Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

Party Around the World
Release Date: 9/9/08
Price: $12.99

A partial track list for Smile.dk’s upcoming new album was recently unveiled on their official website. Samples of a few of the tracks are up at their official MySpace.

01. Doki Doki
02. Japanese Boy
03. Temptation Islands
04. Nothing’s Missing (For Once in My Life)
05. Koko Soko
06. Summer Party
07. It’s in Your Melody
08. Chick Tricks
09. Hummingbird
10. Paradise
11. Tomoe
12. Around the World
BONUS. ???????

I’m gonna guess that “Nothing’s Missing” will be the album’s requisite eurodance ballad 😛

Pre-order at Amazon or Target. No word yet on whether any Japanese label has picked the album up.

Dancemania presents Natsu Monogatari 2008 supported by 9LoveJ (CD+DVD)
Release Date: 6/25/08
Price: 3000 yen

I got my copy yesterday and have given it a few listens. It does some things better than Natsu Monogatari 2007, but there are also a few missteps that keep it from being a truly great release.

I think one of the main reasons for my disappointment is that most of the new tracks were made available long before the CD actually came out, so I had already been listening to them for months. Some of the re-edits helped to breathe some new life to the songs, but for the most part I felt like I had heard the entire album already.

If you can get past that, or if you’ve yet to hear the new tracks, then you’ll find that the album is mixed very well and has a solid selection of songs.

Full review after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Dancemania presents Natsu Monogatari 2008 supported by 9LoveJ (CD+DVD)
Release Date: 6/25/08
Price: 3000 yen

Looks like the final list changed somewhat from the previous list posted. Gone are “Barbie Girl” and “Koi wa Shock, Thrill, Success.” Everything else is the same.

CD
01. [3:06] Sousei no Aquarion (AKBK Mix) / Haruka
02. [1:57] Shangri-La / Shihori
03. [2:12] Zankoku na Tenshi no These / Shihori
04. [1:24] Ai ga Tomaranai / TH Shimai
05. [1:30] Samishii Nettaigyo / Mi-tan Yu-tan
06. [1:53] Naked Dance / Two-Mix
07. [1:39] Take Me Time Machine / Tugumi
08. [1:15] Butterfly / Smile.dk
09. [1:09] Hero / Papaya
10. [1:37] Willy Use a Billy…Boy / E-Rotic
11. [2:32] I Will Survive (Motiv 8 Club Vocal Mix) / Diana Ross
12. [2:24] Ticket to Fly / Solid Base
13. [2:18] This Must Be a Dream (Extended Version) / Basic Element
14. [2:10] Mirror of Love / 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor
15. [2:20] Bye Bye Para Girl (Hyper Techno HMX Mix) / Sunplaza Nakano-kun feat. DJ Yossy
16. [2:11] (I Need A) Miracle (Red Monster Remix) / Cascada
17. [1:59] Bad Boy (Red Monster Remix) / Cascada
18. [2:40] Natsu Monogatari ~Summer Story~ (SP Show*Hey? vs. Big Kiss Remix) / Misa
19. [2:49] Warrior (Final Round Mix) / DJ U*Hey?
20. [2:15] Dead or Alive (Original Mix) / Heavens Wire
21. [3:55] Move Away / Skazi
22. [3:54] World Destruction / Skazi vs. Duvdev
23. [1:54] Let’s Go, Come On / Manuel
24. [1:58] El Sonido del Diablo (Eurobeat Version) / Toledo Sombrero
25. [1:56] Electro Cow / Garcon
26. [2:01] Music in the Night (9LoveJ Remix) / Elisa
27. [2:16] Love Me Queen (Perfect Pitch Project Mix) / Jimmy Bravo
28. [2:31] Wings of Fire (9LoveJ Remix) / Jackie ‘O
Bonus Tracks
29. [6:30] Bye Bye Para Girl (9LoveJ Remix) / Sunplaza Nakano-kun feat. DJ Yossy
30. [5:11] Lucky Boy (Extended) / Queen Regina
31. [5:14] Chemical Love (Extended) / John Desire

DVD
Kyousoku
01. Sousei no Aquarion (Hyper Techno HMX Mix) / Haruka
02. Shooting Star / Bang!
03. Dub-I-Dub (2007 Eurobeat Version) / Me & My
04. Naked Dance / Two-Mix
05. El Sonido del Diablo (Eurobeat Version) / Toledo Sombrero
06. Love Me Queen / Jimmy Bravo
07. Shangri-La / Shihori
08. Music in the Night / Elisa
09. Bye Bye Para Girl / Sunplaza Nakano Kun feat. DJ Yossy
10. Wings of Fire / Jackie ‘O
11. Zankoku na Tenshi no These / Shihori
Circle Taikou ParaPara Senshuken
Zenkoku Circle Shoukai
9LoveJ ParaPara Koushuukai
12. Sousei no Aquarion / Haruka

Additionally, the ParaPara competition has medleys that include snippets of the following tracks:
13. Bambino / Maria Short
14. Go! Rocky Joe / Maximum Power
15. Chemical Love / John Desire
16. Lucky Boy / Queen Regina
17. P.S. I Love You / Laurie
18. Fantasy / Melissa
19. Ichinichi (Mark Farina & The Factory Team Remix) / Misa
20. Flash in the Night / Flashman

CD Japan – Summer Story 2008 [CD+DVD]

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

http://www.sandkmusic.com/

Additionally, check out Kirk Monteux’s solo album, which is decidedly different from his S&K work: http://www.kirkmonteux.com/

I originally read that as “Sand K Music” ^^; Anyway, the duo best known for “Get Up’n Move” are back and producing new material. The last new song they produced for Dancemania was back in 2002, so it’s definitely been a while since we last heard from them.

S (Sugardaddy, a.k.a. Brian Cornell) and K (Kirk Monteux) began their Dancemania career with “Get Up ‘n Move” way back in 1998. The song first appeared on Dancemania Bass #2 before being chosen for inclusion on Dance Dance Revolution 2nd Mix. From there S&K went on to appear on various Dancemania Speed releases. Their complete Dancemania discography is as follows:

1998 – Get Up ‘n Move [from Dancemania Bass #2]
2001 – Sound of the Nations [from Dancemania Speed 6]
2001 – Going to Suzuka (Shoemaker Mix) [from Dancemania Speed 7]
2001 – Happy Again (S&K Mix) [from Dancemania Speed 7]
2002 – Party Time (Speedy Mix) [from Dancemania Speed 8]
2002 – Everybody (Speedy Mix) [from Dancemania Speed 9]
2002 – Get Up ‘n Move (Speed Mix) [from Dancemania Speed 10]
2002 – Prelude -from Cello Suite No.1 in G major, BWV 1007 [from classical Speed]

Anyway, I wrote them an e-mail and got this reply:

“thanks for contacting us. Kirk and I have decided to kick off a new era of S&K. In a few weeks, you will be able to purchase and preview all of our music, as well as new tracks we are currently working on.

We would love to hear more from our fan base, so please help us in getting more feedback to what you would like, not just in downloads, but in music direction as well.”

So, there you have it. Either leave messages at the Dancemania EX forums and I’ll relay them, or e-mail S&K directly and let them know what you want. Personally, I’d love to see more Speed stuff from them. “Sound of the Nations” and “Going to Suzuka” were some of my all-time favorites from the Speed series, and the mere thought of having new songs in that style is very exciting. Please help spread the word!

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.

Dancemania presents Natsu Monogatari 2008 supported by 9LoveJ (CD+DVD)
Release Date: 6/25/08
Price: 3000 yen

The sequel to last year’s immensely popular Natsu Monogatari 2007. It will again be CD+DVD, with the CD featuring a nonstop mix of 30 tracks plus 3 bonus tracks. Expect new tracks from Dancemania mainstay, LED, as well as a bunch of anime covers from a new Japanese label, Akiba Records. Fans of classic 90’s eurodance will be delighted to know that a lot of old favorites will also be present.

Special thanks to cigy41987 at PPS and Jayveemon over at SEPH for posting the list. I believe the original source was DJ Yossy’s mixi blog, so the list is definitely official. Here’s the list with romanized titles:

CD
01. Sousei no Aquarion / Haruka
02. Shangri-La / Shihori
03. Zankoku na Tenshi no These / Shihori
04. Ai ga Tomaranai / TH Shimai
05. Samishii Nettaigyo / Yu~tan·Mi~tan
06. Naked Dance / Two-Mix
07. Take Me Time Machine / Tugumi
08. Butterfly / Smile.dk
09. Barbie Girl / Aqua
10. Hero / Papaya
11. Willy Use a Billy…Boy / E-Rotic
12. I Will Survive (Motiv 8 Club Mix) / Diana Ross
13. Ticket to Fly / Solid Base
14. This Must Be a Dream / Basic Element
15. Mirror of Love / 2 Brothers on the 4th Floor
16. Bye Bye Para Girl (Hyper Techno HMX Mix) / Sunplaza Nakano Kun feat. DJ Yossy
17. Koi wa Shock, Thrill, Suspense (Hyper Techno Mix) / Shihori
18. (I Need A) Miracle (Red Monster Mix) / Cascada
19. Bad Boy (Red Monster Remix) / Cascada
20. Natsu Monogatari ~Summer Story~ (SP Show*Hey? vs. Big Kiss Remix) / Misa
21. Warrior (Final Round Mix) / DJ U*Hey?
22. Dead or Alive / Heavens Wire
23. Move Away / Skazi
24. World Destruction / Skazi vs. Duvdev
25. Let’s Go Come On / Manuel
26. El Sonido del Diablo (Super Euro Mix) / Toledo Sombrero
27. Electro Cow / Garcon
28. Music in the Night / Elisa
29. Love Me Queen / Jimmy Bravo
30. Wings of Fire / Jackie ‘O
Bonus Tracks
31. Bye Bye Para Girl (2008 Trance Mix) / Sunplaza Nakano Kun feat. DJ Yossy
32. Lucky Boy (Extended Mix) / Queen Regina
33. Chemical Love (Extended Mix) / John Desire

DVD
01. Sousei no Aquarion (Hyper Techno HMX Mix) / Haruka
02. Shooting Star / Bang!
03. Dub-I-Dub (2007 Eurobeat Version) / Me & My
04. Naked Dance / Two-Mix
05. El Sonido del Diablo (Super Euro Mix) / Toledo Sombrero
06. Love Me Queen / Jimmy Bravo
07. Shangri-La / Shihori
08. Music in the Night / Elisa
09. Bye Bye Para Girl / Sunplaza Nakano Kun feat. DJ Yossy
10. Wings of Fire / Jackie ‘O
11. Zankoku na Tenshi no These / Shihori

CD Japan – Summer Story 2008 [CD+DVD]

You can also order at HMV, or Amazon Japan. Amazon currently has the lowest price (2678 yen).

Discuss here.

Welcome! I’m a long-time fan of Dancemania, Trance Paradise, and various other Japanese dance and/or trance compilations. I’ll be posting news, reviews, samples, and other random thoughts about said compilations here.

First, a little primer. Dancemania is “Japan’s #1 dance music series!” First released in 1996 by what was then Toshiba-EMI, Dancemania primarily features eurodance, though various sub-series focus on other dance genres. Most people probably know Dancemania best as the series that Dance Dance Revolution gets most of its licenses from.

Trance Paradise is Dancemania’s sister series and focuses solely on trance. The series began in 2004 as a joint effort between EMI and FARM Records. Since then it has spawned an immensely popular sub-series, Hime Trance, which features trance with primarily female vocals.

There are various other trance compilations that I’ll be reporting on from time to time, including Mega Trance, Super Best Trance, Quake Trance, and Trance Rave Best. I’ll go into more detail on those in the future.

If you have any thoughts or comments, leave them here or on the Forums.