Talk:Hi-NRG

Untitled
please name artists — Preceding unsigned comment added by 216.17.64.90 (talk) 01:12, 21 February 2004 (UTC)

Donna Summer
Donna Summer used the "Hi-NRG" term in 1978 during an interview to describe the success of the hit "I Feel Love". VH1 UK and VH1 European shows frequanly this interview on various "Disco Night" Specials. She say on the interview something like "This song has a Higher energy vibe".

The "Terminology" section references this interview, but gives the date of "1963" for some reason, which I assume is a mistake. I assume it should be "1978" as mentioned above, but I do not have access to the source to know for sure. Garmorley (talk) 10:43, 21 March 2019 (UTC)

Invitation to cite and weigh in on the issue of the etymology of the term "Hi-NRG," and its evolution from "High Energy" and "Hi-Energy" during the early- and mid-1980s
I've asked this elsewhere and can't seem to get an authoritative answer. Is this verifiable, citable, that the phrase Hi-NRG was coined AFTER the Evelyn Thomas single, "High Energy"? Or was it the other way around, the song ingeniously capitalizing on the name of the genre at the moment of its greatest prominence? Didn't that single come out in 1984, when the article states the genre was already crossing over into the mainstream? I seem to remember the phrase pre-existing the song but being shortened at the time of the song's popularity so as not to confuse the genre with one of its signature songs. I don't wish to change the article on the basis of my recollection, but I would love to know if this is more than a popular misconception, and has a basis in fact. Is there a generally accepted first usage? Thanks. Abrazame 08:53, 6 February 2006 (UTC)


 * I second that emotion. I too seem to remember the term prefiguring the (very fine) record. Jigsawpuzzleman 13:29, 22 April 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the corroboration! I too love the record, but think the attribution - despite being commonly held and often repeated - is an example of legend and not fact.  Anyone want to weigh in and provide examples and sources one way or another before this is changed?  The legend certainly bears mentioning, particularly as if it isn't, chances are someone will come along and add or revert it.  It would be better if we could track down the actual earlier usages to cite, rather than simply remove or refute the claim.  The problem is that there is a dearth of comprehensive, authoritative material on the web from that time of dance music in general, and the Hi-NRG genre in particular.  Anybody have some old dance music magazines lying around?  Abrazame 03:59, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

Billboard magazine used "hi-nrg" before the Thomas single. See their dance music column from that era. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.191.36.30 (talk) 23:57, 25 March 2009 (UTC)

Wrong statements about its meaning.
Having been there and right in the middle of it (the DJ dance scene in The Netherlands - and Amsterdam) back in the day I can assure you that the term High Energy was purely (and almost entirely) based on its speed, the amount of Beats Per Minute (BPM), which at the time was one of the most important numbers for DJ's to work with. It was considered High Energy *because* of the higher tempo, and soon (during the course of the year 1983) became the deciding factor for its genre-fit. At the time the barrier was around 127 BPM. Any disco-record faster than that could fit the genre. If it was 126 BPM or below it *definitely* wasn't called High Energy music, ever. DJ's (and their magazines) were very strict about it back then. So I'm kind of annoyed to see so many producers now being marked as "Hi NRG producer" on wikipedia (while they might only have been for a couple of rare uptempo releases), even favored over just "disco", "club" or "dance music" producer. Seems to me the gay community is trying to take over wikipedia in a somewhat destructive manner these days. They weren't creating music for the 'gay community', and so it wasn't "Hi NRG" music because of that, it was just disco at the time. Try not to make every record a "gay-community success", please. Their main audience was hetero-sexual at the time. 195.64.95.116 20:09, 12 August 2007 (UTC)

Although many of the tracks had their origins as mainstream Euro-pop hits on the Continent, HiNRG was in North America and Britain extremely closely associated with gay clubs (an early alternative name was 'Boystown disco'...enough said). In the UK HiNRG was popular in straight clubs in Scotland but elsewhere in the UK it was exclusively played in gay clubs...until, of course, Stock Aitken and Waterman sent it into the mainstream. Coming from Amsterdam you clearly don't see the genre as 'gay' but the reality is in the English-speaking world it very much was, which has nothing to do with any destructive 'gay agenda' you perceive. Vauxhall1964 (talk) 19:14, 31 January 2010 (UTC)
 * hi nrg as a gay music are electronic disco songs from 1980s, however there is non-sexual "version" of Hi-NRG and it are all uptempo songs with synth octave basslines. Article is somewhat wrong about "gay popularity". ItsAlwaysLupus (talk) 13:38, 7 February 2010 (UTC)

Image copyright problem with Image:Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) excerpt.ogg
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Sorting out
I've just been trawling through this nightmare of an article (which has been tagged for four different reasons) and done a complete overhaul. I've left in the relevant facts and removed information that was written twice and most of the details on other genres which already have their own pages. Then onto the lists, sorting through the artists names went on forever to see who did and who didn't have a page (in other words, if they don't have a page, they're obviously not notable enough to be included). The random list of singles I removed but kept the number ones list - so that can be added to. Also the record labels since almost none of them were notable. In doing all this I've removed three of the notice tags as the article should be a lot better and more coherent now. All you need is more references and as I say, more No.1 hi-NRG singles (or at least, notable singles).--Tuzapicabit (talk) 00:17, 25 September 2008 (UTC)

New Order
I deleted them from the list of HiNRG artists (a fairly incredible claim). They were influenced by the genre most notably on 'Blue Monday' but that's as far as it went. See their wikipedia entry for the correct genres. Vauxhall1964 (talk) 19:07, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

they a remix of songs in the hi energy vain in 1996....butit was just to cash in on the Techno craze....I think they were bad in debt and needed money. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Starbwoy (talk • contribs) 18:01, 16 January 2011 (UTC)

BS Article
Again!!!!!! people trying to find something to write for wikipedia to make up their genere appear legitimate. What is spoken about, was never spoken about or ddi not even seem to exist... in the 80's it was just a part of regular new wave.

Like get a life and learn to put history and culture into context...Dead or Alive was just dance or new wave.

Oh my gawd...like someone is trying to say...Shannon ...of "let the music play" was hi energy. Are these terms mow applying to in retrospect....Again simple basic dance music...we actually called all music music like this funk, until house/ hip-hop/rap became a general use word. - The high energy dance beats that people now refer to came experimental and industrial music...I know must of you hate to realize that. It actually came out industrial bands from the mid 80's. Many of the earlier people who made what became Techo, were the same people people who made experimental music.. All that happened was that the mainstream opened up a bit more to these types of music — Preceding unsigned comment added by Starbwoy (talk • contribs) 17:43, 16 January 2011 (UTC)


 * Utter, complete bollocks. Dead or Alive were near-unanimously described as Hi-NRG by the contemporary British music press, though Burns preferred they just say Disco. Zilch to do with 'New Wave', despite Burns' past involvement in the Liverpool New Wave scene of the late 70s. Jinglyjangle (talk) 04:34, 25 December 2023 (UTC)

Evolution of high energy disco music to Hi-NRG
A good article. I have brought the dates into line with the facts described in the article - from the high energy disco sounds of the late 1970s to the emergence and naming of Hi-NRG, a distinct popular music genre, in the early 1980s.

( ~ ) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Etheldavis (talk • contribs) 23:32, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

Evolution of high energy to Hi-NRG in the late 1970s to early 1980s
A good article. I have brought the dates into line with the facts described in the article - from the high energy disco sounds of the late 1970s to the emergence and naming of Hi-NRG, a distinct popular music genre, in the early 1980s.

(Etheldavis (talk) 23:43, 9 October 2015 (UTC))

BS Article indeed - attention, moderators
Completely agree with the entry "BS Article". Retroactively made-up "genre" seemingly to promote unknown artist of the days. Especially the claims about this made-up scene influencing techno music are unfounded and laughable, for the following reasons: 1. no sources named 2. no artist claims introduced (at least not from anyone known outside of their neighborhood) 3. references are missing and wrong. For example, the allmusic guide link does not contain any page on "Hi NRG". 4. article lacks substance but is full of unfounded claims

Wikipedia moderators: this article should be either deleted or worked into New Wave. Genres and exampled named are more properly discussed under New Wave. The rest of the article is highly disputable and is full of false statements. Let's not try to reinvent New Wave and change history on Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.252.202.26 (talk) 19:43, 15 November 2018 (UTC)


 * I'm quite late and there's probably no point replying to this, but just wanted to say you're out of mind. Hi-NRG was absolutely a real genre in the 80s, and it had zero to do with 'New Wave'. Essentially, it was gay disco music made by the likes of Dead or Alive, Pet Shop Boys, etc. There are plenty of interviews with people like Neil Tennant, from the 80s, talking about how inspired they were by the hi-NRG disco of Bobby O and other leading disco producers. Record Mirror even published a Hi-NRG and Eurobeat chart back in the day. 'New Wave', on the other hand, was a dead term in the 80s, unused by British music journalists except to refer to the late 70s New Wave era of Elvis Costello, The Jam, etc. Neil Tennant himself, back in the 80s, used to talk about how he went from a Clash and Elvis Costello listening 'New Wave snob' to an 80s disco fanatic (and frontman) thanks to the timely intervention of Chris Lowe. Jinglyjangle (talk) 04:31, 25 December 2023 (UTC)