What is New Beat????

[nrgbeat]

I doubt it's very new anymore.

[K-Bee]

As far as I remember, it was some very shortlived techno subgenre coming out of Belgium/Holland around 1987-88.

I think Westbam was somehow affiliated with it, but I could be wrong....it's been a while since I last heard this term mentioned.

[Bernie]

I'm sure Johan will jump in and really explain what this music from his homeland is like...

I still have quite a bit of that Belgian New Beat sound from the 89-92 period. It was typified by a slowed down tempo around 120 BPM and usually had "Acid" this or "Acid" that... iTunes always shuffles a least a few New Beat tracks each day for me.

Some New Beat artists are:
Jade 4 U
Hippies On LSD
Acid Kids
Erotic Dissidents
Taste of Sugar
Lords of Acid
Sacher Musak
Rhythm Device

[Videoskooter]

While the 80's were not providing "da groove" for me and for lots of dancelovers here, we were suddenly captured by a new "Beat". Slower than the Chicago and Detroit House that we liked and more mystical. The new genre which was mainly Belgian (almost every record in the small list that Bernie placed in his reply was produced by a very small group of Belgian producers like Maurice Engelen, Harry Van Oekel and Nikki Van Lierop aka Jade 4U (the brains behind Praga Khan and Lords of Acid), Morton, Sherman and Belluci ( who were behind acts like Erotic Dissidents) and Jo Bogaert who later on scored worldwide hits with his other project "Technotronic".

K-Bee is right when he says that it was a very shortlived genre. Because of the enormous succes of New Beat, everybody started making those records and thus the genre became too commercial and was quickly becoming so boring that people soon rejected this style. While the first records were in fact very underground, bands like "The Confetti's", a project from Belgian producer Dominique Sas, were very mainstream. Even the news-anchors from Belgian private TV-station VTM made a single called "NewSbeat" (please don't go looking for that one). Even Plastic Bertrand (who had a punk-hit in the USA with "Ca plaine pour moi") jumped on the bandwagon with "Slave to the beat", a hit he actually sung himself whilst "Ca plaine..." was actually sung by Lou Deprijck from Two Man Sound. (And you guys thought that only Milli Vanilli did tricks like this :D).

New Beat is often confused with another Belgian style called "Electronic bodymusic" or "Industrial", a genre that was represented/created mainly by Front 242 who made excellent stuff and have reformed last year. Listen to songs like "Funkhaddafi" and you will notice the great difference in sound. Another interesting group is Poésie Noire, a project from Jo Casters who also was heavily involved in the New Beat-scene later on.
Needless to say that the band who really started this (in the late 70's) was Telex, the Belgian group around Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman.

A fine exemple of English NB is "Deathdisco" by P.I.L. Tip: try to find the coverversion by Belgian band ARBEID ADELT who is edgier, stranger and more captivating.

As the genre faded away, the people who were originally behind it made it worldwide with other projects and worked with producers like Bill Laswell and Rick Rubin. Maurice Engelen, for instance, did remixes for White Zombie and was a major influence on the evolving sound of that group. Praga Khan and Lords Of Acid are still active and are regularly on tour in the USA. BTW, Engelen was introduced in the Producers Hall Of Fame a few years ago.

After the NB explosion it would take ten years before the Belgians hit the worldwide dance-scene very hard with groups like Milk Inc., Sylver, Lasgo, Kate Ryan, Ian Van Dahl, 2 Unlimited and other technopop-groups.

If you want to know more details and the full story, do read this excellent page:

http://www.jahsonic.com/NewBeat.html

You can also check out the excellent mix-cd's by Belgian team The Glimmers aka Mo and Benoelie, "Série Noire I & II"

[Bernie]

Johan:
Great insight into New Beat. Thanks!

[kwk]

check out: http://home.wanadoo.nl/kwk.music/

for a small New Beat tour in 5 min's 8)

New Beat - Micro Mix

The Maxx - Cocaine
Confetti's - Sound Of C
Neon - Voices
Confetti's - C In China
Neon - Sultana
New Beat Express - I Love You & I Hate You
Snowy Red - Euroshima-Wardance
Plastic Bertrand - Slave To The Beat
Space Opera - Mandate My Ass
New Beat Generation - Suck The Beat
Gang of V.D.P. - Body Heat
HNO3 - Doughnut Dollies
Dirty Harry - D'Bop
Real Man - Fashion Victims
Erotic Dissidents - Move Your Ass and Feel the Beat

[Videoskooter]

Short but excellent New Beat-mix!! Gives a very good idea what this sound was all about

[marmite7]

I have a 1988 album - New Beat (Take 1) featuring:

Erotic Dissidents - Move Ya Ass
Taste Of Suga - Hmm Hmm
Electric Shock - Don't Talk About Sex
Kings of Agreppo - Agreppo
Beta Beat Beat - Beat In The Street
Snowy Red - Euroshima Wardance
In-D - Virgins In D Sky
Dirty Harry - D'Bop
S.M - s.m
Jade 4 U - Rainbows
A Split Second - Flesh

I have to say ,you can hardly tell the difference between tis subgenre of dance music and Eurobeat!

Off - Electrica Salsa or Stop Bajon Primivera wouldn't be out of place on this album.