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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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.

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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