80s Hi-NRG & Eurobeat

24th July 1982

Throughout most of the 1980s, the British musical weekly magazine, Record Mirror, published a chart of the most popular Hi-NRG and Boystown Disco tracks being played in some nightclubs in Britain. These charts were compiled from DJ returns by James Hamilton and Alan Jones.

Record Mirror had been publishing world renowned weekly Disco Charts since September 1974. However, during 1982 James and Alan noticed a very different sound being played by DJs in underground British gay clubs, where the BPMs were faster, between 120 and 140 BPM. Much of this music was American, Canadian and European import 12″ singles that were not within the conciousness of mainstream British pop or dance culture. This faster, more synthesiser based, and less funky dance music was eminating in the fabled nightclubs of New York and San Francisco, and crossing the Atlantic bringing a new sound to the UK.

American record labels such as Moby Dick and Megatone from San Francisco; underground American producers such as Bobby Orlando and Patrick Cowley; and Canadian groups like Lime were already popular on this scene, as evidenced by the very first Boystown Chart published in the UK in Record Mirror on 24th July 1982, and reproduced below.

I have chosen a few videos from my YouTube channel to set the scene in July 1982.