« Older Entries Newer Entries »
Yume no Tobira (Single)
Artist: Allover
Release Date: 7/18/12
Price: 1429 yen (CD+DVD Edition) or 952 yen (CD Only Edition)
Wide release of the debut single from Akiba Koubou’s Idol project, Allover. Includes a new song, “Otome no Negai,” that wasn’t on the limited release. There’s also a CD+DVD edition available that includes a DVD with the “Yume no Tobira” music video. You can listen to samples on Amazon Japan.
Super Ita G Beat
Release Date: 7/18/12
Price: 1905 yen
Originally released during Nico Nico Cho Kaigi, Akiba Koubou have decided to give this special collaboration a wide release. It’s now available to order on major retailers like CDJapan and Amazon Japan.
Vocalo Cho Mix feat. Hatsune Miku
Release Date: 9/26/12
Price: 1714 yen
Hatsune Rock may have been cancelled, but it looks like EMI still have some interest in Vocaloid after all. There aren’t many details about this release, and I’m not even sure it’ll be included as part of the Dancemania series at all, but the title seems to suggest it’ll be non-stop mix. It’s also interesting that it’s a full 500 yen cheaper than Vocalo Dance was.
Pre-order at CDJapan.
Electric Dance Madness
Release Date: 9/26/12
Price: 2190 yen
This new compilation from EMI will have songs from popular house/electro artists including David Guetta, Moby, Swedish Hosue Mafia, and deadmau5. House remixes of songs by Coldplay, Katy Perry, and Kylie Minogue will also be included. They should’ve just called it Dancemania Electro, but it’ll most likely be part of the VIP series.
Age mix 2 ~All Genre Best~
Release Date: 7/11/12
Price: 1905 yen
Sequel to last year’s Age mix, which was a surprise best-seller. Features covers of J-Pop, K-Pop, Anison, Western and Disco hits. A lot of repeats from other FARM compilations, but I do spot a few new tracks. Sad that there’s no Eurobeat on this like there was on the first one.
Crystal House -R&B Party- mixed by Daiki × ZK
Release Date: 7/11/12
Price: 1714 yen
This album just dropped today and the new songs are glorious. If you’ve never heard of Daiki × ZK before, make sure to check out my Artist Spotlight on the duo. To put it briefly, they’re the second coming of J-Trance. They use a variety of styles on their covers, including house and electro, but there’s no denying the strong trance influence due to ZK’s background. After all, ZK (Kazuhisa Hirota) was a frequent contributor to Trance Paradise, Mega Trance, and Trance Rave series under the pseudonyms Ace Closer, Cannon Cracker, Floorbreaker, and others. The funny thing is that I wasn’t always a fan of the synths he used in his trance days — “Carlito” in particular grated on my nerves — but as ZK he’s been nothing short of amazing. If you’ve been missing that J-Trance sound, definitely give Daiki × ZK a listen.
The mixed album is also available digitally on iTunes Japan for 1,200 yen.
V.I.P. presents Party Covers
Release Date: 8/1/12
Price: 2171 yen
OMG, it’s Dancemania EX 10!!! I thought that EMI might start licensing from Power Music like every other Japanese label, but it looks like they still have connections with Saifam as a majority of the album is made up of Saifam covers. Tracks by Che’Nelle, Roll Deep and Bentley Jones round out the tracklist. Seriously, they should’ve just made this a Dancemania album, though I’m glad Saifam still get some love from Japan.
Hatsune Rock feat. Hatsune Miku
Release Date: 6/6/12 Release Canceled
Price: 2190 yen
Whoops, I meant to post this earlier, but this release has obviously been canceled. Vocalo Dance sold poorly, so I guess EMI had second thoughts about continuing the series.
Dancemania Party ~ Best of 90s Dance Hits
Release Date: 8/1/12
Price: 2381 yen
Edit (7/10/12): Cover art is out! The new font for Party is much more pleasant to look at and readable. By the way, anyone interested in a contest to celebrate the release? 😉
Final list is out! All 17 tracks from the early list made it. The remaining 10 tracks include 3 Dancemania repeats as well as 7 tracks never before seen on Dancemania. In all, there are 11 tracks out of 27 that are “new” to the series.
In addition to previously announced licenses, there are “new” tracks from N.Y.C.C., Scooter, Matt Bianco, Afrika & The Zulu Kings, Look Twice, and Solid Base. Interestingly, these 6 artists all used to be signed to Victor Japan, though the Solid Base back catalog has been owned by EMI since Dancemania Sparkle. Look Twice were originally signed to EMI in the early 90s, back when Veronica Almqvist (of Smile.dk) was still part of the group, but “Funk You Up” was produced during their Victor Japan days in the late 90s. I wonder if EMI have since picked up the rights to these other former Victor artists…
One of the “new” tracks is the original version of Deja Vu’s “My Heart Will Go On,” which, despite being featured repeatedly on the Speed series, has never appeared on the main series. Great to see Almighty represented once again, but Saifam still get no love. 🙁
Other newly announced tracks include Me & My’s “Baby Boy,” Jennifer’s “If You Were Here,” and 2 Unlimited’s “Twilight Zone.”
Personally, I’m just happy we no longer have to look at that ugly “Sparkle” font. Now bring on Dancemania Party Speed! Please?
Platinum Life -Selected by House Nation-
Release Date: 7/4/12
Price: 2381 yen
New offshoot of the House Nation series from Avex.
Exit Tunes presents VocaloVanguard slow feat. Hatsune Miku
Release Date: 7/18/12
Price: 1905 yen
A Village Vanguard-exclusive release featuring slow-tempo Vocaloid songs. Bonus items include a smartphone clear sticker as well as a special cardboard sleeve case if you purchase both “fast” and “slow” at the same time.
Exit Tunes presents VocaloVanguard fast feat. Hatsune Miku
Release Date: 7/18/12
Price: 1905 yen
A Village Vanguard-exclusive release featuring up-tempo Vocaloid songs. Bonus items include a smartphone clear sticker as well as a special cardboard sleeve case if you purchase both “fast” and “slow” at the same time.
Obscure Questions
Artist: Pinocchio P
Release Date: 7/4/12
Price: 1905 yen
First major album from vocaloid producer, Pinnochi P. Features his biggest hits like “Kusare Gedou to Chocolate” as well as 3 new songs. Every song features Hatsune Miku on vocals.
Bonus items include a cell phone strap (1 of 3 designs), clear file, and B2 size poster. There are also a bevy of retailer-exclusive bonuses available, ranging from bromides to posters and even a picture frame. Samples and more info can be found on the official website.
Exit Tunes presents Final Fiction
Artist: Cl?sh (96 Neko × Shuujin P)
Release Date: 5/2/12 ? 7/4/12
Price: 1905 yen
First major album from Vocaloid producer, Cl?sh (96 Neko × Shuujin P). Originally titled Exit Tunes presents “Cl?sh”. Bonus items include a cell phone strap (1 of 5 designs), mouse pad (1 of 5 designs), and poster. Send in the included survey for a clear file. Retailer-exclusive bonuses include bonus CDs, bromides, and can badges. Visit the official website for samples and more info.
Utattemita Anison/J-Pop Speed
Release Date: 7/4/12
Price: 1905 yen
As promised, I cooked up a little spreadsheet comparing BPMs, which you can find after the jump. BPMs were calculated using MixMeister BPM Analyzer, though I had to manually check some. The Anison album ranges from 160-180 BPM, while the J-Pop album starts at 150 and ends at 180 BPM.
DJ Hirocky did a great job mixing both albums, but in terms of energy Anison has a better selection of tracks. After all, half of the tracks on Anison were produced by DJ Command and many of the others were by Rayto/Tks. The J-Pop album suffers from starting off far too slow and, of course, having way too many repeats from the original album. If you’re new to Akiba Koubou, then these are certainly better options than the original Utattemita albums, but for long-time fans it’s yet another slap in the face.
DanceMaster | 
07 16th, 2012| 
Loading ...