Dancemania EX × Trance Paradise

Koi Euro Best
Release Date: 3/21/12
Price: 1886 yen

Breaking news! We now interrupt this string of Akiba Koubou news to bring you… more Akiba Koubou news! Somehow DJ Yossy has convinced yet another label to release a Wa Euro Best clone. This time the label is Victor Japan, and the release will be titled Koi Euro Best (Love Euro Best). The announced artists so far imply that there’ll be a few Buchiage Trance repeats. They’ll also be inexplicably sourcing a few tracks from Dreamusic’s Nikonikouhaku release from a few years ago, so don’t be surprised if “Zankoku na Tenshi no These” appears. I’m going to guess this will have 60% repeats. Hopefully DJ Yossy proves me wrong.

The Wa Euro and Kiwami Euro series have been dormant for a while now, but I wonder how this will affect the Chou Euro Best series. And how long will it be before Universal comes out with Ai Euro Best? I’m starting to think DJ Yossy has compromising pictures of all the Japanese label executives.

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Geki Atsu! Anime Euro Robot Hen
Release Date: 2/8/12
Price: 2000 yen

In contrast the mostly new School Edition, the Robot Edition is a fiery cesspool of repeats. All of the usual repeat offenders are here, including the worst offenders, Sousei, Zankoku, and Shangri-La. Gekitei gets a pass because it’s full of awesome. Oddly, “Hikari to Kage o Dakishimeta Mama” is being credited to Kohana instead of Hanatan, even though they’re supposedly the same person and it’s been credited to Hanatan in the past.

Anyway, it’s not all gloom and doom. There are 4 new tracks from Usa, Anima and Kei. 4/15 is a pretty lousy ratio of new tracks though. Excessive repeats killed the Anime Euro Best series. Let’s hope Tokuma don’t follow the same path.

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Geki Atsu! Anime Euro Gakuen Hen
Release Date: 2/8/12
Price: 2000 yen

Well, the School Edition of the Geki Atsu! Anime Euro series isn’t quite as horrific as I had imagined. There are 7 new tracks + one resing, so at least we can say it’s over 50% new material. 😀 The new tracks are sung by the likes of Kei, Ayumi, Kou-Hey, Usa, Koko on Boku, and Twin Stars. I’m still not sure who the last two are, but I’m assuming Ayumi is frequent AKBK collaborator, Ayumi Nomiya.

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Geki Atsu! Drama Euro Love Love Hen
Release Date: 1/25/12
Price: 2000 yen

DJ Command, valle blanco and Sumijun each get 2 tracks on this edition. Asahi, Ovrar, and the always under-represented 2bad get 1 track each. Surprisingly, Rayto and relative newcomer, Beat Charger, each get 3. Beat Charger is mostly known as a Vocaloid producer and also works under the pseudonym, Sankakuha P. Pretty much all of his Vocaloid productions are Eurobeat, so it looks like he’ll be a good addition to Akiba Koubou.

Running time for the album is about an hour, with the longest song coming in at 5 minutes.

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Geki Atsu! Drama Euro Kizuna Hen
Release Date: 1/25/12
Price: 2000 yen

I’m really excited for these first two releases in the new Geki Atsu! series. If the variety of vocalists wasn’t already enough, they also brought out all the big guns to produce the songs. valle blanco gets the majority of the tracks with 5. Meanwhile, DJ Command has 3 under his command. Ovrar and Rayto each get 2, while Asahi and Sumijun get a single track each. A new arranger also joins the AKBK stable of producers: the one and only Elementas (of Toho Eurobeat fame)!

The track lengths have also been revealed and they’re more than generous, with Kei getting the longest track clocking in at over 6 minutes. One of the Usa tracks is only 2 and half minutes though, and the whole album is only a little over an hour long. They probably should’ve went with full versions instead of a non-stop mix. Some of the previous Geki Atsu! releases have had digital releases, but unfortunately even those didn’t full-length tracks.

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Utatte Mita J-Pop
Release Date: 3/7/12
Price: 1905 yen

It looks like EMI took a page from Tokuma’s book and will be releasing TWO AKBK CDs on the same day. I think we can officially declare March 7, 2012 as AKBK Day. For those keeping track, March 7 will see the release of 2 Utatte Mita CDs from EMI, 2 Geki Atsu! Drama Euro CDs from Tokuma, and Utatte Mita Best Selection from Full Moon.

Announced utaite include Kouhey, Yuge, Yamadan, Usa and Priko. This release’s theme is J-Pop covers, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if “Sousei” and “Zankoku” appear. So far it’s scheduled to be an 18-song non-stop mix.

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Utatte Mita Anison
Release Date: 3/7/12
Price: 1905 yen

I suppose this should be a bit surprising since they abandoned the Wa Euro Best series, but it seems even EMI can’t escape the Utatte Mita craze. It’s actually not yet confirmed that Akiba Koubou will be handling this release, but the description promises House, Euro, Techno and Trance remixes so it sounds right up AKBK’s alley. Announced utaite include Kouhey, Yuge, Yamadan and Usa. This release’s theme is anime song covers, so don’t be alarmed if “Sousei” and “Zankoku” appear. So far it’s scheduled to be an 18-song non-stop mix.

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A live performance of the song from an Akiba Koubou Festa event. Sunplaza Nakano Kun is joined on stage by Yamadan (on the right) and Kouhey (mostly out of frame on the left). Producers prkr and Re:nG are on the guitar and keyboards, respectively. Meanwhile, the established utaite, Korosuke, dances in the background along with the well-known odotte mita dancer, Ria Sion. It’s a fun performance, and almost makes me want to buy the Sunplaza Nakano Kun album. Almost.

Super Eurobeat presents Super Hatsune Beat vol. 1 powered by DIVA Arcade (CD+DVD)
Release Date: 3/14/12
Price: 2800 yen

Despite the recent delay of SEB 221, it looks like Avex still have faith in the series, as this March will see the release of Super Hatsune Beat vol. 1. Popular Vocaloid producers like Yuuyu P, Bucchigiri P and others will be participating. However, it’s unclear if the usual Super Eurobeat labels will be involved.

The album will come with a DVD featuring PVs from Sega’s Project DIVA Arcade.

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Geki Atsu! Pachi Best
Release Date: 1/25/12
Price: 2000 yen

HOLD IT! You didn’t think that was it for Geki Atsu! releases, did you? Coming out this January, on the same day as the first two Drama euro releases, is Geki Atsu! Pachi Best. I’m not sure what the point is, considering that they released Geki Atsu! J-Euro Dai Ren Chan Senryoubako Version! last year, and that already served as a best-of album. But hey, never doubt Akiba Koubou’s ability to reuse “Zankoku” or “Sousei.”

I’m not entirely sure what’s up with this release, though. It was announced only very recently, despite the fact that it’s coming out later this month. Many retailers, including CDJapan, don’t even have it up for pre-order yet. It’s most definitely from Tokuma Japan, but I suspect it might be a limited release.

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Geki Atsu! Drama Euro Chanbara Hen
Release Date: 3/7/12
Price: 2000 yen

The second Geki Atsu! release in March will be a chanbara-themed album. Chanbara refers to sword fighting movies, so expect lots of themes from Samurai cinema and/or anime. Sengoku Basara seems like a good candidate, and I’d be shocked if Kurosawa film themes weren’t used.

2012 looks like it’ll be an interesting year for AKBK fans. Hopefully Tokuma don’t saturate the market too much, though. At this rate we’ll be seeing Geki Atsu! Drama Euro Buyuuden Hen and Christmas Hen by the end of the year.

Pre-order at CDJapan.

Geki Atsu! Drama Euro Deka Hen
Release Date: 3/7/12
Price: 2000 yen

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. Tokuma Japan will be releasing yet another two Geki Atsu! CDs this March. This time they’re going back to J-Drama themes, with this particular release focusing on deka (detective) show themes. That’s right, all of a sudden they’re borrowing ideas from Dancemania Speed. Is it wrong that I really want “Rhythm & Police” to show up?

Pre-order at CDJapan.

The Best of Non-Stop Toho Eurobeat 2011
Release Date: 12/30/11
Price: 1400 yen

Doujin release featuring eurobeat covers of popular touhou songs. Avex’s recent penchant for non-stop mixes seems to have infected A-One Records as well, as this release will be a non-stop mix featuring 16 songs from TEB Vol. 1-4 as well as 4 new tracks from Elementas feat. Shihori. The album will be available at Comiket 81. Those in attendance will also receive a limited 2012 Toho Eurobeat calendar.

Mixed by AKBK’s DJ Mocchi. Samples can be found on A-One’s official website.

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Utatte Mita Best Selection
Release Date: 3/7/12
Price: 1905 yen

At first I thought that this was just a rebranding of Akiba Koubou’s recent Utatte Mita Collection -The Best-, but the early track list is completely different and contains songs that haven’t been done by AKBK yet. Still a few repeats, though. You can’t have an AKBK album without “Zankoku na Tenshi no These.”

Announced artists include Kouhey, Yamadan, Nodoame, Anima, Yuge, Korosuke, and Hanatan.

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Luv Euro 2
Release Date: 2/22/12
Price: 1886 yen

Originally scheduled for release in Winter 2011, Luv Euro 2 has been delayed until February of 2012. Apparently they needed the time to ensure they could use as many repeats as possible. “We Are” and “Gong” look like they’ll be new productions, though, and this’ll probably be the best way to hear Team KY’s “Run ‘n’ Gun.”

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