{listen
|pos=right
 | filename     = Speedway by Niko, from Super Eurobeat Vol. 101.ogg
 | title        = "Speedway"
 | description  = ''Beginning'' (0:00-0:31) → ''riff'' in [[Maurizio De Jorio|Niko]]'s "Speedway", from ''[[Super Eurobeat|Super Eurobeat Vol. 101]]'' (released in 2000)
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}
{{listen
|pos=right
 | filename     = Boom Boom Fire by D.Essex, from Super Eurobeat Vol. 140.ogg
 | title        = "Boom Boom Fire"
 | description  = ''[[Megamix]]-beginning'' → ''riff'' [then cut to] ''chorus'' → ''riff'' in [[Maurizio De Jorio|D.Essex]]'s "Boom Boom Fire" (produced in 1997), from ''[[Super Eurobeat|Super Eurobeat Vol. 140]]'' (released in 2003)
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}

Italian Eurobeat lyrics have varying degrees of complexity and themes and are accompanied by very complex melodies. Many songs produced starting in the mid-1990s feature [[electric guitars]] throughout the song, along with a thunderous, highly technical [[synthesizer]] riff (also known as the ''sabi'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://eurobeatblog.com/eurobeat-creation-theory-synth-riffssabis/|title=Eurobeat Creation Theory: Synth Riffs/"Sabi"s|date=2010-08-06|website=Odyssey Eurobeat|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-22|archive-date=2015-11-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107201825/http://eurobeatblog.com/eurobeat-creation-theory-synth-riffssabis/|url-status=dead}}</ref> which can be composed of up to 20 [[Audio signal|audio tracks]] layered together.<ref name="SSC Eurobeat Special">{{cite podcast |host=Jan "SSC" Budín |title=What Makes Eurobeat Special? |website=bandcamp.com |publisher=Delta Music Industry |date=2023-09-03 |access-date=12 September 2025 |series=Neo Retro Commentary |url=https://deltamusicindustry95.bandcamp.com/album/what-makes-eurobeat-special-neo-retro-commentary }}</ref> The sabi is heard after the introduction and after the chorus. Songs usually repeat the verse, bridge, and chorus multiple times during the song every time with a different arrangement, keeping the listener eager to discover how the next iteration is gonna be. The introduction can resemble an instrumental rendition of the verse, bridge, or chorus, while the riff can bare close reassembles to an instrumental version of the chorus. The general structure of a Eurobeat song is as follows:
{{Quote box
 |class  = letterhead
 |border = none
 |quote  = '''beginning (intro) → sabi → A melo (verse) → B melo (bridge) → chorus → sabi → ending'''
 |author = The intro is the introduction into the song, the riff (also known as the ''sabi'') is the musical part without voices. The ''A melo'', or a-melody is any verse in the song independent of lyrics, the ''B melo'' is the bridge of the song, and there is a vocal chorus (also known as ''C Melo'' or c-melody). There are always (expect for rare cases) 2 ''verse → bridge → chorus'' progressions with different lyrics in the 2 verses 
 |source = 
 |width  = 100%
 |align  = center}}

Eurobeat song artists are seldom the real name of the singer(s), instead preferring aliases of the same. This practice started in the [[Italo disco]] scene where the very low number of available performers forced the authors to came up with multiple names for everyone to give the impression of a bigger team on compilations.<ref name="Giancarlo Pasquini interview">{{Cite interview |last1=Pasquini |first1=Giancarlo |subject-link1=Giancarlo Pasquini |title=Dave Rodgers Fan Meeting: Q&A Session |year=2019 |location=Maharaja Roppongi, [[Tokyo]], [[Japan]] |editor-last1=van Vuuren |editor-first1=Matt |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v07fi0QikFk |language=en}}</ref>

With the [[musicians]]' transition to Eurobeat, the practice remained alive. It is common to see singers performing under different aliases (for example [[Clara Moroni]] having sung under aliases such as ''Cherry'', ''Denise'', ''Vicky Vale'' and many more<ref name="Eurobeat-Prime Cherry">{{cite web |title=Cherry |url=https://www.eurobeat-prime.com/artists.php?artist=1160 |website=eurobeat-prime.com |language=en |access-date=12 September 2025}}</ref>) and aliases being performed by different singers in different time periods (for example the ''Max Coveri'' alias was first sung by [[Mauro Farina]], then by [[Massimo Brancaccio]], then by [[Roberto Gabrielli]], then by [[Maurizio De Jorio]] and more recently by [[Corrado Beretta]]). The very few instances where songs have been released under the real name of the singer happened with an equally limited amount of singers such as [[Annerley Gordon]] (credited with her full name as well as similar variations like ''A. Gordon''), [[Gino Caria]] and [[Elena Ferretti]], all of which also sung under multiple aliases.

Multiple aliases used by the same singer(s) can also be used to separate different styles. For example, both ''Fastway'' and ''Dusty'' are used by [[Ennio Zanini]] but the former focusses on a more typical Eurobeat sound, while the latter is more [[Rock music|rock]]–oriented<ref name="SCP Ennio Zanini bio">{{Cite web |author=<!-- not stated --> |title=Fastway/Dusty About |url=http://scp-music.com/fastway_about.php |website=scp-music.com |publisher=[[SCP Music]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060506175003/http://scp-music.com/fastway_about.php |archive-date=2006-05-06 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Use of the term==
[[United Kingdom|British]] record producer [[Ian Levine]]'s Eastbound Expressway, released the single "You're a Beat" in recognition of the slower tempo of hi-NRG music emerging from Europe. Many European acts managed to break through under this new recognition, namely the likes of [[Modern Talking]], [[Bad Boys Blue]], [[Taffy (singer)|Taffy]], and [[Spagna]]. The term "Eurobeat" was subsequently used commercially to describe the [[Stock Aitken Waterman]]–produced hits by [[Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive]],<ref>{{cite web|first= Lauren |last= Kreisler |title= Inside The Hit Factory: Dead Or Alive – You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) |publisher= [[Official Charts Company]] | access-date= 21 August 2021 |url= http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/inside-the-hit-factory-dead-or-alive-you-spin-me-round-like-a-reco__4424/}}</ref> [[Bananarama]], [[Jason Donovan]], [[Sonia (singer)|Sonia]], and [[Kylie Minogue]] which were heavily based on the British experience with Italo disco. During 1986–1988, it was used for specific Italian 1980s [[Eurodisco]] imports, such as [[Sabrina Salerno]], [[Spagna]], and [[Baltimora]] but was also used in the [[United States]] as a catch-all term for UK-based [[dance music|dance]] and [[electropop]] groups of the time such as [[Pet Shop Boys]], purported to have a "European beat", hence Eurobeat. By 1989, with the advent of [[Eurodance]] and Euro house, the term was dropped completely in the UK.

In Japan, starting in the mid-1980s, the term ''Eurobeat'' used to refer to [[Italo disco]] imports from [[Italy]]. When Japanese label [[Alfa Music]] offered a deal with [[Italo disco]] singer, songwriter and producer [[Mauro Farina]], he happily accepted and thus the [[That's Eurobeat]] compilation series was born.<ref name="Farina, Gelmetti, Arduini Italian interview" /> Its name comes from Farina's answer to a question by a spokesperson of Alfa's. The spokesperson asked in [[English language|English]] the name of the [[musical genre|genre]] in which the songs Alfa was interested in belonged, but because they chose songs that Farina's team tucked away worried that they would not sell well in Italy, he did not have an answer ready and so in a hurry he improvised a reply by combining the fact that he was located in [[Europe]] and the word ''beat'', which he though was appropriate with the style of those songs, and answered to the spokesperson with ''that's Eurobeat''.<ref name="Farina, Gelmetti, Arduini Italian interview" />

==History==
===United Kingdom===
{{quote box|quote="It's a great hybrid with Motown-style lyrics, an Italian-style melody, and a Eurobeat. It sounds really great on the radio."|source=—Waterman (1986) on Bananarama "I Heard a Rumour".<ref name=BMI>BMI: The Many Worlds of Music. [[Broadcast Music, Inc.|Broadcast Music, Incorporated]], 1986. p. 17.</ref>|width=30em}}

The trio of British record producers, songwriters, and former DJs Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman were involved in the British underground club culture, encountering the Black American soul music-focused scene called [[northern soul|Northern Soul]], Italian pop-Eurodisco, and sped-up Motown Sound-inspired tracks. As underground record producers, they sought to recapture the "nostalgia" of Motown Sound with a hint of campy playfulness where the simplicity of musical structures, like in Italian disco, was preferred. This musical formula was proven to be successful enough to be capitalized on as they had a string of top 10 UK hits in the 1980s to the point of their version of Eurobeat becoming synonymous with British pop music as a whole.<ref>Manning, Sean (2008). "Rock and Roll Cage Match: Music's Greatest Rivalries, Decided". Crown/Archetype, Aug 26, 2008. Page 69. {{ISBN|9780307449658}}.</ref>

[[Pete Burns]] of [[Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive]] regularly fought the production team over "[having to adhere] to their production methods and concepts" which SAW were "quite firm about". Burns went on making a next album, produced by Burns and Dead or Alive drummer Steve Coy, without them, called ''[[Nude (Dead or Alive album)|Nude]]''. Epic (licensed by Sony Europe) was reluctant about releasing the album but it turned out to be so successful in Japan that it was awarded the [[Japan Record Award]] Grand Prix for Best International Album of 1989 in the 'Pop' or 'Popular' Category.<ref name=Arena>{{cite book |last=Arena |first=James |year=2017 |title=Europe's Stars of '80s Dance Pop |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zMYtDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT225 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |page=85 |isbn=9781476630144 |access-date=2020-01-29}}. Relevant pages 29-32 (Pete Burns), Pages 44 & 85 (high-energy music). Page 29 quote: "I got really sick working with them during the making of the ''[[Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know (Dead or Alive album)|Mad, Bad]]'' album. I got really, really sick." [...] The Stock Aitken Waterman team was reportedly quite firm about adhering to their production methods and concepts, which Burns said was a major source of friction. "That's why we eventually walked away from them. For instance, there was a lyric from 'Something in My House' [from the follow-up album, ''Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know''] where I make a reference to a 'wicked queen.' The actual producer, Mike Stock, stopped me and said I couldn't use the term because it would mean the record is about gay people. I was like, 'Fuck this; it's going on!' They actually wiped the original vocal, but then Pete Waterman came back and said, 'Let [Burns] do it the way he wants to.' There you go."</ref>

===Italy and Japan===
{{quote box|align=left|quote="Three labels have been with us for years now, and they believed in us. Without them, we could not have made it happen."|source=—[[Avex Trax]]'s [[Haji Taniguchi]] (2000)<ref name=Steve>McClure, Steve. "Midem 2000: JAPAN: Execs Stress Dance & Urban". ''Billboard'' (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.). Jan 22, 2000. Page 80. ISSN 0006-2510. Quote: "[T]o maintain an existing relationship with our clients we want to show our special appreciation to our collaborators for the success of 'Super Eurobeat Volume 100,' which has sold more than a half-million units since being released in August," says Avex's Haji Taniguchi. [...] Taniguchi says the three companies to which Avex feels especially grateful for their support over the years are A-Beat C, Time, and Delta, all of which are from Italy."</ref>|width=30em}}

Meanwhile, in Japan starting in the mid-1980s, the term "Eurobeat" was applied to all [[Italo disco]] music imports. That sound became the soundtrack of the at the time very niche [[Para Para]] nightclub culture, which has existed since the early 1980s. Japan experienced Italo disco through the success of the West German group [[Arabesque (group)|Arabesque]], which broke up in 1984. This did not prevent the release of two Italo disco-sounding singles in 1985 and 1986, produced and mixed by [[Michael Cretu]] (of [[Enigma (German band)|Enigma]]). The later solo success of Arabesque's lead singer [[Sandra Cretu|Sandra]] further introduced this sound to Japan. This attracted the attention of many Italo disco producers (mostly Italians and Germans), though by the late 1980s the West Germans had faded out of Italo disco and focused on more popular scenes, mainly [[Trance music|trance]]. At this time Italian singer, songwriter and producer [[Mauro Farina]] entered the Japanese scene by introducing the term ''Eurobeat'' and selling part of his team's catalog to the Japanese label [[Alfa Music]].

[[File:Dsc 1150 Mantua.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The majority of Italian Eurobeat labels have been based in [[Northern Italy]], in cities such as [[Lugagnano Val d'Arda|Lugagnano]], [[Brescia]] and [[Mantua]] (pictured)]]
[[File:Velfarre floor 3.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Velfarre]], a discotheque located in Tokyo, was considered a [[mecca]] of Eurobeat during the 1990s and 2000s.]]

The Japanese [[Para Para]] dance culture is highly influenced and closely related by Eurobeat.
In 1990, then small Japanese import record shop [[Avex Group|Avex]],<ref name="Avex History" /> following expansion plans, partnered with newborn Italian label [[A-Beat-C]],<ref name="A-Beat-C CD 1" /> founded the same year by [[Giancarlo Pasquini]] and [[Alberto Contini]] after a meeting at Contini's house with the two, along with [[Alessandra Mirka Gatti]], and Avex founders [[Max Matsuura]] and [[Tom Yoda]]<ref name="A-Beat-C CD 1" /> in which it was decided that Avex would restart, in the end of 1990, the [[Super Eurobeat]] compilation, which was beforehand an [[Italo disco]]–based CD series<ref>{{Citation |title=Various - Super Eurobeat Vol. 1 - Extended Version |year=1994 |url=https://www.discogs.com/master/722355-Various-Super-Eurobeat-Vol-1-Extended-Version |access-date=2023-03-09}}</ref> released by the label [[Beat Freak]] in the same year.<ref>{{Citation |title=Various - Super Eurobeat Vol. 1 - Time Compilation |date=21 January 1990 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1016924-Various-Super-Eurobeat-Vol-1-Time-Compilation |access-date=2023-03-09}}</ref>

With A-Beat-C, [[Time Records]] and [[Delta Music Industry|Delta]] (the latter 2 would join [[Avex Group|Avex]]'s [[Super Eurobeat]] in the following years) the term ''Eurobeat'' progressively became its own district [[musical genre|genre]] abandoning the ''[[Italo disco]] synonym'' definition.

The new Super Eurobeat compilation saw instant success and ignited an explosion of Eurobeat's popularity in Japan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://triplei.hp.infoseek.co.jp/s-page/eurobeat.html |title=ユーロビートの基礎知識 PowerGun |website=triplei.hp.infoseek.co.jp |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517115702/http://triplei.hp.infoseek.co.jp/s-page/eurobeat.html |archive-date=17 May 2006 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Eurobeat's sound contains certain instruments that recur throughout most of the genre: a sequenced octave bass, the energetic and heavy use of [[synths]], distinctive [[Brass instrument|brass]] and [[harp]] sounds, and tight, rhythmic [[percussions]] in the background, though some songs may be more experimental than others, for example by including distinctively [[acoustic instruments]] such as [[acoustic guitars]]. The vast majority of sounds are custom-made by the producers and are not stock [[Default (computer science)|presets]].<ref name="SSC Eurobeat Special" />

Starting in the mid-1990s, [[electric guitars]] also started to become more common with varying degrees of sonic presence in the song.
From the mid-1990s to the early 2000s, [[Jennifer Batten]] worked as [[composer]] and [[electric guitar]]ist with [[Giancarlo Pasquini]] and his team at [[A-Beat-C]].

{{listen
|pos=left
 | filename     = I Wanna Dance by Domino, from Super Eurobeat Vol. 90.ogg
 | title        = Megamix-intro of "I Wanna Dance"
 | description  = "I Wanna Dance", Eurobeat song by [[Alessandra Mirka Gatti|Domino]], from ''[[Super Eurobeat|Super Eurobeat Vol. 90 Anniversary]]''
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}

The 1996 video game [[Sega Touring Car Championship]] first featured Eurobeat as racing music. The 1998 [[anime]] series ''[[Initial D]]'', based on the [[manga]] by [[Shuichi Shigeno]], uses highly-energetic Eurobeat music regularly<ref name=Stuck>Stuckmann, Chris (2018) "Anime Impact: The Movies and Shows that Changed the World of Japanese Animation". Vincent R. Siciliano segment. Mango Media Inc. {{ISBN|9781633537330}}.</ref> in its episodes during racing scenes between the characters to accompany the adrenaline of the races, and because of this a narrow set of Eurobeat has come to the attention of some anime fans outside Japan. The series, as well as the Arcade Stage [[Initial D (video game series)|video games]] by [[Sega]], use a large playlist of Eurobeat songs (for example, the trio of "Deja Vu" by [[Dave Rodgers]], from Second Stage "Running in the 90s" by [[Maurizio De Jorio|Max Coveri]], from First Stage, Arcade Stage 2 and Special Stage and "Gas Gas Gas" by Manuel from Fifth Stage and Arcade Stage 5; all of which later became [[internet memes]] where these songs are played with video footage of rapidly moving objects or people). There are also some Eurobeat songs based on the series itself, such as "Takumi" by Neo, "Speed Car" by D-Team from Fourth Stage, Arcade Stage 4 and Extreme Stage and "DDD Initial D (My Car is Fantasy)" by Mega NRG Man from Fifth Stage. ''Initial D''{{'}}s successor, [[MF Ghost]], the 2023 anime uses Eurobeat as background music in the same way as its predecessor. Another 2003 anime called ''[[Dear Boys]]'', which focuses on basketball, also features Eurobeat during basketball game sequences.

In 1998, [[Bemani]], a branch of the video game company [[Konami]], made a hit video dance machine, ''[[Dance Dance Revolution]]''. The game acquired Eurobeat songs from the ''[[Dancemania]]'' compilation series published by [[Toshiba EMI]]. Though there was not much Eurobeat from 2006's SuperNOVA on, the series still features some tracks as of 2021. Other music games in Konami's lineup feature a large number of Eurobeat tracks, including ''[[Beatmania]]'', ''[[Beatmania IIDX]]'', ''[[jubeat]]'', and many more. The popularity of the genre also led Konami to create a [[Para Para]] game, ''[[ParaParaParadise]]'', though it was less successful than their other series.

''Wangan Midnight the Movie'', which was a 2009 film adaptation of the [[Wangan Midnight|manga and anime series of the same name]], features some Eurobeat songs, though only in some scenes as it has an original score playing through race sequences. Similarly, the ''Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune'' arcade games by [[Namco]] feature a trance soundtrack, in a similar way to how ''Initial D'' has Eurobeat.

==J-Euro==
<!--   {{listen
|pos=right
 | filename     = Stop The Music by Sophie, from Super Eurobeat Vol. 146.ogg
 | title        = "Stop the Music" by Sophie {{small|aka Elena Ferretti}}
 | description  = The original version of "Stop the Music"
 | filename2     = Stop The Music by Namie Amuro, from Super Eurobeat Vol. 150.ogg
 | title2        = "Stop the Music" by Namie Amuro
 | description2  = "Stop the Music" by [[Namie Amuro]], released in 1995, selling approximately 530,000 copies.
 | filename3     = You (Aggressive Mix) by Ayumi Hamasaki, from Ayu-ro Mix.ogg
 | title3        = "You (Aggressive Mix)" by Ayumi Hamasaki
 | description3  = Remixed by [[Bratt Sinclaire]], from ''[[Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix]]''
 | filename4     = The Lost One's Weeping (KENN-Euro Mix) by KENN, from Exit Tunes Actors 2.ogg
 | title4        = "The Lost One's Weeping (KENN-Euro Mix) by [[Kenn (Japanese actor)|KENN]]"
 | description4  = Originated from ''Exit Tunes Presents Actors 2''; remixed by Jetix Chick from [[YouTube]]
}}   -->
Types of music called "J-Euro" ('''J'''apanese '''Euro'''beat) include:

* Eurobeat songs made in Italy, covered by Japanese artists with Japanese lyrics. This type of "J-Euro" appeared first in the early 1990s. Notable artists of this type of "J-Euro" have included [[MAX (band)|MAX]], [[D&D (band)|D&D]], [[V6 (band)|V6]], [[Dream (Japanese band)|Dream]], and the "Queen of J-pop" [[Namie Amuro]].<ref>Bakuren, [http://bakuren.at.infoseek.co.jp/j.htm List of J-EURO Original Tracks] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010195006/http://bakuren.at.infoseek.co.jp/j.htm |date=2008-10-10 }} {{in lang|ja}}</ref>
{{listen
|pos=right
 | filename     = You (Aggressive Mix) by Ayumi Hamasaki, from Ayu-ro Mix.ogg
 | title        = "You (Aggressive Mix)" by Ayumi Hamasaki
 | description  = Remixed by [[Bratt Sinclaire]], from ''[[Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix|Ayu-ro Mix]]''
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}

* J-pop songs made in Japan, remixed in the style of Eurobeat by Italian Eurobeat producers. This type of "J-Euro" appeared first on the 1999 issue of ''Super Eurobeat'', ''Vol. 100'', with several tracks of this type of "J-Euro" by [[MAX (band)|MAX]], [[Every Little Thing (band)|Every Little Thing]], and [[Ayumi Hamasaki]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054810,00.html |title=Empress of Pop - TIME |website=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=17 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235726/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2054810,00.html |archive-date=3 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This type of "J-Euro" has been popular in the [[para para]] scene since around 2000.<ref name="tsutaya">[[Culture Convenience Club|Tsutaya]], [http://www.tsutaya.co.jp/works/20032612/summary.html J-Euro Non-Stop Best > Summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110184858/http://www.tsutaya.co.jp/works/20032612/summary.html |date=2019-01-10 }} {{in lang|ja}}</ref> [[Avex Trax]] launched the ''Super Eurobeat Presents : J-Euro'' series in 2000. This series included ''[[Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix|Ayu-ro Mix 1]], [[Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 2|2]] and [[Rmx Works from Super Eurobeat Presents Ayu-ro Mix 3|3]]'', plus a [[Ayu-mi-x 7 Presents Ayu-ro Mix 4|fourth]] remix album missing the "Super Eurobeat" tag featuring [[Ayumi Hamasaki]], ''[[Super Eurobeat presents Euro Every Little Thing|Euro Every Little Thing]]'' featuring [[Every Little Thing (band)|Every Little Thing]], ''[[Super Eurobeat presents Hyper Euro Max|Hyper Euro MAX]]'' featuring [[MAX (band)|MAX]], ''Euro global'' featuring [[Globe (band)|globe]], ''[[Super Eurobeat Presents Euro Dream Land|Euro Dream Land]]'' featuring [[Dream (Japanese band)|Dream]], ''J-Euro Best'', ''[[J-Euro Non-Stop Best]]'',<ref name="avex">[[Avex Trax]], [http://www.avexnet.or.jp/avexdb/eurobeat_etc/j_euro.htm J-EURO] {{in lang|ja}}</ref> etc.
* Eurobeat songs made in Japan, and sung by Japanese artists themselves. This type of Eurobeat has always been present since the 2000s, but only started to gain attention once the [[para para]] scene began promoting songs in this style. Most songs are anime remixes or J-pop covers, which has led to some calling it an ''anime boom''.{{Tone inline|date=August 2013}} Eurobeat labels that showcase this type of J-Euro are ''A-One'', ''Akiba Koubou INC/Akiba Records'', ''Eurobeat Union'', ''Fantasy Dance Tracks'', ''Plum Music'', Sound Holic, ''SuganoMusic'', ''TTL Sound'', ''Takanashi Koubou'' and more.

===Para Para===
{{main|Para Para}}
One of the dance moves Eurobeat spawned was {{nihongo|''para para''|パラパラ}}, a type of Eurobeat music-inspired Japanese youth social dance performed in unison.<ref>Karen Ma (1996). "The Modern Madame Butterfly: Fantasy and Reality in Japanese Cross-cultural Relationships". Charles E. Tuttle. {{ISBN|9780804820417}}. Quote: "[T]he ''para-para'' girls-young women in their late teens and early twenties dancing in unison in Japanese dance steps to the sound of fast-tempo Euro-beat. ''Para-para'' dancing is not a new invention: it dates back to the early eighties."</ref><ref>Roland B. Tolentino, Jin Hui Ong, Ai Yun Hing (2004). "Transglobal Economies and Cultures: Contemporary Japan and Southeast Asia". Page 241. University of Michigan & University of the Philippines Press. {{ISBN|9789715424196}}.</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of Eurobeat artists]]
*[[Super Eurobeat]]
*[[Eurobeat Disney]]
*[[Initial D]]
*[[Italo disco]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Music of Japan}}
{{Electronica}}

[[Category:Eurobeat| ]]
[[Category:1980s in music]]
[[Category:1990s in music]]
[[Category:2000s in music]]
[[Category:Electronic dance music genres]]
[[Category:European music genres]]
[[Category:Hi-NRG]]
[[Category:British styles of music]]
[[Category:Italian styles of music]]
[[Category:Japanese styles of music]]