Yes, Hyundai (of all people) have not one, but three(!) hour-long Eurobeat compilations on YouTube!
When it comes to putting one’s foot down, to a certain subsection of drivers at least, there is no song genre more amenable to that than Eurobeat. This particular form of Italo-disco is after all the sound of Initial D, with its high energy tempo instantly transporting anyone who hears it on their boring commute to being behind the wheel of a certain panda Trueno barrelling down the fictional foothills of Mt. Akina.
Funnily enough though, despite Eurobeat being so entrenched with the Initial D tōge culture, it hasn’t really been utilised all that much by any of the Japanese automakers. Even Toyota — whose GT86 and GR86 was born as a direct result of the sustained widespread international interest of the aforementioned hit drifting manga/anime — has not really given much time to the soundtrack that will likely be the default playlist in most of those cars.
Fortunately however, there has recently been an automaker who has decided to finally rectify this issue. And yes, as the title of this article already mentioned, it is really Hyundai (of all people!) who have officially embraced Eurobeat, by dropping not one, but 3 rather excellent compilation playlists on YouTube.
A marketing endeavour by Hyundai’s hot N division, these Eurobeat compilations were initially released in conjunction with their participation the Nürburgring 24 hour endurance race. Such is hence why these playlists were all titled Nürburgring Eurobeat Dash, with the accompanying video for all three being the on-board footage of either their Elantra N or i30 N racers absolutely hammering round (and I do mean absolutely!) the ‘Ring during the N24.
Now in terms of the songs themselves meanwhile, the spread is simply superb. The third Nürburgring Eurobeat Dash playlist in particular is pure Initial D, with all the tracks that feature in the compilation having appeared in the series at one point or another. This though should come as no surprise, as Hyundai N essentially repackaged the compilation album “Music For Touge Drivers” that was previously released by Delta Music Industries and mixed by SSC (which is no bad thing!)
And on the topic of its mixing, praise must be given to just how top notch it is as well. The transition between Running in the 90s and Golden Age in the third playlist especially is smoother than the line taken by the Hyundai i30 N racer as it flies through Flugplatz, with this auditory experience then further taken up a notch (in the second playlist especially) by the faint sound of racing that is occurring in the video itself being expertly blended into the Eurobeat.
Fun fact here too, Hyundai actually scored a 1-2 class finish in the TCR category with their Elantra Ns back in 2023 when these playlists were first released. Explicit proof then that Eurobeat really works!
Just going on a tangent for a moment here, Hyundai N has actually also uploaded a few slightly more calming playlists for the (presumably few) times its Nthusiasts may not be channeling their inner tofu delivery driver.
Presumably predictably enough also, written in the description below on YouTube for its Eurobeats playlists is the disclaimer: ‘Do not drive in sync with the beat, your speed gauge may escalate without you knowing. Always obey local speed and traffic regulations.’
Oh definitely, Hyundai… Now just where did the keys to the i30 N go? It is high time for the hills to be alive with the sound of Eurobeat!
Heck, the keys to the IONIQ 5 N would work too. All of that EV silence is to surely be livened up by these awesome playlists after all.
