How much do you know about the iconic eighties dance music genre, called "New Beat" ?

The Twelve Inch 111 : "Somewhere In Arabia" (The Caravan)

In this episode, we continue exploring the evolution of dance music, building on our previous discussion from last week of what happened in mid eighties America. The evolution of dance music was different in the USA compared to Europe. None more so than in the second half of the eighties when a unique genre of dance music emerged. Originating from Belgium, 'New Beat' is an iconic dance music genre that merges elements of acid house, EBM (Electronic Body Music), synth-pop, and film music into a slow, hypnotic rhythm that captivated the dance floors of Europe and beyond. New Beat happened incredibly fast. It only took a few years to get from the underground movement to mass adoption and, ultimately, mass (low quality) production killing of the creativity. It started in 1985 and by 1989 it was all over.

The History of New Beat

The Cultural and Political Backdrop

Belgium in the 1980s was a country of linguistic divide and economic transition. During the 1980s, Belgium faced economic challen…