Eurobeat (Italo-Japanese)
A British variant of Italian Eurodisco-influenced dance-pop only sold in Japan. Eurobeat music often accompanies anime, which made the genre more popular in the US. Eurobeat and Super Eurobeat genres are used and often associated with the main soundtrack for the anime Initial D, which is about Japanese mountain pass street racers.
There are certain synth instruments that recur across the entire genre: a sequenced octave bass, the energetic (sometimes wild) and heavy use of synths, distinctive brass and harp sounds, and tight, predictable percussion in the background. These sounds are layered with vocals and natural instruments (guitar and piano) into complex, ever-shifting melodies that burst with energy. Many Eurobeat artists have songs featured throughout the anime.
Super Eurobeat is a CD compilation series of Eurobeat music in Japan. The series itself is the longest-running music compilation in the world. 1985– .