Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

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

Not much info on this yet, though it’s probably a safe bet that it’ll feature Hime Trance tracks selected by Tsukasa. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw most, if not all, of Tsukasa’s previous tracks make an appearance. However, that wouldn’t be enough to make an entire album, so we’ll likely be seeing repeats in addition to a few new tracks from the likes of Shohei Matsumoto and Delaction.

Tsukasa, I beg of you, don’t let this turn into Hime Trance Best 2!

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

Good news, everyone! Hime Trance Speed sold better its second week out and actually reached number one on the international album sales charts. HTS sold 12,000 copies last week compared to 9,000 during the first week of release. That’s a decent bump, but if you haven’t ordered your copy yet, make sure to do so soon in order to guarantee that the series continues!

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

The Dancemania Speed series has been dormant for a while now (and no, I don’t count Happy Speed), so it came as a surprise to see the series revived in the form of Hime Trance Speed. HTS is clash of the old with the new, with classic Dancemania Speed tracks appearing along with brand-new remixes of popular Hime Trance and anime songs.

It is a little jarring to hear all of the different styles come together on the same album, sort of like Speed Buyuuden. However, unlike Quiqman, DJ Hibiki of Delaction did a great job with the mixing. The album starts off at 160 BPM and stays there for the first few tracks before going up to 170-180 BPM, where it stays for the remainder of the album. No unnaturally fast BPMs here.

The transitions are mostly of the beat-mixing variety, and for the most part work well. The only awkward transition is the one into “Max,” if only because he kept the “Smile” part in.

Sales have been brisk so far, so I do think a sequel is a given. With any luck, we may also finally see Speed G6. KCP and Runaway may no longer be around, but Delaction, Shohei Matsumoto, and the J-Core artists have proven that they’re more than capable of producing fantastic Speed songs. If we do get a Hime Trance Speed 2, I just hope there are fewer repeats and more contributions from Saifam and LED. Use those new Rose songs, EMI!

Full review after the jump, but for now, enjoy the TV commercial:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=KjcnaUmJyhY

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Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

Official site updated!

Final list with remix names and track lengths:

01. [3:22] Ima Kono Toki Dake / Shin Yoshimune Soundtrack
02. [4:35] Prologue (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix) / Tsukasa
03. [4:01] God Knows… / Kei
04. [4:22] Sorairo Days / Delaction feat. Chika
05. [2:39] All Around the World (E=MC2 Mix) / Zippers
06. [1:55] Butterfly (Upswing Mix) / Smile.dk
07. [1:45] I Do I Do I Do (KCP Remix) / Creamy
08. [4:15] Cartoon Heroes (Speedy Mix) / Barbie Young
09. [3:51] Robin Robin Hood (Speed Version) / Jenny Rom
10. [2:55] Motteke! Sailor Fuku / Vacuum
11. [2:39] Max Don’t Have Sex with Your Ex (Grandale Mix) / E-Rotic
12. [3:47] Girlfriend (Speedy Mix) / Hanna
13. [2:24] Paya Paya (Redalice Mix) / Dank-One feat. ari
14. [2:43] Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Wildside
15. [2:53] Sky High (Speed Remix) / DJ Miko
16. [3:42] D.O.U.B.T!!! ~Ai no Kakehiki wa DA*U*TO*~ (kors k vs. Omega Force Remix) / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
17. [3:54] Sousei no Aquarion (DJ 92 Mix) / Dank-One feat. ari
18. [4:39] Sound of My Dream / DJ 92
19. [3:24] Senorita (Speedy Mix) / Jenny Rom
20. [3:13] Zankoku na Tenshi no These (Quiqman Mix) / Nuts
Bonus Track
21. [3:27] Realize / SP Show*Hey? feat. Ichiko

Well, the Saifam songs got longer edits, but the KCP remixes unfortunately did not. The new tracks are quite lengthy, though.

Please, if you have any interest in seeing the Speed series continue, pre-order your copy today!

CD Japan – Hime Trance Speed

HMV

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

A near-final list has been announced. Remix names are still unknown, but I’m assuming that the Dancemania tracks will be the existing Speed remixes.

01. Ima Kono Toki Dake / Shin Yoshimune Soundtrack
02. Prologue (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix) / Tsukasa
03. God Knows… [from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu] / Kei
04. Sorairo Days [from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann] / Delaction feat. Chika
05. All Around the World (E=MC2 Mix) / Zippers
06. Butterfly (Upswing Mix) / Smile.dk
07. I Do I Do I Do (KCP Remix) / Creamy
08. Cartoon Heroes (Speedy Mix) / Barbie Young
09. Robin Robin Hood (Speed Version) / Jenny Rom
10. Motteke! Sailor Fuku [from Lucky*Star] / ???
11. Max Don’t Have Sex with Your Ex (Grandale Mix) / E-Rotic
12. Girlfriend / Hanna
13. Paya Paya / Dank-One feat. ari
14. Heaven Is a Place on Earth / Wildside
15. Sky High (Speed Remix) / DJ Miko
16. D.O.U.B.T!!! ~Ai no Kakehiki wa DA*U*TO*~ / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
17. Sousei no Aquarion / Dank-One feat. ari
18. Sound of My Dream / DJ 92
19. Senorita (Speedy Mix) / Jenny Rom
20. Zankoku na Tenshi no These / Nuts
Bonus Track
21. ??? / ???

By my count there are about 9-10 new tracks, which is phenomenal compared to the other trance releases this year. I’m mostly looking forward to hearing how Delaction’s Speed debut, though I’m also mighty curious to hear the Hime Trance remixes. As for the repeats, at least most of them haven’t been overused in the past. “Around the World” and “Robin Robin Hood” in particular are both pleasant surprises.

Again, if Hime Trance Speed sells well we may see a new Speed revolution. In fact, signs are already pointing to Speed being the next major dance genre. Quake’s Speed Anime Trance 4 is selling very well at the moment, as is Caramell’s Speed Album. Hime Trance Speed may be the release that pushes the genre into the mainstream again, just as the Dancemania Speed series once did.

CD Japan – Hime Trance Speed

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

Just a few new tidbits of information. First, “Ima Kono Toki Dake” is slated to be the lead track. After all, it’s not a true Hime Trance album if the first song isn’t from a Pachislot soundtrack.

Next, Delaction along with Chika will be performing the cover of “Sorairo Days.” Delaction will also be in charge of mixing the album, so we don’t have to worry about the song being unnaturally sped up to 190 BPM.

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

Amazon Japan put up the final cover. I don’t think it’s a Disney princess this time. Maybe Disney are on to them.

Once again, here are the previously announced tracks:

01. Ima Kono Toki Dake / Shin Yoshimune Soundtrack
02. Sousei no Aquarion (Speed Mix) / Dank-One feat. ari
03. Tamashii no Refrain [from Shin Seiki Evangelion] / Kayoco
04. God Knows… [from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu] /
05. Motteke! Sailor Fuku [from Lucky*Star] /
06. Sorairo Days [from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann] /
07. Mizu no Hoshi he Ai wo Komete (For Us to Decide) [from Kidou Senshi Zeta Gundam] / Haruna Ochi
08. Prologue / Tsukasa
09. Butterfly (Speed Mix) / Smile.dk
10. Max Don’t Have Sex with Your Ex (Speed Mix) / E-Rotic
11. Sky High (Speed Mix) / DJ Miko
12. Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne Cover) / Hanna
13. Cartoon Heroes (Aqua Cover) / Barbie Young
14. Paya Paya (Speed Remix) / Dank-One feat. ari
15. D.O.U.B.T!!! ~Ai no Kakehiki wa DA*U*TO*~ (Speed Remix) / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
16. I Do I Do I Do (Speed Remix) / Creamy
17. Sound of My Dream / DJ 92

There’s also some news on more potential tracks:

18. New Song / Kei (Confirmed)
19. New Song / REDALiCE (Confirmed)
20. Lucky Girl (Remix) / Miki Matsuzawa (Unconfirmed)

So, not only are EMI licensing existing J-Core tracks, they’ve apparently commissioned brand-new songs as well. Actually, it’s unknown if REDALiCE’s track will be an original song or just a remix of one of the Hime Trance songs. If it’s the latter, then I’d expect the Hime Trance songs to be remixed by the likes of kors k and DJ Shimamura.

Sadly, there’s still no news on whether Saifam or LED will contribute new tracks.

CD Japan – Hime Trance Speed

Apparently Japan doesn’t share my ambivalence towards Hime Trance Best, because it’s been doing quite well in terms of sales. After six weeks Hime Trance Best has sold a total of about 72,000 copies. For comparison, it took Hime Trance 3 a total of 7 weeks to reach 43,000 copies sold, while Hime Trance Best moved 46,000 units by its 3rd week out. At this rate, Hime Trance Best should sell at least as well as Hime Trance 2.

The good news is that this could be signaling an upswing in the popularity of trance once again. If so, maybe we can finally put a stop to the endless repeats.

Tentative list announced:

01. Ima Kono Toki Dake / Shin Yoshimune Soundtrack
02. Sousei no Aquarion (Speed Mix) / Dank-One feat. ari
03. Tamashii no Refrain [from Shin Seiki Evangelion] / Kayoco
04. God Knows… [from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu] /
05. Motteke! Sailor Fuku [from Lucky*Star] /
06. Sorairo Days [from Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann] /
07. Mizu no Hoshi he Ai wo Komete (For Us to Decide) [from Kidou Senshi Zeta Gundam] / Haruna Ochi
08. Prologue / Tsukasa
09. Butterfly (Speed Mix) / Smile.dk
10. Max Don’t Have Sex with Your Ex (Speed Mix) / E-Rotic
11. Sky High (Speed Mix) / DJ Miko
12. Girlfriend (Avril Lavigne Cover) / Hanna
13. Cartoon Heroes (Aqua Cover) / Barbie Young
14. Paya Paya (Speed Remix) / Dank-One feat. ari
15. D.O.U.B.T!!! ~Ai no Kakehiki wa DA*U*TO*~ (Speed Remix) / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
16. I Do I Do I Do (Speed Remix) / Creamy
17. Sound of My Dream / DJ 92

Looks like they weren’t kidding when they said it would be a mixture of Hime Trance, Dancemania Speed, and Anime songs. With the exception of the Hanna track (hooray for new Saifam Speed!), all of the other Dancemania tracks have existing Speed remixes, so expect them to be recycled yet again.

I spot at least two Anime Speed repeats, and if I remember correctly they were among the better Ventura-produced tracks. Still unsure who’ll be doing the other new anime songs, though.

DJ 92 is an artist associated with digi-up, which is also the home of kors k, DJ Shimamura, and other J-Core artists. It’s more than possible that they could be the ones remixing the Hime Trance songs.

If this sells well, perhaps we’ll see the return of the main Speed series. If you’re so inclined, pre-order at CDJapan or HMV.

CD Japan – Hime Trance Speed

Hime Trance Speed
Release Date: 7/30/08
Price: 1886 yen

Long live SPEED! Many of us had thought that the Speed series had ended with the lackluster Happy Speed, but EMI have announced a brand new entry set for release this July. Details are sparse at the moment, but according to an advertisement in the liner notes of Hime Trance Best, Hime Trance Speed will feature both the familiar “Hime Trance” sound as well as the “Dancemania” sound. Anime covers are also set to appear. The logo to the left was revealed in the Hime Trance Best booklet.

The only confirmed artist so far is Kei. Of course, it wouldn’t really be Hime Trance if Misa and Tsukasa didn’t also make an appearance, so don’t be surprised if they make an appearance as well.

EMI presumably still have a good relationship with Saifam and LED, which hopefully means we’ll finally get new Jenny Rom, Rose and/or Judy Crystal.

Link to this post, please:
https://www.dancemania-ex.com/2008/05/17/hime-trance-speed/

Discuss here.

Hime Trance Best
Release Date: 5/14/08
Price: 2171 yen

I was hoping against hope that Hime Trance Best would actually be better than it looked on paper. I’m sorry to say that it’s not. Read my track-by-track impressions below, or skip to my overall impressions.

01. Sousei no Aquarion / Dank-One feat. ari
I really wanted to love this, but after hearing Delaction’s version everything else pales in comparison. Ari’s voice isn’t quite strong enough to pull off the really high notes. The definitive part of this song is the “aishiteru” lyric, and ari fails to sing it with any confidence. The music itself is pleasant, with a good amount of pianos and other instruments strewn about.

02. Soko ni Aru Kamoshirenai… / Yoshimune Soundtrack
Still holds up well for a song from 2003.

03. Distance ~In Your Love~ / Misao Aoyama
Exactly the same as the Hime Trance 3 edit.

04. D.O.U.B.T!!! ~Ai no Kakehiki wa DA*U*TO*~ (Hime Tra Best Edit) / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
Added backing synths during the chorus. Actually, it’s possible they were there before, and they’re just more prominent now.

05. Glitter / Kei
I think the song title says it all. More energetic than “Happy Days, Happy Times,” but not quite as catchy as “Sayonara.”

06. Flower (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix) / Pile
Spacey vs garamonn remixes all have similar synths, so if you heard their remix of “Prologue” you’ll know what to expect. “Flower” is nice and upbeat. However, they play around with Pile’s vocals a bit too much. I would’ve liked to hear her voice unaltered.

07. Love & Sunshine (Delaction Remix – Hime Tra Best Special Version) / 4 Skips
They basically Russian Rouletted this song. In other words, they added a lot of random vocal samples (“C’mon!”, “Somebody scream!”, “Party people!”). Nowhere near as intrusive as the “hostalk,” but kind of pointless all the same.

08. Friends / Love Scandals
Sniff, DJ Kousuke 🙁 This was originally a DJ Kaya instrumental, and then DJ Kousuke added vocals and his own brand of synths for its Hime Trance 3 debut. The melody is absolutely infectious.

09. Kimi e no Omoi (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix) / Tsukasa
Where’s Heavens Wire when you need him? Decent remix, but I’m sure Heavens Wire could’ve done so much more with this.

10. Y.E.S!! (Nihonbo Official Han) / Heavens Wire vs. Zodiac Force
YES! Piano trance! Sounds like a mix of previous 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker tracks and Shohei’s remix of “Natsu Monogatari.” I approve.

11. Happy Days, Happy Times / Kei
Not the most memorable Kei song. I’d much prefer “Sayonara” or “Get Wild.”

12. Weather News ~Haretara Ii na~ (Hime Tra Best Special Version) / Gavin feat. Aya
My name is Gavin desu! Gavin has new (and longer) narration that mentions Hime Trance Best. Otherwise, exactly the same as before.

13. 1 Nichi (Big Kiss vs. Raversonic Remix) / Misa
Nothing new to report here.

14. Memory / Miu*Miu
This…still puts me to sleep.

15. Forever Love / Delaction feat. Chika
Hooray for barking samples! Still unbearably cute — just the way I like it!

16. Banzai (Red Monster Mocchi’s Edit) / Misa
I blame FARM for this. They used this remix on Mega Trance 01, so apparently EMI think they can get away with it, too. Why not use the excellent Overhead Champion mix of “So So” instead?

17. Zankoku na Tenshi no These / mint
This? Is amazing. Mint’s vocals sound more natural here, not to mention shockingly like the original. The production is also top notch, with vaguely eurobeat-y synths!

18. Tokyo / Heart Land
Hahahahaha! This is indeed a Japanese cover of Keen’s “Tokyo.” I have a whole post on “Tokyo” coming up soon, so I’ll have more on this then.

19. Everybody Happy (Vocal Version) / mint
Much like “Memory,” this isn’t a horrible song, just a bit lacking in energy.

20. Realize (Club Mix) / Mari Ohta with Shujinko
Another rather old song. Still holds up well, I think.

21. KI*SE*KI* / 4 Skips vs. Floorbreaker
Nothing new here either.

22. In My Heart (Heavens Wire Rmx) / Tsukasa
Ends really abruptly.

Bonus Track
23. Love & Joy / Yuki Kimura
It’s “Love & Joy.” Again.

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