Hi-NRG
Disco · 1978 · 125 to 140 BPM · also known as HINRG, Electro Boogie
Disco sped up and toughened for the gay clubs of San Francisco and London at the turn of the 1980s. Octave-pumped eighth-note bass becomes the genre's signature, tempos climb toward 130, and the vocals stay big and dramatic. Hi-NRG is the missing link between disco and house, and the production school of Stock Aitken Waterman grows directly out of it. The style pushed disco to its fastest, most euphoric edge, paving the way for the dance music that followed.
11 reference tracks
- Arpadys: Monkey Star (1977)
- Peter Moesser's Music: High (1977)
- Patrick Cowley: Menergy (1981)
- Sylvester: Do Ya Wanna Funk (1982)
- Divine: You Think You're a Man (1984)
- Jessie Ware: Freak Me Now (2023)
- Miquel Brown: So Many Men, So Little Time
- Divine: Shoot Your Shot
- Patrick Cowley: Tech-No-Logical World
- Kylie Minogue: You Still Get Me High
- Patrick Cowley: Megatron Man
At a glance
- Tempo: 125 to 140 BPM
- First appeared: 1978
- Machines: LinnDrum, Roland Juno-60, Roland Juno-106, Oberheim OB-8, Syndrum
- The sound: Basse séquencée à l'octave, Syndrums
- Labels: Megatone Records, Record Shack Records, Moby Dick Records
- Key artists: Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, Divine, Evelyn Thomas, Miquel Brown
Producing Hi-NRG
Set the project at 134 BPM, fully quantized with straight eighths and zero swing. The pumping octave bass carries the pulse, creating an illusion of extra speed. Build the beat on a LinnDrum: a firm, short kick, a Linn snare doubled with a clap on 2 and 4, hi-hats in sixteenths opening on the off-beat, tambourine doubling them. Syndrum fills mark every eighth bar with a four-note descending tom run, an Operator sine with a fast falling pitch envelope works well. The bassline alternates a low root and its octave on every eighth note, a Juno-60 or 106 sawtooth with the filter wide open, short envelope, and a 50ms release for a clean staccato, following a four-chord minor progression. Keep it between 80 and 200 Hz, no sub.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Hi-NRG?
Disco sped up and toughened for the gay clubs of San Francisco and London at the turn of the 1980s. Octave-pumped eighth-note bass becomes the genre's signature, tempos climb toward 130, and the vocals stay big and dramatic. Hi-NRG is the missing link between disco and house, and the production…
What tempo is Hi-NRG played at?
Between 125 and 140 BPM.
Who are the key Hi-NRG artists?
Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, Divine, Evelyn Thomas, Miquel Brown.
