Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

ZIPmania All Best Mix
Release Date: 11/13/13
Price: 2190 yen

Final list and cover art are out. It’s great to see the Dancemania mascot being so prominent. 😀

The final list is pretty much the same as the early one, so not much new info other than the addition of “Why Don’t You” by Gramophonedzie, and the Che’Nelle remix being done by ZIP staff. I’m a bit disappointed that there are really only 3 Dancemania tracks, with one of them from Crazy Frog. It’s nice to know EMI still have the rights to E-Rotic and Misa, but Captain Jack is the second-most prolific Dancemania artist, and the fact that he’s not present here makes me wonder if they let the rights go.

Still, not a bad list overall. I could probably do without the more mainstream, non-remixed songs from LMFAO and Flo Rida, but at least most of the other mainstream songs are here in remixed form. In particular, I’m glad they licensed the kz remix of “Take Over Control” from FARM since it’s an awesome remix that breathes new life into the song.

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Anison Mix Tape! mixed by DJ Makoto as Greece
Release Date: 11/27/13
Price: 2000 yen

New anime song compilation mixed by DJ Makoto. It’s a bit unclear what musical genres will be represented, but the description does mention “tension max,” which could point to something fast.

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ZIP Hot 100 1993-2013 All Time No. 1 Hits
Release Date: 11/13/13
Price: 2190 yen

Canceled again!

Okay, not really. A final list and cover art have emerged, so I’m pretty sure this will actually come out this time. This release features songs that have reached the top of the ZIP Hot 100 charts over the past 20 years. Unfortunately, the list skews highly in favor of more recent Universal artists. I think the only EMI artist on the list is Janet Jackson, so I’m not sure how much this will appeal to Dancemania fans. There are 20 full-length tracks plus some talk from ZIP-FM DJs.

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RTTF the Best
Release Date: 10/30/13
Price: 1000 yen

A new non-stop mix from RTTF Records featuring 20 songs requested by fans, 10 bonus songs that were previously available only on bonus CDs distributed at events, and 5 select songs by regular artists for 35 tracks in all. Included are some of my personal favorites like Chris Bucknall’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and MK’s “Jupiter.”

The CD will be available at the upcoming M3-32 event in Japan, but foreign buyers can buy it by contacting DJ Hyuji: http://rttf.eternalbreeze.net/contact.html. Also available is a Classical Candy set with both Classical Candy and its sequel for 1,800 yen. Classical Candy 2 in particular is worth it for the full version of “Rhapsody in Blue,” which is almost 6 minutes in length.

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Perfect Best -Special Megamix-
Release Date: 11/6/13
Price: 1900 yen

A new compilation from FARM Records, once again featuring house covers of popular songs like, well, “Popular Song.” No word yet on who will be doing the mixing.

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Boys Pop Best ~Kiite Okitai Yougaku Boys Selection~
Release Date: 10/16/13
Price: 1800 yen

FARM apparently have boy band fever, as this new compilation will feature dance covers of songs by boy bands past and present. One Direction and Backstreet Boys songs make up most of the list, but there are also songs from The Wanted and various other male acts. Oddly, FARM’s own boy band, The United, are nowhere to be found.

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We Are The United
Artist: The United
Release Date: 10/10/13
Price: 2857 yen (CD+DVD Edition) or 1905 yen (CD Only Edition)

First album from the European boyband. I was hoping there’d be remixes by FARM’s stable of DJs, but the only bonus tracks are English covers of “Love Love Love” and Che’Nelle’s “Baby I Love U.”

You can visit the official website for more info on the boy band.

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Meganimation * Anison Party Mix! mixed by DJ Kenzi
Release Date: 10/9/13 (9/18/13 Tsutaya Rental, 9/25/13 iTunes)
Price: 1700 yen

A new anison compilation from Star Music. Features covers by a variety of DJs, including former Mega Trance producers, Threemason (DJ U*Hey?) and Jack Clavia (DJ Minagawa). Previously available only for rental at Tsutaya, but now available for purchase on other retailers like Tower Records or Amazon Japan. I’ve been keeping an eye out for full versions on iTunes, but nothing so far.

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No Nobody’s Love (Single)
Release Date: 10/1/13
Price: $0.99

Dam Dariram and Bye Bye Baby Balloon were released within the past two years, and it appears that the final Joga song to be featured on Dancemania has finally been released digitally. As 134217728 pointed out in the iTunes comments, however, it appears that they just used the Dancemania X7 edit. I haven’t bought it yet to confirm, but the length is exactly the same as the one featured on X7, and I’m kind of wondering if they even bothered to at least add a proper intro or ending.

Also of note are worldwide digital releases of Misa’s Du-Du Di-Da and So So singles. The “So So” single has been available on iTunes Japan for a while now, but this is the first time the extended version of “Du-Du Di-Da” has been made available digitally. Personally, I hope they finally release the original version of “Natsu Monogatari,” assuming it even exists.

ZIPmania All Best Mix
Release Date: 11/13/13
Price: 2190 yen

Dancemania lives! ZIPmania All Best Mix has been resurrected from the dead and will (hopefully) come out this November!

There’s also a new early list out, and dare I say it? It’s not that bad. There’s quite a bit of EDM, and even the more mainstream artists mostly appear with remixes. Dancemania gets representation in the form of Misa, E-Rotic, and Crazy Frog (uggh), though there’s also eurodance from Da Buzz and O-Zone, the latter of which appears in Almighty form. Even trance gets in on the action, with Groove Coverage and DJ Ten’s remix of “Ass Up!” making appearances. Also interesting will be a newly commissioned dance remix of Che’Nelle’s “Aishiteru.”

I swear, if they cancel this again…

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ZIPmania All Best Mix
Release Date: 11/13/13
Price: 2190 yen

It appears the reports of Dancemania’s death are greatly exaggerated. That’s right, ZIP Hot 100 and ZIP Mania All Best Mix have been given a reprieve and have been rescheduled for release this November! This release will focus more on the pop side of ZIP-FM, and includes songs that hit No. 1 on the ZIP Hot 100 charts. A It’s unclear whether this will also count as a Dancemania release, or if it will even be mixed.

Make sure to check out the updated early list. It’s unfortunately pretty light on EMI artists and perhaps a bit too heavy on more recent offerings.

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Million Dance
Release Date: 10/30/13
Price: 1886 yen

Warner have really been on a dance kick lately. It really warms my heart to see dance back on the forefront after being treated like a bastard child during the ’00s. This compilation is particularly interesting because it mostly eschews mainstream acts in favor of more obscure European artists. It also has a few Japanese artists, like DJ Dirt Flare and Prog5 (Shohei Matsumoto/Heavens Wire).

Don’t ask me what on Earth the title means, though. I just hope there’s a sequel so they can call it Billion Dance.

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The Finest -Dance The Best-
Release Date: 9/18/13
Price: 2171 yen

A new dance compilation from Warner Music. The Finest is an R&B compilation series similar in vein to EMI’s VIP or Universal’s What’s Up. In fact, Universal and Warner collaborated on a The Finest × What’s Up release as well as on What’s Up × The Finest.

This CD was originally conceived as a 2-CD set titled The Finest The Best of Best R&B / Dance / Hip Hop. However, dance is back in fashion now, so Warner apparently decided to ditch the R&B/Hip-Hop and went for a single-CD dance compilation instead. Also, CD Japan list it as “The Finest -The Dance The Best-,” which I find mildly amusing for its overuse of articles.

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V.I.P. 10th Anniversary Best Mix
Release Date: 10/30/13
Price: 2171 yen

The 10th release in the V.I.P. series will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series, which began in 2003. The release is a little earlier than usual, though. Previous release in the main series have always come out in December. I wonder if this non-stop mix is a special release, and they’ll release a proper V.I.P. X in December?

Anyway, it’s nice to see Universal continue an EMI series. There may be hope for Dancemania yet. I’m sure in 2016 they’ll announce a 20th anniversary Dancemania release…then cancel it two months later.

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DJ Kaori’s Party Mix 5
Release Date: 8/21/13
Price: 2286 yen

The latest release in the hugely popular DJ Kaori’s Mix series, which has sold over 4 million copies over the years since its debut in 2005. You can visit the official website for more info on previous entries. A lot of EDM tracks on this one.

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