Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

Hime Trance 4 EP – DJ Sampler
Release Date: 2/3/10
Price: $10.32

First a sales update. Hime Trance 4 debuted at #71 on the Oricon charts, with 2,439 copies sold. By comparison, Hime Trance Anime*Mix! debuted at #24 with ~6,000 copies and Hime Trance Best moved 16,000 units in its first week. So, yeah, not that great. I’m thinking that those numbers are decent enough for at least one more release, but even then I’m not so sure.

Still no word on whether EMI will release a download selection, but in the meantime, Shohei Matsumoto has released an EP on iTunes featuring 3 of his original songs from Hime Trance 4. The best news is that it appears to be available worldwide! It’s $1.29 per track, and unfortunately there’s no discount for buying the whole EP, so it’s $10.32 total. Remember, you don’t need a credit card to buy from your local iTunes. Just walk on over to the nearest supermarket and grab an iTunes gift card. This is your chance to support Hime Trance! Now let’s hope he releases a Hime Trance 3 EP so we can finally get the full version of MA*GI*CA*.

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

It’s been a long 2+ years since Hime Trance 3. The wait was more than worth it, however. In addition to new songs from Hime Trance mainstays like Tsukasa, Kei, and Misa (who makes her return after being left off Anime*Mix), we also get brand new Saifam remixes and licensed songs from popular J-Pop artists. It all makes for an extremely satisfying CD that rivals Anime*Mix and perhaps even the first Hime Trance in terms of pure enjoyment.

The last entry in the main series, Hime Trance 3, was full of repeats and songs that weren’t trance. EMI have seemingly learned their lesson, as Hime Trance 4 contains only one true repeat (“Stay,” which was featured on Trance Paradise Best) and one non-trance song (“Miku Miku…”). Another problem with Hime Trance 3 was that it only had one Delaction song, and it was a repeat at that. Hime Trance 4 has four new Delaction songs, which automatically makes it the best album ever.

The bad news is that it’s not selling all that well at the moment. The last HT release, Anime*Mix!, debuted at number 24 on Oricon’s weekly sales chart, but it’s looking like HT4 won’t even break the top 30. Heck, right now Wa Euro Best 2 is outselling Hime Trance 4 on Amazon Japan. EMI actually put some effort into this release, so if you have any interest in seeing the series continue then do consider picking up a copy. It’s available at CDJapan, HMV, Amazon Japan, Yes Asia, and JPopHelp. No word yet on whether a Download Selection will be available, but I’m certainly hoping for it.

Full review after the jump.

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

Preview videos are up! The first video exclusively features a few of the album’s Japanese-language tracks and has some adorable “Jasmine” art. The second video showcases a few other songs, but the sound quality isn’t all that great.

“Miku Miku ni Shite Ageru [Shiteyanyo] (Hime Mix)” sounds a lot like the original mix, which makes me worry that “Boy” won’t really be remixed, either. But they have to remix “Coconut,” right? Right!?

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

Track lengths have been announced and it looks like most of the tracks got healthy edits. The Lil’B song gets the distinction of being the longest track on the album, though Tsukasa’s “Shin Ai” isn’t far behind. Some songs got the short end of the stick, however. While I’m happy that I’ll only have to endure ~2 minutes of “Santa Maria,” the new remix of “Coconut” is the shortest track on the CD, coming in at a paltry 1:22. Hopefully EMI will release a Download Selection so we can hear full versions of these songs.

It’s still unknown who’ll be doing the “Hime” remixes of “Boy” and “Coconut.” However, Shohei Matsutmoto has been confirmed as the producer of the Gavin and ari tracks. Also, making his Hime Trance debut is the one and only king of Rock-Trance, N.O.-SYO!!! He’s collaborated with Kei for the original song, “Somebody’s Voice.” I know Kei has been itching to sing another original song for a while now, so it’s great to see her get her wish.

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

Album of the year.

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

It’s Jasmine!!! Still no final track list, but updated descriptions are saying that it’ll feature trance remixes of popular Eurobeat songs, which may mean some Wa Euro Best crossovers. There was a rumor a while back that Nagisa would be appearing on Hime Trance, so maybe that’ll come to fruition.

CDJapan also claim that a first-press bonus will be included. If past releases are any indication, it’s probably just a sticker sheet again.

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Hime Trance 4
Release Date: 1/27/10
Price: 1886 yen

It’s been over 2 years since Hime Trance 3 came out, so it’s about damn time that we finally got Hime Trance 4! This actually comes as a huge surprise, as it’s been quite a while since the last Hime Trance release, and I would’ve expected an Anime*Mix! 2 before another entry in the main series.

01. Shuuketsu no Sono e (Delaction Remix) / Tsukasa
02. Eternal Blaze (Delaction Remix) / Tsukasa
03. Barbie Girl / Savannah
04. I Should Be So Lucky / A.Kay-B.J.
05. Coconuts (Remix) / Smile.dk
06. Licky Licky (Remix) / Crispy
07. Boy / Misa
08. Cinderella / Delaction
09. Without You / Delaction

So far it looks like it’ll be a Delactionfest, with at least 4 Delaction songs/remixes planned. “Eternal Blaze” will be repeated for the third time in the Hime Trance series, but it’s so awesome that I frankly don’t care. Tsukasa will be back with a new song, however, with a Delaction remix of the anime theme, “Shuuketsu no Sono e.” Delaction will also be contributing two brand new songs: “Cinderella” (would’ve been more appropriate on Hime Trance 3, no?) and “Without You.” With Delaction being so prominent on this release, I’d be shocked if they weren’t the ones mixing.

Next up are a couple of Saifam remixes. “I Should Be So Lucky” would be great with a Delaction remix à la “Toy Boy,” though I can’t help but wonder why they didn’t just use the Kylie version since she’s still with EMI. “Barbie Girl” is the more interesting of the two, especially given Aqua’s recent comeback. A 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker mix would be absolutely ace, as long as they keep all of the lyrics this time.

Smile.dk return to Hime Trance with a new remix of “Coconut,” which is rather shocking. It’s far from my favorite song, and it’s never even appeared on Dancemania nor released as a single in Japan. I would’ve preferred something from Party Around the World if possible, but given the proper remix “Coconut” could be a lot of fun.

Crispy are a surprise inclusion, since they used to be signed with Victor Japan and not EMI. It’s possible that EMI have picked up the rights to their back catalogue. It’s a little odd that they’d choose Crispy over a more established Dancemania artist like Bambee, Creamy, or Ni-Ni.

Finally, there’s Misa’s “Boy,” which could pass as trance in its original form. I’m still pretty pissed about “Dam Dariram” on Hime Trance 3, so they had better spend the money to get “Boy” remixed.

As for what I hope will appear, I’m still yearning for an epic trance remix of Creamy’s “I Do I Do I Do.” Bambee’s “You Are My Dream” is also on the top of my wishlist, as is Ni-Ni’s “Spacy Crazy Girl.” Oh, and give us a REAL trance remix of “Dam Dariram”!!!

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Hime Trance Anime*Mix!
Release Date: 1/21/09
Price: 2171 yen

The good news is that Anime*Mix is selling better than Tsukasa Mix. The bad news is that the sales still haven’t all that great. In its first week out it moved about 6,000 units, and during week two it sold an additional 4,000. Hime Trance Speed, by comparison, sold 9,000 copies in its first week out, then 12,000 more the second week. I think Anime*Mix’s sales are enough to continue the series for a while, but if things don’t pick up Hime Trance could go the way of Dancemania.

Hime Trance Anime*Mix!
Release Date: 1/21/09
Price: 2171 yen

Album of the year! Okay, it may be a tad early to make such a bold claim, but Hime Trance Anime*Mix! is at least the best trance release to come out of Japan in quite a while. Unlike the last 3 or so Hime Trance releases, Anime*Mix! has a very good ratio of new songs to old. And while there are a few repeats, almost all of them are exceptional and are worthy of being repeated. If you’ve soured on trance because of the constant repeats, then Anime*Mix may well reinvigorate your love of trance.

Anime*Mix! brings together some of the best trance producers Japan has to offer. Delaction and Dank-One once again bring their A-games, while newer artists such as Redalice and CMS help to add a dose of freshness. Unfortunately, the booklet is light on credits, so it’s hard to tell who produced some of the tracks.

Not only does Anime*Mix! have a wide array of producers, but it also has an equally diverse set of vocal talent. Hinax and Mepomi are among the artists making their Hime Trance debuts. Meanwhile, Tsukasa and Kei, both reigning trance queens, return with awesome new material. The only “hime” missing is Misa.

Interestingly, while the first half of the album is a standard 145 BPM, the second half speeds up significantly. At first it goes to 150, but soon reaches around 165 before ending at 180 BPM. Methinks that if there’s a Hime Trance Speed 2, a good chunk of the second half will be repeated.

Sales have been decent so far, though from what I can tell it’s tracking slightly below Hime Trance Speed. I certainly hope sales improve so that we can guarantee a sequel. EMI are pretty much out of anime songs to repeat, so a potential sequel would be 100% new material.

Order at CDJapan. First-press copies come with stickers, but all copies will come with a lyrics booklet.

Full track-by-track review after the jump.

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Hime Trance Anime*Mix
Release Date: 1/21/09
Price: 2171 yen

The official Dancemania website has been updated with Hime Trance Anime*Mix info. Pay no heed to the 1/14 release date; the official release date is still 1/21.

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Hime Trance Anime*Mix
Release Date: 1/21/09
Price: 2171 yen

One new song from Tsukasa!
Two new songs from Kei!!
Two new songs from ari/Aya!!!
Two new songs from Chika!!!!
Two new songs from mint!!!!!
Gavin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As Kylie would put it, wa-wa-wa-WOW! The only Hime Trance queen missing is Misa!

There are, of course, some repeats. Six tracks are from previous releases in the Hime Trance series. EMI also chose to license one song from Quake’s Speed Anime Trance Best series. Thankfully, it turns out to be one of the best: Florence’s “Komm, susser Tod.” Still, 7 old tracks out of 21 means that 2/3 of the album is brand new. That’s the largest percentage of new tracks on a Dancemania/Trance Paradise album in quite some time.

I’ve also been informed by DJ Tomoe that the princess on the cover is modeled after Rei Ayanami from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. Hooray for copyright infringement!

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Hime Trance Tsukasa Mix
Release Date: 11/12/08
Price: 1886 yen

I was fully expecting to hate this based on principle alone. After all, less than half of the album is actually new, and how many times have we heard In My Heart now? It’s as if there are two constants in J-Trance: In My Heart and Sousei no Aquarion.

After giving the album a few listens, however, I have to admit that it’s convenient having all of the Tsukasa tracks collected in a nice little package (emphasis on little). In My Heart, Mermaid, and Prologue have long since been played out, but Kira Kira, Precious My Love and Kimi e no Omoi still have an air of freshness about them so I don’t mind listening to them again.

As for the new tracks, they’re all surprisingly exceptional. Eternal Blaze leads the way with Delaction’s melodic synths combining with Tsukasa’s cute vocals for pure aural perfection. Meanwhile, “Dear…” and “Love & Joy” have been given new remixes that breath new life into these old songs. Merry Christmas finishes the non-stop mix with a sweet, Engrish-filled Christmas song.

The first 6 tracks run at a constant 145 BPM, then it ramps up to 160 BPM for Prologue followed by ~175 BPM for Love & Joy. Merry Christmas finishes things off at 140 BPM. None of the transitions are particularly noteworthy, but since most of the album is 145 BPM, Team Cha-Meshi easily managed to make the non-stop mix seamless.

First-press copies came with (useless) stickers, but all copies come with a lyrics booklet. It’s rather surprising how much English is actually in these songs, though you’d never know it based on Tsukasa’s pronunciations. She’s actually admitted that English is difficult for her, and that she sings it all phonetically.

Sadly, Tsukasa Mix has not been selling well at all. Whereas Hime Trance Speed sold 9,000 units in its first week out, Tsukasa Mix has sold well under 2,000 copies after one week. If you ever want to see a Kei Mix or Misa Mix, then please support the Hime Trance series.

Full track-by-track review after the jump.

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Hime Trance Anime*Mix
Release Date: 1/21/09
Price: 2171 yen

It seems like the only dance/trance compilations that come out anymore feature anime song covers. So, instead of finally getting Hime Trance 4, we’ll be getting Anime*Mix instead. Sigh.

The artists listed below aren’t yet confirmed, but we all know that EMI love to use repeats. Also expect new recordings from Hime Trance mainstays Kei and Tsukasa as well as Heavens Wire and Delaction.

Anyone happen to know if the princess featured on the cover is supposed to be from some anime?

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Hime Trance presents Tsukasa Mix
Release Date: 11/12/08
Price: 1886 yen

Yet another wasted opportunity. There are 5 songs that are new to the Hime Trance series (7 if you count the bonus tracks), but I’m tired of hearing “In My Heart” and “Prologue” at this point. And as awesome as Delaction usually are, their remix of “Mermaid” is sorely lacking. This had better be the last time we see any of those again.

Tentative track list and more analysis after the jump.

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Hime Trance presents Tsukasa Mix
Release Date: 11/12/08
Price: 1886 yen

The early track list is out and from the looks of it all of the songs will indeed be by Tsukasa.

There’ll be a number of repeats appearing, and it’s rather disappointing that we’ll be seeing the same old remixes making return appearances when other, better remixes exist. For instance, there are a ton of great remixes of “Prologue,” so why subject us to the same old Spacey vs. garamonn Remix yet again?

Tentative track list and more analysis after the jump.

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