Eurodance 80s - 90s

firefinga

Well-known member
Well, thirdform asked for it, I think it got the potential for a fun thread.

Qustion is, when could you start talking about "Eurodance"? - as a distinct mainstream - "genre" Eurodance was most certainly a 1990s thing. But lots of elements could be found way earlier, like mid 80s chart success of some Italo-Disco. There was also the element of trying to make underground sounds popular, or at least get those electronic sounds less rough and break into the charts. Strongholds of this sound clearly was Germany, but also lots of italian or belgian/dutch projects were successful.

I'll start with a chart hit in germany and italy of late 1987 - Sabrina's "Boys". Still very italo-disco:

 
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firefinga

Well-known member

This one was a number one hit in germany for a few weeks in 1989. Quite EBM-influneced. I think done by a project located in Frankfurt
 

firefinga

Well-known member

This one was also a top ten hit in Germany in 1987 by Sven Väth. Yes, the very same Sven Väth who is still DJing to this day.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
that's on my all-time italo list, stone cold classic

big italo fan but I bail almost entirely when it turns into italodance (italohouse I have a bit more time for but still not much)

similarly Patrick Cowley, Lime, Bobby Orlando etc great but I'm not much for hi-NRG after that, or eurodisco let alone eurodance

having said that, I can do some pre-eurodance Italo etc

Fun Fun strikes me as pretty pre-eurodance, esp this one (also man are there are ever a lot of exotifying "Oriental" mid-80s dance tracks that would not fly today)
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
I do find the continental electronic disco tradition from Moroder on down interesting but mostly unlistenable

idk what it is, maybe once the bpms speed up it just loses any vestige of groove?
 

firefinga

Well-known member
The template of Eurodance was without a doubt Snap's "The Power". BPM range 120-130. Female singer - catchy melody - or sampled, an additional rapper - usually a G.I. stationed in Germany - possibly added for the "street cred facor"

 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
italo disco >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Technotronic, Black Box, etc

they always do better when the bpm goes down
 

luka

Well-known member
the idea that kitschy italodisco can hold a candle to snap and technotronic is indicative of brain trauma or delusional thought patterns.
 

luka

Well-known member
we were talking about eurodance recently in relation to that principe disco yaldrin was posting. the really bizzare decadent late period stuff that was so depraved and disturbing but also all over the charts.
 
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