Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

Utattemita Anison
Release Date: 3/7/12 ⇨ 3/21/12
Price: 1905 yen

Uggh, based on the producers of each track it doesn’t look like there’ll be any new arrangements, much less any new songs. The first 8 tracks appear to be taken straight from Anim80s, while the remaining tracks are from previous AKBK eurobeat albums. Very disappointing. It’s also odd that they’re not branding either Utattemita release as part of the Dancemania series. The only bright side is that some of the Anim80s repeats will get longer edits.

The album will be available on Amazon Japan’s download service as well as others, but the digital version is a non-stop mix like the CD.

For those wondering, “Nazo no Jinbutsu K” is better known to Hime Trance fans as Kei. It’s just the pseudonym she uses for singing on Nico Nico.

Read the rest of this entry »

J-Pop Cover Densetsu Best
Release Date: 4/18/12
Price: 1905 yen

A best-of collection featuring songs from the first four volumes of the hugely popular J-Pop cover series. There also appears to be at least one new song. As always, mixed by DJ Fumi*Yeah!

Read the rest of this entry »

Best 2011 Party Hit
Release Date: 11/16/11
Price: 1714 yen

House and Electro covers of the 2011′s biggest hits. This came out last November so I really should have posted about it earlier, but the track list was already so dated I figured a few extra months couldn’t hurt.

Read the rest of this entry »

Re:Construction Anima Best Mix
Artist: The Illuminati
Release Date: 4/4/12
Price: 1905 yen

Here’s a series I never thought we’d hear from again. The first two releases of this Evangelion tribute series came out in 2009 and 2010. A bit odd that they’d decide to do a best mix so long after the last one. Anyway “The Illuminati” and “Threemason” are aliases for Mega Trance’s DJ U*Hey?

Read the rest of this entry »

P!! Anison Coverpoid Non Stop Mix
Artist: Namidabashi Gakuen Joshi Cover Bu
Release Date: 2/29/12
Price: 1905 yen

The first two releases in the series featured dance covers of Idol and J-Pop songs. This third release focuses on anime themes. It’s mostly the usual anime standards like “Sousei no Aquarion,” “Tamashii no Refrain,” and “Shangri-La.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Vocalo Dance -Best Age! Tracks-
Release Date: 2/15/12 ⇨ 2/29/12
Price: 2190 yen

The album came out yesterday, and in addition to EMI’s Vocalo Dance Website, Akiba Koubou have also put up a special website of their own, including a page detailing the bonuses.

Again, all editions come with a special cardboard sleeve and picture label CD, while first-press copies will also come with a special calendar and fake credit card. Retailers will also be distributing B2-sized posters on a first-come, first-served basis. If you go to the URL listed on the obi strip and answer a quick survey, you can also download some special wallpapers for your PC or smartphone, though this offer only lasts until August. CD Japan says there’ll be a sticker, but there’s no longer any mention of that on Amazon or EMI’s website.

As for retailer-exclusive bonuses, Animate will be offering a special “can badge,” which is just a fancy Japanese term for a pin. Tora no Ana will also have special can badge with a different design. Tsutaya will give out A4 clear files.

EMI have also uploaded a special digest of songs on YouTube:

Read the rest of this entry »

Utattemita J-Pop
Release Date: 3/7/12 ⇨ 3/21/12
Price: 1905 yen

Utaite take on J-Pop classics. The track list is mostly composed of songs taken from J-Pop Extra Beat Densetsu and the first two Geki Atsu! Drama Euro releases. I’m still hopeful that these will be new house/trance/euro arrangements, but I’m prepared for the worst. Oh well, at least it can finally be confirmed that BB Storm = Bibi, KoRo-Girl = Korosuke, and Koko on Boku = Boku, though in hindsight I feel like an idiot since those should have been really, really obvious.

Read the rest of this entry »

Utattemita Anison
Release Date: 3/7/12 ⇨ 3/21/12
Price: 1905 yen

Delayed a few weeks, but cover art and final list have been revealed. The good news is that they somehow managed to forget to put “Zankoku” and “Sousei” on this. The bad news is that most of these songs have been done by Akiba Koubou before. The good news is that the description for the album mentions house, techno and trance arrangements, so there’s a good chance that we’ll at least get some new arrangements. The bad news is that Akiba Koubou are very lazy, and there’s just as a good a chance that they’ll use the songs straight from Anim80s and other albums.

For those wondering, “Nazo no Jinbutsu K” is better known to Hime Trance fans as Kei. It’s just the pseudonym she uses for singing on Nico Nico.

Read the rest of this entry »

Girls Pop R&B ~Party Girl~ mixed by DJ Hiroki
Release Date: 2/24/11
Price: 1800 yen

Sequel to Girls Pop R&B, featuring covers of popular J-Pop and Western Pop songs. Mixed by DJ Hiroki.

Read the rest of this entry »

R&B Boutique -in the party- 2nd Floor mixed by DJ Kenkaida
Release Date: 2/22/12
Price: 1800 yen

Fourth release in FARM’s R&B Boutique series. Once again features a non-stop mix of R&B house songs mixed by DJ Kenkaida. DJ U*Hey? makes an appearance with a cover of DJ Guetta’s “Titanium.” Daiki × ZK also have a new song with a cover of the Bruno Mars hit, “The Lazy Song.” The album is available on iTunes Japan, but the digital version is a non-stop mix like the CD.

Read the rest of this entry »

Party Hits R&B ~Girls Style~ mixed by DJ Rina
Release Date: 4/4/12
Price: 1800 yen

A spin-off of the Party Hits ~R&B House~ series, this time focusing on female vocalists and mixed by a female DJ, DJ Rina. There are 40 songs scheduled, and don’t be surprised to see repeats from previous releases in the series.

Read the rest of this entry »

Party Anthem Love Drive
Release Date: 2/15/12
Price: 1500 yen

A new R&B House compilation from Preget Music. Mixed by DJ Rina, the female DJ who also recently mixed Diamond ~Celebrity Style Best Mix~ for Groovy Inc. Actually, at least a few of the songs will be licensed from Groovy Inc.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gossip Party! “Spin Out!” Girls Hits Mixxx
Release Date: 2/15/12
Price: 1500 yen

A new, lower-priced spin-off of Manhattan Records’ house-flavored R&B cover series powered by Power Music. Expect covers of songs by Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Alexandra Stan. 35 songs in all. No, I don’t know what those extra x’s are for.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vocalo Dance -Best Age! Tracks-
Release Date: 2/15/12 ⇨ 2/29/12
Price: 2190 yen

Vocalo Dance Mania! It looks like EMI are marketing this as part of the Dancemania series, as they’ve put a special site up for it: Vocalo Dance Official Website.

The first Vocaloid compilation from EMI comes with a bevy of bonuses. In addition to a special cardboard sleeve and picture label CD for all editions, first-press copies will also come with a special calendar and fake credit card. Retailers will also be distributing B2-sized posters on a first-come, first-served basis. If you go to the URL listed on the obi strip and answer a quick survey, you can also download some special wallpapers for your PC or smartphone, though this offer only lasts until August. CD Japan says there’ll be a sticker, but there’s no longer any mention of that on Amazon or EMI’s website.

As for retailer-exclusive bonuses, Animate will be offering a special “can badge,” which is just a fancy Japanese term for a pin. Tora no Ana will also have special can badge with a different design.

I can’t help but be disappointed by the track list, though. I was hoping for new arrangements, but most of these appear to be the original versions.

Read the rest of this entry »

House Nation Platinum 2
Release Date: 2/15/12
Price: 2476 yen

Sequel to House Nation Platinum, which was released all the way back in 2009. Odd strategy, releasing a sequel so many years after the first came out. Like the First HN Platinum, this release focuses on chart-topping hits, though at this point some of the tracks are a bit dated.

Read the rest of this entry »