More Bishoujo Remix Goodness… I think.
So, in an attempt to sway the bishoujo market towards the loveliest of dance remixes – Shot Music has come up with a comprehensive little package. They’ve even given the random girl on their CD a name and profile including her three sizes, for god’s sake. :p (The character is half Dutch, which makes me lol a little bit.)
Artist: Various
Title: Shot Music Presents Super Shot -Bishoujo Game Remix Collection-
Catalogue No.: SHOT-001
Tracklist:
1. Shinsei Philosophy (JAKAZiD Remix) – Veil ∞ Yui Yamamoto
2. HE∀tingSφul (DJ SHIMAMURA’s H∀RDCφR3 R3mix) – Katakiri Rekka
3. Tears to Tiara ~the essence~ (bh’s trance mix [remix by Blasterhead]) – Uehara Rena
4. Shukufuku no Campanella (StripE Trance Remix) – Satou Hiromi & NANA
5. Answer (Emotional MEGA Beat mix [remix by Samplingmaster MEGA]) – Katakiri Rekka
6. Daichi no Uta (DJ SHARPNEL Remix) – Itou Kanako
7. rebirthday eve (Aura Qualic Remix) – Marica
8. Concerto Note (DJ SHIMAMURA’s 5AM Remix) – NANA
9. reach for the runway (REDALiCE Remix) – Rita
10. Himitsu Recipe (Disconation J-Euro Remix) – Hashimoto Miyuki
11. Primary (DJ SHIMAMURA’s 10PM Remix) – Rita
12. Koisuru Kimochi (DJ Hirojack Remix) – Sakakibara Yui
13. Heart To Heart (kors k Hardcore Remix) – Uehara Rena
While kors k and DJ Shimamura seem to have been working overtime with these remixes, I can’t help but feel that the remixes presented here are going to be… watered down? It aims more for the mainstream than Ultimate A-Style did, and I can’t help but feel like this is going to be a CD like Amasia for me – Not something I’d really, really actively listen to but I’d buy it for collection’s sake. The choice of remixers isn’t bad at all – the surprises of Blasterhead and AQ were certainly unexpected.
I do have my hope on Aura Qualic actually doing a good job on this provided he doesn’t do any hardcore and sticks to doing trance/vocal trance, which is probably the area he does best in.
However, I can’t tell until I can listen to this CD. Meanwhile, M3 has come and gone so I am eagerly awaiting the releases that come from that (with the exception of REDALiCE’s bazillionth Touhou album).
Kanna’s Mp3 Player Top Ten [September 10 2009]
In my first attempt to make a sort of regular feature, I thought I’d start with something relatively simple and relatively pain free.
I have an iPod. It’s a nice little iPod Nano in black (because I couldn’t find a red one). I listen to it a lot – I take it with me everywhere and when I’m driving, it is often playing music to keep me company during the traffic jams.
So in no particular order, here’s the songs that have caught my interest recently.
1. そらとぶひかり – COLTEMONIKHA
Soratobu Hikari is one of those songs that amuses me greatly because it’s both in Japanese and Mangled English. The first line goes soratobu hikari kimi no moto e or so a lot of heat curry, gimme no motorway. Kate Sakai’s quite good blurring the line between the two languages and it’s a cute, silly little song that reminds me a little bit of capsule’s FRUiTS CLiPPER. The song, not the entire album mind you.
2. Adagio – DJ Depath & M-Project
I’ve always had a thing for pieces for string orchestra as the violin is a beautiful instrument and the cello can sound really lovely and warm and they’re my favourite string instruments. Barber’s Adagio For Strings is one of my favourite pieces of 20th century classical music – sadly the best remix of this is William Orbit’s – as the other trance version by Tiësto was a piece of shit (actually, Tiësto is pretty shit no matter how I look at it). But this remix… confuses me slightly but I like listening to it. Maybe it’s my love for the source material but I do shake my head in puzzlement each time I listen to this song on how it goes from strings to KICK KICK KICK KICK CUT UP HIGH PITCHED VOCAL SAMPLE KICK KICK KICK KICK STRIIIIIIIINGS KICK KICK KICK KICK STRIIIIINGS. You get the idea.
3. Ligaya (Yoji Biomehanika Remix) – Gouryella
Personally, I think the time in which Ferry Corsten was at his best was when he made the Gouryella tracks. That’s probably the best Tiësto’s ever been too, considering that all he probably did was make the coffee. I love the original instrumental version of Ligaya (the vocal version effectively ruined the track) but I am very fond of this remix because Yoji gave it more of a bassline and kick. It’s still very uplifting (it does fit the name, ligaya means “happiness” in the Filipino language) but at the same time, I do like that it is harder and the breakdown is one of my favourite parts in the entire song.
4. Attack the music – DJ FX
One of my favourite 5 key beatmania songs. It is a shame that the song actually doesn’t have a sample that says “attack the music” but I was overjoyed to hear when this was revived in beatmania IIDX DistorteD CS version.
5. The Talking Goat – DJ Shimamura
… lol youtube remix.
6. GOLD DIGGA (DJ Hazime Remix) – MICHICO feat. AI
I’m not really a fan of hip-hop/r&b/rap a lot of the time, but I do like this collaboration between MICHICO and AI. (Actually, I just like MICHICO’s O.P.D. single. That’s it.) The original version of the song was a bit flat, but this sounds like it’s got a lot more punch.
7. The Prophecy Unfolds (The Playah Remix) – Tommyknocker vs. The Viper feat. MC Mouth of Madness
I think Tommyknocker is one of my favourite gabber artists and I’ve been listening to Tha Playah’s The Greatest Clits compilation. I think this is my favourite track on there besides The Viper and Tommyknocker’s remix of Fuck The Titties.
8. Chasse – 詩月カオリ
This song is very cute. I think I like it since it isn’t too nauseatingly denpa and sugar coated, but cute enough to be enjoyable. Admittedly it isn’t the best song Kaori Utatsuki’s put out, but I think this is a little song that you can enjoy singing along to. waratte runrunrun rara runrun ruru~~
9. G-Sigh – Remo-con
I love Remo-con’s album. Tech-dance makes good music to do statistics to, as I did the majority of the statistics for my reports while listening to A life with remote controllers. While Bemani fans bemoan the lack of IIDX songs, for heaven’s sake this album is pretty good and Prototype resembles Golden Cross without the bassline and more tech dance-y.
10. tsugihagi Construction – t+pazolite
Such a good way to end Hardcore Syndrome 3. I love this track. Hardcore Syndrome 3 was made of pure gold. C76 actually wasn’t too bad, overall. There were quite a few albums I could listen to without skipping anything. And just how it rounds off Hardcore Syndrome nicely, I’ll end this list with this track.
Hardcore Tano*C@Comiket 76: Hardcore Syndrome 3
Okay, so I admit that REDALiCE has been a little uncreative with the past two iterations of the series. But do I give a flying fuck? No! Why? Because I think that Hardcore Tano*C is the shit.
This is the CD I’ve been waiting for to appear for ages. Now that this CD is definitely confirmed for Comiket, I can go fly into Japan happy because damn, look at that tracklist that is available here on the Hardcore Tano*C website.
Each Hardcore Tano*C sort of has its own catchphrase that goes with the CD. Hardcore Syndrome’s catchphrase is “さぁ、己の攻撃性[HARDCORE]を解き放て” (Romanized as “Saa, onore no kougekisei [hardcore] wo tokihanate” and translated as “So, liberate your agression [hardcore].”) Admittedly the original Japanese sounds a lot more aggressive, haha
Artist: Various
Title: Hardcore Syndrome 3
Catalogue No: TANOCD-0010
Tracklist:
01. Joshka – No Reason
02. REDALiCE – Remm
03. DJ SHIMAMURA – DROME (DJ SHIMAMURA’s 09 UPDATE)
04. 源屋 feat. motoko – Stasis
05. REDALiCE vs DJ TECHNORCH – 不思議の国のアリス症候群
06. DJ-Technetium – tc-ma_011
07. Betwixt & Between – division 4
08. DJ Noriken – Conclude
09. Alabaster – Sarcomite
10. Thanatos – Astaluego
11. kenta-v.ez. – iNNovAtizE yoursELf
12. RoughSketch – Fuck Me Jesus
13. USAO – Irrelevance
14. t+pazolite – tsugihagi Construction
We have all the Hardcore Tano*C favourites plus a couple of surprises. REDALiCE collaborates with DJ Technorch in an unanticipated move with the song 不思議の国のアリス症候群 (Fushigi no Kuni no Arisu Shoukougun, The Strange Country’s Alice Syndrome – look at the puns there people). DJ Shimamura brings an update of Drome from his Bitter Sweet Magic E.P., a slightly arbitrary choice but oh well. kenta-v.ez. is there, with his painful capitalisation but at least it isn’t anything ridiculous like spEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEdphobiA 230pLus+. I hope that this song is more gabba than it is jumpstyle.
Anyway, this release is available from Comiket 76 – plus it’ll probably will be available at Guhroovy, the Hardrave Store and mydjsobad when Eddie and Nick finish revamping the place.
KraftyRadio’s August Podcast: The Day of Hardcore Showcase by JAKAZiD
In between refreshing the Hardcore Tano*C website constantly the past few days, I’ve noticed that The Day of Hardcore headliner JAKAZiD has mixed a special KraftyRadio Podcast consisting of an interesting mix of mostly Japanese producers (the mixer himself the only one not Japanese, lol)
The mix itself is downloadable over here. And for reference, here’s the tracklist!
1. Cycheouts Ghost – Arcadex – ROMZ Record
2. DJ Shimamura – Bring The Noize – Dynasty Records
3. M-Neko – Everything Needs RAVE – MPT
4. M-Project – Blue Lotus – Terraform Music
5. Joshka – No Reason – Hardcore Tano*C
6. DJ Shimamura – Return 2 Universe – Dynasty Records
7. L.E.D. feat. Sana – The Shining Polaris (Kors K Remix) – Konami
8. RoughSketch – Pride or Money – Mob Squad Black Label
9. DJ Sharpnel – Shine!! – MPT
10. m1dy – Wani – Maddest Chick’ndom Pork
It features a variety of things – JAKAZiD’s new track for Hardcore Syndrome 3 entitled “Nø Reasøn”, kors k’s highly popular remix of L.E.D.’s The Shining Polaris, Cycheout G’s Arcadex from Vikalpa (one of my favourite tracks from there) and tracks from M-Project’s new album, M-Neko’s first album and DJ Shimamura’s new album. For those of you who keep seeing me blabber on about j-core but never really know what it is – this is pretty much a good starting point with arguably the most popular artists on there (Including Sharpnel himself and m1dy, Japanese King of Speedcore). It’s a diverse enough mix and a little bit mental in some places (I mean, come on. m1dy is there.)
August is shaping up to be a pretty good month for J-core in general as even BBC Radio 1’s Kutski has tweeted that he is making a j-core mix for his upcoming radio show. I shall be in Japan when it airs, most likely at the The Day of Hardcore, but nevertheless Kutski has good taste, so it should be a good listen.
And as I mentioned, I will be going to Japan for The Day of Hardcore, so I might make a photo report on that when I come back.
Bastard Pop Terrorist Vol. 9: Tracklist OUT!
And the M.P.T. label is bringing us more hardcore electronic bootleg goodness in the 9th iteration of the Bastard Pop Terrorist CDs. Often it’s said that the better Japanese hardcore artists feature on this series because you know you’re bad or just not too fucked about what M-Project does with your tracks if you’re on the J-Core Masterz series.
Artist: Various
Title: Bastard Pop Terrorists Vol. 9
Catalogue: MPTCD009
Tracklist:
01. M.P.T. Intro
02. DJ SHARPNEL – SHINE!!
03. DJ A.Q. – Motto☆派手にね！(SmashCore Remix)
04. Boot Of Fighters – White dog
05. DJ Eterni-T – FRIDAYNIGHT POSSE
06. M-Neko – Kawa wo Nagare
07. TOTALLY FUCKEDUP FEAT NICK EATER – AEROPHOBIC
08. DJ PLAGUE – Bananaphone (internet megamix)
09. di-bit – Beaver Thong
10. XÄCKSECKS – KNULLAR GOR JAG TILL HARDCORE
11. TOXIC TEKNIQUE – Galactic Prayer
12. DONK TERRORISTS – Last Words 2009
13. DJ DEPATH&M-Project – Adagio
14. M.P.T. Outro
BPT favourites DJ Eterni-T, M-Neko, DEPATH & M-PROJECT plus the highly amusing Donk Terrorists are making an appearance in this release. The Bananaphone remix might lend itself to some hilarity once I get around to hearing it. The ever popular DJ Sharpnel is also here, his stuff always worth a look even if it might not be the best after a while.
I find listening to the Bastard Pop Terrorist albums a bit of a treat, a bit like a box of chocolates. Because you never quite know what you’re going to get until you sink your teeth in.
I am slightly worried about the inclusion of DJ A.Q. aka Aura Qualic in this release. If anything, Aura Qualic is known for being completely boring in his releases and for releasing many remix bootlegs of popular themes from anime and games without spending a lot of time on them. Granted his production is better than it was earlier, but his compositions are frankly dull. He also jumps from genre to genre without really being good at it, either. I do think he is the lesser evil compared to some truly horrendous thing like Shingo DJ.
As with other Japanese hardcore releases around this time, this is being release in August along with M-Neko’s album, M-Project’s album and DJ Shimamura’s album either at The Day of Hardcore and Comiket. The cover art is really pretty, I have to say.
DJ Shimamura album SX: More Details
I doubt any of the regular readers of this blog read this, but I shall put this up here for my own enjoyment.
Japanese happy hardcore emperor DJ Shimamura of Dynasty Records has released full details about his upcoming album SX. He has posted on popular social networking website mixi the full tracklist, the rather delicious cover art and of course, some very important previews found on his Myspace account
Artist: DJ Shimamura
Title: SX
Label : Dynasty Records
Catalogue No. DNCD-002
Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. LIKE A INFLUENZA feat. 楽天斎 [Rakutensai]
03. Dream UP feat. Mari*F (Hardcore Euphoria Mix)
04. GENER8OR feat. MC RALLY
05. Always follow you (Drum’N'Rave Mix)
06. SX
07. Bring The Noize
08. Uphoria
09. Return 2 Universe 09
10. splash! feat. RIN (DJ Shimamura’s “SX” VIP)
11. Hold U Now
12. The Talking Goat
13. Outrobonus track
14. Dream UP feat. Mari*F (Afterschool Band’s Nu-Rave Edit)
On Shimamura’s myspace, there are previews for LIKE AN INFLUENZA (is this a reference to swine flu?), Dream Up, The Talking Goat and Bring the Noize.
As far as albums go, I am intrigued by the strange mix of new and old and newer updates of stuff that was once old but updated so it was new. Dream Up with Mari*F is such an old song I am little bit tired of hearing it. I mean, come on, it was on Shimamura’s first album Power Slam and has been retooled to infinity by this point. GENER8OR is one of those songs that have been around for a while but were waiting for a proper release to see the light of day. Always Follow You is no doubt an update of an older version of this song, while Return 2 Universe 09 is an update of an update of a song called Universe. Make sense?
The combination of new and old tracks balance themselves out. I am slightly disappointed by DJ Shimamura’s inclusion of Splash! by RIN, but this may be my prejudice at how awful RIN sounds and how she can’t actually sing.
However, bitching aside and any particular quirks about some of these tracks, I am very much looking forward to this album.
Plus, that cover. I mean, seriously. Shimamura looks so badass on the cover of his album which he has no doubt designed himself.
Seriously, what’s not to love? I am completely straight for Shimamura (since it wouldn’t make sense if I said I was gay for him, would it?) and this has completely made my day. Peace.
omg yay new DJ Shimamura album
Sparse details so far, but at least we have a title… and a release date.
Title: SX
Label: DYNASTY RECORDS
Release Day: 2009/08/05 (for those of you curious, this is a few days just before The Day of Hardcore)Format: CD
Tracklist: Unconfirmed
Participating Artists:
MC DHD (Hardcore Hit Squad) from UK (oh god no)
MC RALLY
楽天斎
and more…
Oh DJ Shimamura… you’re still human, so I forgive you for your inclusion of MC DHD on this album but otherwise you have me completely psyched.
Album Review: LIA – enigmatic LIA3 -worldwide collection-
This review is an extension of my review that I originally posted on Discogs for this CD.
Artist: LIA
Title: enigmatic LIA3 -worldwide collection-
Catalogue No: PCCG-90031
Tracklisting:
Disc 1:
01 sky-high (Inverse & Orbit1 Remix)
02 The World (ORIGINAL MIX)
03 時を刻む唄 [Toki wo Kizamu Uta] (JAKAZiD Remix)
04 Crystal World (teranoid Remix)
05 new moon (Al Storm Remix)
06 Believe 〜from Vivaldi’s “Winter”〜 (JAKAZiD Remix)
07 TORCH (Spy47 Remix)
08 pure rain (ORIGINAL MIX)
09 SANDSTORM (Fracus Remix)
10 The Never Ending Love (DJ Shimamura’s XTC Mix)
11 月童 [Tsuki Warabe] (Reese Remix)
12 Saya’s Song (Nu Foundation Remix)
13 Fly high again… (ORIGINAL MIX)Disc 2:
01 君をのせて 〜from 天空の城ラピュタ〜 [Kimi wo Nosete ~from Tenkuu no Shiro Laputa~] (REDALiCE Remix)
02 I’m feeling (源屋 [Minamotoya] Remix)
03 FILIATION (DJ-Technetium Remix)
04 You Are… (Betwixt & Between Remix)
05 I’m wondering (源屋 [Minamotoya] Remix)
06 Light In the Air (Thanatos Remix)
07 SAYONARA (REDALiCE Remix)
08 Saya’s Song (REDALiCE Remix)
-Special Bonus Trax-
09 DJ Sharpnel – 鳥の詩・torino-uta (the speed freak’s noise rave remix)
10 LIA’s (a cappella) Track
Lia and her staff have really outdone themselves with enigmatic LIA 3. It features a lot of stellar remixes of songs from her previous albums (mostly from her latest one, new moon) done in a completely different electronic dance style.
The first disc boasts artists from around the world (”Remixers from 7 different countries!” as the promotional material boasted, a fair amount of them handpicked by JAKAZiD himself. JAKAZiD is one of my favourite artists and for a very good reason, I can’t even begin to imagine how he had to deal with all these artists.)
