New Beat

History

New beat appeared in Belgium in 1987 ^s1. DJs slowed down imported EBM and acid house records, which made them sound heavy and hypnotic ^s1. Producers then made new tracks in the same slow, hard style ^s1. Confetti's 'The Sound of C' (1988) was one of the first big new beat hits ^s1. A Split Second's 'Flesh' (1986) and Lords of Acid's 'I Sit on Acid' (1988) are important records from the scene ^s1. The music mixed hard drum machines, acid basslines and samples from films and speeches ^s2. New beat was popular in Belgian clubs such as Boccaccio and spread across Europe ^s2. It influenced later European dance music and the early rave scene ^s1. The style was played in clubs such as Boccaccio near Ghent and spread to Britain and Germany ^s1. Many new beat records were hard to find and became collector's items ^s2. It is seen as an important step between EBM and the rave music of the 1990s ^s1.

Sound

• A slow, heavy four-to-the-floor beat
• Hard EBM-style drums
• Acid basslines and samples
• Spoken or sampled voices
• A dark, hypnotic mood

Key figures

• Praga Khan — Belgian producer and member of Lords of Acid
• Lords of Acid — Belgian group behind 'I Sit on Acid'
• Confetti's — Belgian group behind 'The Sound of C'
• A Split Second — Belgian group behind 'Flesh'

Labels

• Antler-Subway — Ghent , 1983
• Kaos Records — Ghent , 1988
• R&S Records — Ghent , 1984

Defining tracks

• A Split Second — Flesh (1986) YouTube
• Confetti's — The Sound of C (1988) YouTube
• Lords of Acid — I Sit on Acid (1988) YouTube

Connections

Came from: EBM , Acid House , Industrial

Sources

1. New beat — Wikipedia
2. New beat feature — Red Bull Music Academy Daily (2018)