Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

Oriental Space Tribute Album ~Scorpion~
Release Date: 6/18/08
Price: 2476 yen

I was extremely excited when FARM Records first announced an Oriental Space tribute album. However, I was also a little worried the thing would end up being a distasteful, blatant cash grab. Sure, we’d be getting new remixes by some of Japan’s top trance DJ’s, but the thought of FARM profiting off DJ Kousuke’s death was a little disconcerting.

Thankfully, my fears were completely unfounded: A portion of the proceeds are going to Save the Children Japan. So, not only do we get incredible music, but we also get to help a great cause.

You can get the album in a few different ways. If you buy the CD version, you’ll get a nonstop mix of Oriental Space’s best tracks on disc 1, as well as edits of the new remixes on disc 2. Of course, you’ll also be helping out a great charity. Buying the CD is also the only way to get “I Think My Neet.” It is not available digitally.

If you’re interested in full versions, then most of the songs are available for purchase online at Music Master. Disc 1 songs can be found by searching for Oriental Space’s previous albums, though some songs, like “Friends,” aren’t available. The disc 2 remixes on Music Master are extended, in most cases about 2 minutes longer than the versions on the CD. The only problem is that I’m not entirely sure if those profits will be going to Save the Children.

The album is also on sale at the iTunes music store, but again, not all of the tracks are available. There are 19 tracks from disc 1 and 11 from disc 2 (“I Think My Neet” is again missing). The thing about iTunes is that it’s much more expensive that Music Master (200 yen per song instead of 158 yen), and the songs are not on iTunes Plus. That means you’d be paying for 128 kbps tracks with DRM. I’m not sure if the profits from iTunes sales will go to charity, either.

Finally, there are two different vinyls available that have the full-length, extended versions of eight of the new remixes:
Vinyl 1
Vinyl 2

Anyway, on to the review! I’ll only be reviewing the new remixes, but you should know that Disc 1 is an awesome nonstop mix by DJ U*Hey? The transitions are great, and the song selection, with the exception of “Alabasta,” is top notch.

01. Scorpion (DJ Ten Remix) / Oriental Space
DJ Ten and DJ Kousuke utilize similar synths, so it’s not surprising that DJ Ten’s remix of “Scorpion” sounds the same as the original. It’s not bad, but it’s not very original either. Do yourself a favor and grab the remix of “Scorpion” from P-Trance vol. 2 (available on Music Master). It’s a far more different, rockier take on the song.

02. Kimi o Nosete ~Laputa~ (DJ Uto Remix) / Oriental Space feat. Mayumi Morinaga
DJ Uto offers a soaring rendition of the anime theme. Mayumi’s vocals don’t add all that much to the song. Thankfully, they’re kept to a minimum, allowing DJ Uto’s synths to shine.

03. Magical Express (Umi no Mierumachi) (Heavens Wire vs. Drumroller Remix) / Oriental Space
As I’ve mentioned before, “Magical Express” is the song that got me hooked on epic trance in the first place. Additionally, Shohei Matsumoto has always been one of my top 5 DJS, so having him remix one of my favorite tracks is a dream come true. This remix is similar to Heavens Wire’s version of “Laputa” in that it also features live (or possibly synthesized) instrumentation, this time in the form of flutes. It would’ve been nice to have a full orchestra like “Laputa” had, but the flutes still work remarkably well. Meanwhile, the synth work is also very reminiscent of Heavens Wire’s “Laputa.”

04. YaKuScha (DJ U*Hey? Remix) / Oriental Space
I’m not familiar with the original so I can’t make any comparisons. I do think the intro for this edit lasts a tad too long. It takes two minutes to get up to the main melody, though once it gets there it’s wildly enjoyable.

05. Alexandrite (DJ Tora + R-seq Remix) / Oriental Space
Shares some similarities with DJ Tora’s “Love Sunshine 2007.” I always enjoyed the original’s melody but didn’t quite like the synths. Thankfully, DJ Tora and R-seq have alleviated the only thing keeping me from loving this song.

06. All of Time (Delaction Remix) / Oriental Space
“This is a true love we’re making.” I swear I’ve heard these lyrics before in the song that plays during the London stage of Capcom vs. SNK 2. In fact, the vocalist even sounds the same. I’m not sure if DJ Kousuke sampled it or if the vocalist just happens to be based in Japan and was also hired by DJ Kousuke. Either way, it’s an awesome song. Delaction didn’t stray too far from the original melody, but the song admittedly sounds much better with Delaction’s trademark synths.

07. Coconuts (ZIP FM Remix) / Oriental Space
My absolute favorite song on the album, and I wasn’t even that fond of the original Coconuts! The best part? The second half of the song is a solo piano rendition. It’s amazing how great and surprisingly poignant the melody sounds on piano.

08. I Think My Neet (Y&Co. Neet Euro Remix) / Love Scandals
The credits do say that DJ Kousuke wrote this, so I’m assuming that it went unused until now. It’s pretty much what you’d expect from Y&Co., which is a good thing.

09. Greed Island (DJ Minagawa Remix) / Oriental Space
Another song that takes a while to get going. DJ Minagawa’s version is really quite good, but his collaboration with U*Hey? on Mega Trance 09 is even better. It uses slightly better synths and wastes less time with the build-up.

10. Last Ecstasy (DJ Ozawa Remix) / Oriental Space
I actually much prefer the original version. I kinda miss the guy talking over the song.

11. Platinum (Overhead Champion Remix) / Oriental Space
Piano trance! There was a period of time when all of OHC’s remixes sounded like “So So,” but he’s thankfully diversified a lot recently.

12. Just Do It (DJ Kaya Remix) / Oriental Space
Piano trance with a touch of jazz. Wonderfully euphoric yet touchingly peaceful. It’s a fantastic way to end the album and a fitting tribute to the late, great Kousuke Okamoto. R.I.P.

Exit Trance presents UmaUma Dekiru Trance wo Tsukutte Mita 2
Release Date: 8/20/08
Price: 1905 yen

UmaUma Dekiru Trance wo Tsukette Mita 2 (henceforth known as UmaUma Trance 2) is the sequel to the first UmaUma Trance. The series collects songs that have been popularized online through internet memes. The title of this series in particular comes from the chorus of Caramell’s “Caramelldansen.”

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Exit Trance presents Gakkou Trance 2 Jigenme
Release Date: 8/6/08
Price: 1905 yen

The title roughly translates to Exit Trance presents School Trance 2nd Period. This is the sequel to the first Gakkou Trance, which apparently featured songs that were commonly sung in schools.

If you live in Japan, you can send in a questionnaire included with the CD for a special karaoke CD present that includes the top 10 tracks as voted by fans.

Pardon my horrible romanizations. ^^;

01. [3:47] Tsubasa wo Kudasai / Maki
02. [4:45] Kokoro no Hitomi / Exit Gakuen Gasshou Bu
03. [2:38] Sawayaka 3 Kumi Theme / Maki
04. [3:11] Kikyuu ni Notte Dokomademo / Key Tack Boo
05. [2:32] Amaryllis / Maki
06. [3:09] Csikos Post / Key Tack Boo
07. [3:44] Seija no Koushin / Memories
08. [3:03] Kaijuu no Ballade / DJ Nit-Chock
09. [3:18] Toki no Tabibito / Exit Gakuen Gasshou Bu
10. [3:26] Ano Subarashii Ai wo Mou-ichido / Maki
11. [4:00] Yume no Sekai wo / Exit Gakuen Gasshou Bu
12. [3:49] Hana / Key Tack Boo
13. [4:29] Te no Hira wo Taiyou ni / Maki
14. [3:10] Condor wa Tonde Iku / DJ Nit-Chock
15. [3:26] Suika no Meisanchi / P.T.A
16. [2:30] Moeroyo Moero / Memories
17. [3:18] Taiyou ga Kureta Kisetsu / DJ Nit-Chock
18. [4:43] Cosmos / Exit Gakuen Gasshou Bu

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Super Best Trance 09
Release Date: 8/6/08
Price: 1886 yen

“Heavenly Star” and “And She Said” again?! Granted, they’re remixes that have yet to appear on SBT, but surely they could’ve chosen new songs to remix instead.

The lineup really wouldn’t have looked that bad … six months ago. As it stands, I’m really only looking forward to the new OHC remix and possibly the “remix” of “Tokyo, Go!”

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The Japanese iTunes music store is a veritable treasure trove of trance. Quake have their entire catalogue up on it, and Avex also have a few trance and eurobeat releases up. The only problem is that people outside of Japan normally can’t buy songs from iTunes Japan. That’s where iTunes gift cards come in. There are various places to purchase cards online, and you’re usually e-mailed the code and instructions on setting up your account pretty quickly. Here are just some of the sites where you can get a card:

Gateway to Japan
JBOX
JPopMp3s

The only one I’ve tried so far is Gateway to Japan because, quite frankly, they’ve got the cheapest prices. They’re also extremely fast. The last time I bought a card I got the code within 5 hours.

Now, the normal priced for single songs on iTunes Japan ranges from 150-200 yen, which is a bit steep compared to the US. However, you can buy entire Quake albums for 1200-1800 yen, which drastically lowers the per-song price. Most of Quake’s iTunes releases feature full-length tracks, so if you’re really interested in the nonstop mix then you’ll have to buy the CD. Same goes for Avex.

Keep in mind that Avex do not use iTunes Plus, which means you’ll get 128 kbps files that are copy protected. All of Quake’s albums, however, are free of DRM and are 256 kbps. Please don’t force Quake to start using DRM 😉

For those wondering, EMI Music Japan only have a limited presence on iTunes at the moment. The Misa albums and singles are up, as is the Wookie Wookie single, but there’s very little otherwise in the way of Dancemania or Trance Paradise. In fact, the only albums up right now are the two Anime Speeds, both of which are the nonstop mixes and not full versions >_<

Super Best Trance presents Sean & Kim Around the World
Release Date: 7/23/08
Price: 2000 yen

Sean & Kim’s official website said that there would be 19 tracks total, but the final list only has 16.

01. [3:07] Sunshine (Dance Nation DJ Team Radio Mix)
02. [3:16] Superstar (Dance Nation DJ Team Mix)
03. [3:12] Set Me Free (House Radio Edit)
04. [3:33] Move Your Love (Soul Avengers Remix)
05. [3:00] Sunlight (Bradski & Jenski Radio Edit)
06. [3:31] Beautiful (Original Mix)
07. [3:17] The Rush (Bradski & Jenski Edit)
08. [3:18] VIP (Original Mix)
09. [3:02] Take Me (Original Mix)
10. [3:52] I Believe (Dance Nation DJ Team Mix)
11. [3:20] Feel the Power (Original Mix)
12. [3:20] Reach for You (Original Mix)
13. [3:39] One Million Reasons (Original Mix)
Bonus Tracks
14. [3:44] Sunlight (Hyper Trance Mix)
15. [3:13] Move Your Love (Shohei Matsumoto Remix)
16. [4:56] The Real Thing / DJ Tora feat. Sean & Kim

Pre-order at CDJapan.

joule -Weekend Style- Best Hit Trance × Psychedelic
Release Date: 7/23/08
Price: 1905 yen

It turns out that the final list is the same as the tentative one I posted earlier. Does the world really need to hear “Grand Shake” again? I’m eagerly anticipating the new Delaction song, but chances are they’ll repeat it on a future album anyway.

01. Garnet / Delaction
02. TKO (Original Club Mix) / DJ U*Hey?
03. K.O. (Fighting Spirits Mix) / DJ U*Hey?
04. Everybody (Klubbingman Remix) / Rocco
05. Sound Star ~Tokyo Rave 2007~ (Type-R Mix) / DJ Tora + R-seq
06. That’s the Way (DJ Ten + Spiral Dirt Rmx Ver. 2.0) / X-Treme
07. Sousei no Aquarion (Extended Mix) / Delaction feat. Maki
08. You Fill Me Up (DJ Ten Remix) / S.T.F. feat. Keen
09. What Hurts the Most (Club Mix) / Cascada
10. Gate of Hell (DJ Hibiki & Ko-Taro Mix) / Delaction
11. Foma (Studio 101 Mix) / PM2
12. Lift Me Up (Final Vocal Rmx) / Sesto Sento
13. Blood Red Rain (Astrix Remix) / Zeta
14. Hit & Run / Skazi
15. Higher (When I Close My Eyes Remix) / GMS
16. Platinum Bash / Flying Beat
17. Aozora no Namida (2008 Remix) / Alkaloid
18. All of Time (Delaction Remix) / Oriental Space
19. Holylance (Texas Boys Remix) / DJ Yoshinori
20. Grand Shake (Nasca Joker’s World Mix) / DJ Joker Project Nasca
21. Time of Passion / Delaction
22. sui-ren / kagura

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Mega Trance 09
Release Date: 7/9/08
Price: 2190 yen

01. [4:07] feel (Original Mix) / Dance Music Company
02. [3:42] Tokyo / DJ Kaya feat. Keen & Steven A. Haynes
03. [3:57] Scorpion (DJ Ten Remix) / Oriental Space
04. [3:59] Grand Slam (Club Mix) / DJ U*Hey?
05. [3:24] B-Boys & Fly Girls (Original Version) / Bomfunk MC’s
06. [3:35] Shut Up and Drive (Hi-End Attack Remix) / Angelica
07. [4:46] Lift Me Up (Final Vocal Rmx) / Sesto Sento
08. [2:24] Last Emperor (Kagura Remix) / DJ Joker vs. Heavens Wire
09. [4:28] sui-ren (Shohei Matsumoto Remix) / kagura
10. [4:38] You (Adult Play Mix) / Downtown Bros.
11. [4:55] Longing Love (Electro Mix) / Texas Boys
12. [4:45] Children / Tatana & Tyas pres. TNT
13. [3:10] Sexy Love (DJ Kaya Remix) / Ogiek
14. [2:51] Because of You (Dance Music Company Mix) / Sid
15. [2:12] I Touch Myself (Handz Up Club Mix) / Jan Wayne & Scarlet
16. [2:12] Bass in Your (Original Mix) / Men’s Club
17. [2:26] God Is a Girl (Kick Chaser Remix) / Groove Coverage
18. [2:31] Greed Island (U&M Remix) / Oriental Space
19. [3:20] Because I Love You (Flip ‘n’ Fill Remix) / Groove Coverage
20. [3:46] Kimi e no Omoi (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix) / Tsukasa
Bonus Track
21. [4:37] Lost in Tokyo (Original Mix) / DJ U*Hey? feat. Nadja

Well, at least it has plenty of new tracks. Hi-End Attack wouldn’t have been my first choice for “Shut Up and Drive,” but it could be interesting.

Oddly, “Greed Island” is listed as a U&M remix, indicating that it’ll be DJ U*Hey? and DJ Minagawa. However, on the Oriental Space tribute album the remix was just labeled “DJ Minagawa Remix.”

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Album info and samples at FARM Records.

Exit Trance presents TranceMaster 2
Release Date: 9/17/08
Price: 1905 yen

The sequel to my second-favorite trance album of the year. No tentative list yet, but expect it to have even more trance remixes of popular classical songs.

Exit Trance presents CyberDrift
Release Date: 8/20/08
Price: 1905 yen

A new trance album from N.O.-SYO. For those that don’t know about N.O.-SYO, he is GOD. No, really, he refers to himself as a Cyber God, and I’m not inclined to disagree. He mostly produces rock trance, which is basically trance with loads of electric guitars. You can hear samples of his remixes on his MySpace. For some reason there’s also a tie-up with some car thing, hence the title.

The tentative list is below. Any track with no artist mentioned is presumably by N.O.-SYO.

01. Forever / Alphazone
02. One Million Miles (N.O.-SYO 2008 Remix) / Mayumi Morinaga
03. Serenade for Strings (1st Movement) / N.O.-SYO
04. Rock Trance /
05. Rotary X /
06. Drift of the Wind / Mayumi Morinaga & N.O.-SYO
07. Gekkou -Moonlight- / Miya & N.O.-SYO
08. Hi no Tori (Vers 2) / N.O.-SYO
09. Evil Birds -Force Z- /
10. El-Dorado 2 / N.O.-SYO
11. Lucky Girl / Miki Matsuzawa
12. Revelation (N.O.-SYO Remix) / Alphazone
13. Love Is Blue /
14. Bayside Line /
15. The Loner (N.O.-SYO Remix) /
16. Caramelldansen (N.O.-SYO Remix) / Caramell

This looks to be pretty incredible, with lots of new remixes and songs. Rock on, Cyber God!

Tragenic #3
Release Date: 8/6/08
Price: 1886 yen

Third release in a series of compilations mixed by DJ Yoshinori. For those wondering, “Tragenic” is the name of a trance party held monthly in Japan. The final track list along with track lengths follows:

01. [3:53] Beautiful Dreamer / DJ Yoshinori
02. [3:40] AI (DJ Yoshinori Vocal Mix) / Ryu* feat. Mayumi Morinaga
03. [1:59] What Do You Want from Me? (DJ Gollum Remix) / Cascada
04. [2:15] Remember How It Feels (Stevie B Remix) / Pulsa
05. [2:05] Runaway (DJ Yoshinori Remix) / Cascada
06. [4:08] R. F. T. / Kuma Brothers
07. [2:58] Imagine Yourself (Megara vs. DJ Lee Remix) / Powerface
08. [4:33] Always Tomorrow (Aerodynamic Full Vocal Mix) / Trancedellic feat. Lizzy
09. [4:26] The Legacy (Alphazone Mix) / Funabashi
10. [3:10] Konzert (Winter ~1st Movement~) / Antonio & Vivaldi
11. [3:26] Blast the Speakers (Advanced 12 Mix) / Warp Brothers
12. [3:51] Nightmare (Justice Remix) / DJ Yoshinori
13. [4:43] Sousei no Aquarion / Delaction feat. Maki
14. [3:31] I Touch Myself (Sunny Inc. Remix) / Jan Wayne & Scarlet
15. [4:01] Caramelldansen (B.U.S. Dub) / Caramell
16. [3:12] Not Over (Dan-J Rmx) / Nordic Stars
17. [2:19] How I Wish (Club Mix) / Ole van Dansk
18. [4:23] Crystal / Water Boys
19. [3:58] Speed Star (Club Mix) / DJ Haku
20. [3:24] Medicine (Club Mix) / Van der Karsten
21. [3:15] A Life So Changed (Talla 2XLC vs. Ace da Brain Remix) / Soulcry
22. [2:54] The Rush (Original Club Mix) / Accuface
23. [3:01] Pomp and Circumstance / DJ Yoshinori

A whole lot of repeats, but also a few noteworthy new tracks. “Sousei no Aquarion” really has to die, however. As good as the Delaction version is, I really didn’t need to see it yet again.

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Super Best Trance 09
Release Date: 8/6/08
Price: 1886 yen

I have no words.

Tentative list:

01. Take Off (DJ Ozawa Remix) / Stimulator
02. The Beauty of Silence (Shohei Matsumoto Remix) / Svenson & Gielen
03. Touch the Sky feat. Machi Okabe / DJ Kaya feat. Keen
04. Infected (Delaction Remix) / Barthezz
05. Ring Ding Part 2 (Delaction Remix) / Baby Chris
06. I Will Love Again (DJ Ten Remix) / Baracuda
07. Love You Tonight / DJ Kaya feat. Keen
08. The Real Thing / DJ Tora feat. Sean & Kim

These Keen songs may also be appearing:
09. Love You Tonight (Club Mix) / DJ Kaya feat. Keen
10. Heaven (Club Mix) / DJ Kaya feat. Keen

Tsukasa is also confirmed, which most likely means “Kimi e no Omoi (Spacey vs. garamonn Remix)” will be making an appearance.

If you love repeats, then pre-order at CDJapan.

Super Best Trance presents Sean & Kim Around the World
Release Date: 7/23/08
Price: 2000 yen

Third album from the duo Sean & Kim. Includes a cover of 2 Unlimited’s “Real Thing” plus yet another remix of “Sunshine.” The tentative list is below, but according to their official website the final list will have a total of 19 tracks.

01. Only Your Love
02. I Believe
03. Rainbow
04. Bitter Sweet Symphony
05. You’ve Got My Love
06. The Rush
07. Superstar
08. Sunlight
09. Take Me
10. You Lift Me Up
11. Street Spirit
12. Beautiful
13. Get Up
Bonus Tracks
14. One Million Reasons
15. Sunshine 2008
16. The Real Thing

Pre-order at CDJapan.

joule -Week End Style- Trance × Psychedelic Best Hit
Release Date: 7/23/08
Price: 1905 yen

Produced by DJ Ken-Bow of Delaction and DJ Alkaloid. Mostly repeats, but I do spot a few new tracks.

Tentative list:

01. Garnet / Delaction
02. TKO / DJ U*Hey?
03. K.O. / DJ U*Hey?
04. Everybody / Rocco
05. Sound Star / DJ Tora + R-seq
06. That’s the Way / X-Treme
07. Sousei no Aquarion / Delaction feat. Maki
08. You Fill Me Up / S.T.F. feat. Keen
09. What Hurts the Most / Cascada
10. Gate of Hell / Delaction
11. Foma / PM2
12. Lift Me Up / Sesto Sento
13. Blood Red Rain / Zeta
14. Hit & Run / Skazi
15. Higher / GMS
16. Platinum Bash / Flying Beat
17. Aozora no Namida / Alkaloid
18. All of Time / Oriental Space
19. Holylance / DJ Yoshinori
20. Grand Shake / DJ Joker Project Nasca
21. Time of Passion / Delaction
22. sui-ren / kagura

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Mega Trance 09
Release Date: 7/9/08
Price: 2190 yen

It’s been almost a year since Mega Trance 08, but Mega Trance is finally back! The cover art has taken on a new direction, looking more similar to the cover of Mega Trance Best II rather than that of Mega Trance 08. Personally, I hope they retool it — the logo looks too much like “Mega 09 Trance.”

The tentative list follows:

01. Lost in Tokyo / DJ U*Hey? feat. Colina
02. Feel / Dance Music Company
03. Because of You (D.M.C Mix) / Sid
04. Longing Love / Texas Boys
05. Scorpion (DJ Ten Remix) / Oriental Space
06. Tokyo / DJ Kaya feat. Keen
07. Lift Me Up / Sesto Sento
08. sui-ren (New Version) / kagura
09. Shut Up and Drive / Angelica
10. Sexy Love (New Mix) / Patis
11. God Is a Girl (Kick Chaser Remix) / Groove Coverage

Looks to be a good lineup. Unlike many of the other major trance releases this year, this one isn’t chock full o’ repeats. Plus, “Shut Up and Drive” is all but guaranteed to be a new remix, and hopefully that means other Saifam remixes as well.

Pre-order at CDJapan.