Hi-NRG

Hi-NRG (short for "High Energy") is a style of electronic dance music that was popular in the 1980s. The music is characterized by mechanical beats, staccato -like techno sounds and radio influences from. It is the further development of Euro Disco that initiated the transition to electronic dance music. In 1981 at the latest, "The San Francisco Sound" pioneer Patrick Cowley (1950–1982) had great success not only in gay clubs with the hits "Menergy" and "Megatron Man" .

The term was first mentioned in 1983 in the British music magazine Record Mirror , which then published Hi-NRG charts weekly. The first "Hi-NRG" hit in the UK's Top 100 was Hazell Deans Searching (I Got to Find a Man) (Proto Records) by Stock Aitken Waterman at # 76, which was much more popular in gay clubs. The song Relax by the British group Frankie Goes To Hollywood can be considered the first worldwide hit of the genre .

Evelyn Thomas had a number one hit in Germany in 1984 with High Energy in the music style of the same name, which greatly popularized the direction. 1985 and 1986 the most famous songs of the "Hi-NRG" era were released, including Dead or Alives You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (1985 UK No. 1, US No. 11) and Bananaramas Venus (1986 US No. 1, UK place 8). A very successful producer and artist of this style is Bobby 'O' , who produced many catchy tunes in the 1980s, for example for Divine , The Flirts , Claudja Barry or the Pet Shop Boys .

The most important Hi-NRG musicians

Sylvester and producer Patrick Cowley Frankie Goes To Hollywood Bananarama Divine Donna Summer ( 1989 ) Earlene Bentley Eastbound Expressway New order Bobby Orlando Evelyn Thomas Laura Branigan

Laura Pallas Barbara Pennington Seventh Avenue Brian Ice Tony De Vit Dead or Alive Miquel Brown The flirts Oh Romeo Lime Fancy

Carol Jiani Trans-X Jessica Williams Kelly Marie Lisa Mel & Kim Paul Parker Roni Griffith Suzy Q. Taps

Well-known titles

Blue Monday High energy Venus Self control You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) Gloria She has a way

You Keep Me Hangin 'On (In the version by Kim Wilde ) Boys (Summertime Love) Helpless Don't pretend to know Rocket to Your Heart Can't Live Without Your Love Mercy

Movies

• Olivier Monssens: High Energy - Disco in full swing , arte documentation, Belgium, 2018

Web links

• Dance Music Report's Top 200 dance hits of the 1980s
• Hazell Dean interview on Hi-NRG, Record Mirror , August 1984 ( Memento from October 26, 2009 in the Internet Archive )

swell

1. ↑ You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) in the UK charts
2. ↑ You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) on the Billboard Hot 100
3. ↑ Shocking Blue in the UK charts
4. ↑ Venus on the Billboard Hot 100