Post by molotov889 on May 19, 2006 1:37:04 GMT -5
Attack All Around- Remix Attack[/u]
This album surprised me a bit just with the amount of energy that's present. I didn't really think the songs could be more hyper or dramatic than on the original album =P. A lot of these remixes turned out to be hardcroe techno remixes, almost to the point of being happy hardcore (really energetic techno). There are, of course, some exceptions to this, like DMX miyazaki's remix of Taiyou. Speaking of which, I was pretty dissapointed by the first of DMX Miyazaki's tracks. He was one of my favorite remixers on the almost all of Ayu's old singles, but he seems to have changed his style somewhat, and Taiyou, in particular, just isn't nearly as creative. It even seems to drag; this is not what I've come to expect from DMX Miyazaki. His remix of Bokura No Te was closer to what I was hoping for from him, but still not quite as unique as some of his older tracks. As a whole, however, the album seemed to be fairly succesful at creating remixes that were different from the originals, but still kept some semblence of the tracks from which they originated. I do have to say that on the opposite end of the spectrum, I immensely enjoyed both Wall5 remixes. The remix of Dragon Fire is my favorite on teh album, with the Blood on Fire remix next, and finally the remix version of Chikyuu Ni Idakarete. Hallelujah (Hype Remix) also had a good, rock feel to it. If you want something that can keep up with you when you're feeling pretty energetic, or maybe even an album that's great to listen to while running, this one should be at the top of your list.
Ami Suzuki- AMIx World[/u]
This remix album is a dance/trance lover’s dream. Almost all of the remixes are in a style highly reminiscent of eurodance tracks that were coming out from techno names like Svenson & Gielen, Special D, Fragma, etc just a few years ago. Personally, it was a great experience to relive the music popularized by artists like these. Many of the tracks simply have great, classic dance rhythms and synth techniques that should be very comfortable for any techno fan. In the techno vein, there are even some influences of house that show up pretty strongly on individual tracks. There are some tracks, of course, that break the mold; these are usually smoother in nature and even border more on a soul and straight-up pop feel. Now, this album is pretty different in that every other song is a different remix of the track Around The World- similar to the old Ayumi single releases. I do have to admit that this album could have pulled this off a little better. Though there was variety on the album as a whole, it was usually the other tracks that ere the more unique additions. So many of the remixes of Around The World tend not to stand out later on. There are a couple of exceptions, like the Sham-poo vs Heavens Wire RMX and the Wall5 Remix, but really these just stand out at these exceptional dance/trance tracks more than for being unique in themselves. As for the other tracks, the best were, in my opinion, Hopeful (M.O.R. Remix), Negaigoto (Dub’s The Wish Was Fulfilled Remix), and Alone (Furon Dark Star Remix). The remix of Negaigoto, by DMX Miyazaki was a pleasant surprise, as I had not found his work on the recent AAA remix album as good as past ventures. This track, however, displayed more of his creativity.
Nobuchika Eri- nobuchikaeri.rx[/u]
Let me just get this out of the way: this album was a little bit short. Not so short that it's not worth the money, but I definitely would have liked to see a longer track list (especially a remix of Inner Glow, but that's because of personal preference). However, looking at the tracks included, I still enjoyed this club-centered album. There's no question these tracks are made for lounging and dancing. To me, they're sort of more what I had expected Eri's music to be like when all I head heard from her was the tracks on the PSP game Lumines- slightly less melodious than the songs on her debut album and a little more beat-heavy. As far as individual tracks, I was a little upset about the FPM remix as it's really just a mash-up. I'm not a fan for mash-ups, but if you like them, then maybe this will be up your alley. The other track that bothered me was Herbert's Pikey Remix of Kodou, which could have been better without the annoying, repeating vox they used. My favorite on the album was the Azzido Da Bass remix of Voice, although, again, it's slightly less melodious. They also took out the most impressive part of the original Voice- Eri's long hold on the high note towards the middle of the song. I would have liked to see that stay, but even without it, the remix is still pretty rockin'. The Linus Loves Remix of Yume No Kakera and Sing A Song "Royksopp I Kramsno Remix" are probably next in line. The former has a nice, chill feel, while the latter just meanders between rhythms and tones extremely well. It's a snog you can really get lost in.
Hitomi Shimatani- Heart & Symphony[/u]
Hitomi's music is such a unique blend of dance and orchestral composition that I really can't think of anything to compare it to off the top of my head. Her music on this album, much like what can be found on Crossover, is extremely dramatic in its presentation. I imagine that music like hers could be a movie producer's dream as its emotion is so clearly laid out in her vocals and the supporting composition. Two-Mix, of course, is one group known for incorporating classical influences and sometimes even using classical instruments in their compositions, but the approach in Hitomi's music is much different. It's more straightforward, and I belive it has a stronger impact. For example, the track Mermai has a chorus using the melody of a famous classical composition, though I'm not well versed enough in the area to identify it. I tended to like the faster, more dance-oriented tracjs simply because they're more interesting to me when sung by Hitomi. Her slower, balld-astyle songs are actually pretty, and she has a decently melodious voice, but she doesn't keep my attention as succesfully on these songs. To me, it seems like she tones herself down for her slower songs, but I would rather see her approach these with all the emoitonal fervor that she brings to the dance-oriented tracks. Favorites on this album were Sara Souju, Garnet Moon (though I liked the Crossover Version better), Mona Lisa, Mermaid, and Voice.
Clazziquai Project- Pinch Your Soul[/u]
This remix album took a different approach than did the album ZBAM. There was a higher degree of cohesiveness with this release, as well as a stronger tie-in to the original tracks, as many of these tracks were still funk inspired, just with a little bit of a twist or more electronica added in. Unfortunately, there was no single song on this album that stood out as a phenom. On ZBAM, the Mellotron remix of Come To Me simply stood out as an amazingly well-composed and beautiful track that grabbed me the very first time I heard it. For me, I did not get the same experience on this album. Of course, the album is still far from being a bad album even without that. The new original song, Love Mode was also very good, and I’m sure that if it hadn’t been placed on this album, it would have made it to the next Clazziquai original album as it has just as much clever composition and pure style as any of their other songs. This album has, certainly, kept my excitement up for any future releases that are to come our way from Clazziquai. Favorites were Color Your Soul (Pinch You Remix), Love Mode, Fill This Night (Paradox Remix), and Sweety (Cosmo Remix) [FINALLY, a Clazziquai song that’s all in English I can understand! =P].
Fantastic Plastic Machine- Contact[/u]
What can I say about FPM's music other than that you just have to hear it? His style on this album is a slightly wacky, off-beat lounge experience that he became popular for in his early career. A few of this tracks actually have pretty humorous lyrics if you listen to them carefully, and you're almost led to believe that FPM is trying to cover it up with the music, trying to simply slip it past you. City Lights and Love Is Psychedelic (Full Spoken Mix) are prime examples of this. I actually really like the latter of those two songs, but City Lights wasn't all that impressive to me. There a few songs on here that lack a little bit of FPM's chracteristically strong style and feel a little washed out amongst the other songs. All in all, though, the album is a pretty enjoyable ride through some unique tunes. Favorites were Paragon2, Black Dada (Edo-Mae Mix), Love Is Psychedlic (Full Spoken Mix), and Todos Os Desejos (King Britt's Scub Mix).
This album surprised me a bit just with the amount of energy that's present. I didn't really think the songs could be more hyper or dramatic than on the original album =P. A lot of these remixes turned out to be hardcroe techno remixes, almost to the point of being happy hardcore (really energetic techno). There are, of course, some exceptions to this, like DMX miyazaki's remix of Taiyou. Speaking of which, I was pretty dissapointed by the first of DMX Miyazaki's tracks. He was one of my favorite remixers on the almost all of Ayu's old singles, but he seems to have changed his style somewhat, and Taiyou, in particular, just isn't nearly as creative. It even seems to drag; this is not what I've come to expect from DMX Miyazaki. His remix of Bokura No Te was closer to what I was hoping for from him, but still not quite as unique as some of his older tracks. As a whole, however, the album seemed to be fairly succesful at creating remixes that were different from the originals, but still kept some semblence of the tracks from which they originated. I do have to say that on the opposite end of the spectrum, I immensely enjoyed both Wall5 remixes. The remix of Dragon Fire is my favorite on teh album, with the Blood on Fire remix next, and finally the remix version of Chikyuu Ni Idakarete. Hallelujah (Hype Remix) also had a good, rock feel to it. If you want something that can keep up with you when you're feeling pretty energetic, or maybe even an album that's great to listen to while running, this one should be at the top of your list.
Ami Suzuki- AMIx World[/u]
This remix album is a dance/trance lover’s dream. Almost all of the remixes are in a style highly reminiscent of eurodance tracks that were coming out from techno names like Svenson & Gielen, Special D, Fragma, etc just a few years ago. Personally, it was a great experience to relive the music popularized by artists like these. Many of the tracks simply have great, classic dance rhythms and synth techniques that should be very comfortable for any techno fan. In the techno vein, there are even some influences of house that show up pretty strongly on individual tracks. There are some tracks, of course, that break the mold; these are usually smoother in nature and even border more on a soul and straight-up pop feel. Now, this album is pretty different in that every other song is a different remix of the track Around The World- similar to the old Ayumi single releases. I do have to admit that this album could have pulled this off a little better. Though there was variety on the album as a whole, it was usually the other tracks that ere the more unique additions. So many of the remixes of Around The World tend not to stand out later on. There are a couple of exceptions, like the Sham-poo vs Heavens Wire RMX and the Wall5 Remix, but really these just stand out at these exceptional dance/trance tracks more than for being unique in themselves. As for the other tracks, the best were, in my opinion, Hopeful (M.O.R. Remix), Negaigoto (Dub’s The Wish Was Fulfilled Remix), and Alone (Furon Dark Star Remix). The remix of Negaigoto, by DMX Miyazaki was a pleasant surprise, as I had not found his work on the recent AAA remix album as good as past ventures. This track, however, displayed more of his creativity.
Nobuchika Eri- nobuchikaeri.rx[/u]
Let me just get this out of the way: this album was a little bit short. Not so short that it's not worth the money, but I definitely would have liked to see a longer track list (especially a remix of Inner Glow, but that's because of personal preference). However, looking at the tracks included, I still enjoyed this club-centered album. There's no question these tracks are made for lounging and dancing. To me, they're sort of more what I had expected Eri's music to be like when all I head heard from her was the tracks on the PSP game Lumines- slightly less melodious than the songs on her debut album and a little more beat-heavy. As far as individual tracks, I was a little upset about the FPM remix as it's really just a mash-up. I'm not a fan for mash-ups, but if you like them, then maybe this will be up your alley. The other track that bothered me was Herbert's Pikey Remix of Kodou, which could have been better without the annoying, repeating vox they used. My favorite on the album was the Azzido Da Bass remix of Voice, although, again, it's slightly less melodious. They also took out the most impressive part of the original Voice- Eri's long hold on the high note towards the middle of the song. I would have liked to see that stay, but even without it, the remix is still pretty rockin'. The Linus Loves Remix of Yume No Kakera and Sing A Song "Royksopp I Kramsno Remix" are probably next in line. The former has a nice, chill feel, while the latter just meanders between rhythms and tones extremely well. It's a snog you can really get lost in.
Hitomi Shimatani- Heart & Symphony[/u]
Hitomi's music is such a unique blend of dance and orchestral composition that I really can't think of anything to compare it to off the top of my head. Her music on this album, much like what can be found on Crossover, is extremely dramatic in its presentation. I imagine that music like hers could be a movie producer's dream as its emotion is so clearly laid out in her vocals and the supporting composition. Two-Mix, of course, is one group known for incorporating classical influences and sometimes even using classical instruments in their compositions, but the approach in Hitomi's music is much different. It's more straightforward, and I belive it has a stronger impact. For example, the track Mermai has a chorus using the melody of a famous classical composition, though I'm not well versed enough in the area to identify it. I tended to like the faster, more dance-oriented tracjs simply because they're more interesting to me when sung by Hitomi. Her slower, balld-astyle songs are actually pretty, and she has a decently melodious voice, but she doesn't keep my attention as succesfully on these songs. To me, it seems like she tones herself down for her slower songs, but I would rather see her approach these with all the emoitonal fervor that she brings to the dance-oriented tracks. Favorites on this album were Sara Souju, Garnet Moon (though I liked the Crossover Version better), Mona Lisa, Mermaid, and Voice.
Clazziquai Project- Pinch Your Soul[/u]
This remix album took a different approach than did the album ZBAM. There was a higher degree of cohesiveness with this release, as well as a stronger tie-in to the original tracks, as many of these tracks were still funk inspired, just with a little bit of a twist or more electronica added in. Unfortunately, there was no single song on this album that stood out as a phenom. On ZBAM, the Mellotron remix of Come To Me simply stood out as an amazingly well-composed and beautiful track that grabbed me the very first time I heard it. For me, I did not get the same experience on this album. Of course, the album is still far from being a bad album even without that. The new original song, Love Mode was also very good, and I’m sure that if it hadn’t been placed on this album, it would have made it to the next Clazziquai original album as it has just as much clever composition and pure style as any of their other songs. This album has, certainly, kept my excitement up for any future releases that are to come our way from Clazziquai. Favorites were Color Your Soul (Pinch You Remix), Love Mode, Fill This Night (Paradox Remix), and Sweety (Cosmo Remix) [FINALLY, a Clazziquai song that’s all in English I can understand! =P].
Fantastic Plastic Machine- Contact[/u]
What can I say about FPM's music other than that you just have to hear it? His style on this album is a slightly wacky, off-beat lounge experience that he became popular for in his early career. A few of this tracks actually have pretty humorous lyrics if you listen to them carefully, and you're almost led to believe that FPM is trying to cover it up with the music, trying to simply slip it past you. City Lights and Love Is Psychedelic (Full Spoken Mix) are prime examples of this. I actually really like the latter of those two songs, but City Lights wasn't all that impressive to me. There a few songs on here that lack a little bit of FPM's chracteristically strong style and feel a little washed out amongst the other songs. All in all, though, the album is a pretty enjoyable ride through some unique tunes. Favorites were Paragon2, Black Dada (Edo-Mae Mix), Love Is Psychedlic (Full Spoken Mix), and Todos Os Desejos (King Britt's Scub Mix).
