I was going to post this on a forum under my name. Then I actually thought about what that would do. So, instead, I’ll post it on my own blog, so anyone caring to hear it will know to go here. Just know, I type it using “you” for speed. I’m a Eurobeat artist, not an English Major. P:

*ahem*…

I think people who want to hear music should hear good music. However, I also think that artists, writers, producers and publishers should be compensated for their work. So, the big thing is this: How can both sides be satisfied? Once a generation is used to getting something for free, it’s hard to say to them, “you really should pay for that”. Who’s holding them responsible?

There are those who will pirate because it is there to be pirated; I know people like this offline. These people… I can do nothing about.
Then there are those who will pirate because they may not have options in their area to buy it. The solution, here, is to tap into the (increasing) options to buy the album on places like Musico, iTunes Japan (as posted in a local guide), etc. It’s a little daunting (Musico’s kinda scary for me!), but there are guides out there that will guide you through the process. After all, the prices are usually close to 1 USD per track… slightly above pocket change each one. (My bank is totally compliant with every international purchase I’ve made for individual tracks, it’s a thing of beauty really.)

Some may be ready to present the “quality” argument to me at this point; to this, I say… unfortunately, until options increase, there’s little that can be done about that. Yes, many of the purchase options are not perfect audio quality, and rips from the CD really do sound pristine. Well, what then? Why steal from the creators and artists for a decision the stores have made? I suppose it becomes, on an ethical level, a battle between quality and price— if you really want that high-quality sound so strongly, it really does work better to buy the album. Yes, it’s a great deal pricier than track-by-track, but… that is no fault of the creators. Alternatively, if you’re drawn more to the song of it than the audio quality of it, purchasing track-by-track isn’t so bad after all. The question is this: “How badly do you want the song, vs. how badly do you want it in HQ”? If you’re truly wanting to hear the song very quickly, it may be more rewarding to hear it in a slightly lower quality. If you’re patient enough to save up for a higher-quality version of the track (or, better, the album as a whole), then your patience shall be rewarded.

Eurobeat music does not have some of the sources of revenue other genres have; due to a drop in popularity in contrast to rap/hip hop or electro or whathaveyou (not a bad thing— I freaking LOVE 3Oh!3 and Owl City), there are few live shows, and infinitely less merchandising (Dave Rodgers bedsheets???). The point is, the creators of Eurobeat are paid by the purchase of albums or individual tracks, and little more. There’s little radio play to speak of, an occasional club night, and that’s it. By someone not purchasing the songs, everyone involved in each track is DIRECTLY affected. Thus “exposure” does not work as well with Eurobeat; it all points back to the track and album sales. Showing someone new tracks is less likely to produce the response “Hey, this is good, where can I buy it?” as it is to produce “Hey, this is good, where can I download it?”.

I know it’s not an ideal situation for audiophiles OR for those with less money. But it should not come out of the pockets of the artists/creators, either. Not all of us drive Porsches y’know. (I’m hardly rich off this either— I’m still struggling to find scholarships to attend university next semester!!)

(…for the record, I’ve got a pretty sweet 2000 Nissan Sentra. It’s nice for a college kid like me, but hardly ‘rock star’ status.)

(…and I’d totally buy Dave Rodgers bedsheets.)

Ken Blast and Odyssey are one and the same person! (Meaning, it’s me!)

I am the very same Ken Blast that appears on “When The Sun Goes Down”, on track 12 on Super Eurobeat 201! Here’s hoping that you all enjoy the song, and I invite any constructive questions and criticisms you may have.
I think Newfield, Vince and Clara did fantastic jobs in their own right. I was just along for the ride, is all. P:

…more on this when I’m not looking up scholarships.

Quick update, I’m not dead at all! In fact, I’m in the process of making an already big thing brewing, into an even bigger thing brewing. Look forward to something awesome in the next couple of months!

MANY TIMES PARTY IS GO! IT IS FOR THE FUN YOU VISIT AND MAKE YOUR LISTENS!

www.magichammermusic.com

…okay, in all honesty, it’s a project that the mastermind “RainbowDragonEyes”, known for “Dance On Fire” and “Blue Sky” from Super Euro Freak Vol. 1, has been working on. I’ve lent my writing and vocals to a couple of tunes, and the one that’s up on the page will be getting revamped vocals.

Oops. Vicky Vale ≠ Candy Taylor. I’m a moron~

Anyway, I was asked to review Super Eurobeat 198 for Super Euro Power Hour. It wasn’t an album I liked entirely (I’m enjoying 199 MUCH more thoroughly, EVERY label performed MUCH better in that one), but I did try to review the songs in a way that was both appropriate for SEPH and the labels listening in. I realize now that I started liking “Star Heart” a little more after this review, that I was a bit rough on I’m Superstar by Futura, and that I sound really nasally and geeky through the internal Mac Mic.

If I have said anything that offends any of the creative minds behind the Eurobeat world that happened to be on SEB 198, please let me know. I stand by much of what I said (though I can be a bit exaggeratory), and would love to know if I’m just not catching enough of what happened or what’s happening.

Because I just can’t stand to do things in chronological order like most civilized people, I thought it’d be appropriate to include my review for SEB 195… after writing the review for 196.

As I explained in the previous post, the SEB 1*5s since 165 have this odd tendency to be very strong for that decade. Seeing as I own 175 (classic), 185 (high-quality) and 195, I can say that with some confidence.

I should warn you though; the review was originally posted on the Eurobeat Prime forums, and was originally posted in such a way to cater to the zeitgeist of the forum thread at that given time. Only a few modifications have been made.

I’ll proceed to prove my point.

BURNING LIKE FIRE
(By Dave Rodgers ft. Alex De Rosso) (ABEATC)
And then, in a flash of gold and white, Dave Rodgers did ascend, and the thunderous rock of several guitars did crash down upon the world, and there was much rejoicing. The people did enjoy the little “stops” and instrumental changeups, and the “traditional” ABeatC synth riff sound, and all was well in the Eurobeat world.
Also, Dave’s voice is BACK.
GRADE: A+ (100%)

ULTRA MI-HA DELUXE
(By Project 2, or Leo River & Mari-San) (GO GOS MUSIC)
I can’t stand Mari-San’s voice, but when it’s paired with Leo’s, it’s all bearable. GGM has really settled their style, and focuses now on the power of the song itself. Not as good as Burning Like Fire, but I really liked it.
GRADE: B+ (88%)

KING OF THE WORLD
(By Dave Dima) (DIMA)
Dima mixes the soundworlds of current Dima productions with some of the composition and writing style of early-mid Vibration songs. I wouldn’t mind if Dima were the king of the world, if for this song. Bonus points for reminding me of Hot Limit, though this song isn’t THAT different from previous Dima entries, excepting Fever of Love.
GRADE: A (95%)

STOP CITY LOVER
(By Derreck Simons) (GO GOS MUSIC)
GGM couldn’t leave well-enough alone. And good thing they didn’t, Stop City Lover is FANTASTIC. Even for a “same” soundworld, Tomas shines in high quality, one that harkens back to the hit that was “Back to 80’s” and then deals some MORE damage. Welcome back, Tomas.
GRADE: A (95%)

HURRICANE MAN
(By Gold-Rake) (EUROGROOVES)
Back in my SAIFAM-disliking days, I really listened around, trying to find a song that blew my mind. I was listening to the intro of “Like A Speedy Car”, thinking, ‘oh boy, I’ll need some convincing on THIS one’, then the synth riff hit.
I spent the next few minutes cleaning my mind off the ceiling and walls, it was that blown.
Now, glad to have my mind back together, I started track 5, “Hurricane Man”, and thought it’d be ‘just okay’.
Booming with testosterone and energy that was just plain absent in Time entries not long ago, I was thoroughly impressed with the song from start to finish.
Darn you Eurogrooves, I just cleaned this mess up.
GRADE: A+ (100%)

SAVE ANOTHER DAY FOR ME
(By De Leo) (TIME SPA)
While it certainly didn’t impress me as much as Hurricane Man (where is Avex getting all these Time entries, now that Eurogrooves is in business?), it was a… welcome entry. It was sufficiently energetic and enthusiastic.
GRADE: B (85%)

DON’T BELONG
(By Mari-San) (GO GOS MUSIC) (Good grief, again?)
Can’t stand her voice. I really did listen to the whole track, to see if my mind would change.
Nope. Nice try, but better luck next time.
GRADE: D+ (68%)

ROCK YOU
(By Mad Max) (DELTA)
I was fortunate enough to snag this before all Avex-related Eurobeat releases came down, taking the Eurobeat Masters compilations with them. A solid soundworld, biting guitars, Claudio Magnoni and some tight production stack in this track’s favor, hampered only by a somewhat weak synth riff sound. Not the catchiest thing ever but certainly a welcome addition.
GRADE: B+ (89%)

MONSTERS READY
(By Fastway) (SCP)
Did Avex mis-mark their calendar? Or do they have some sort of spooky holiday around this time of year in Japan? Great Fastway fare regardless, though the song could’ve been about anything else and we’d still like it, methinks. A bit “generic” for Fastway, but that’s not a bad thing, mind you. It’s catchy, masculine, and fun. Yes.
GRADE: A- (92%)

I WILL SURVIVE
(By Megan) (SINCLAIRESTYLE)
Many on the Eurobeat Prime forums are used to hearing my usual complaints about SinclaireStyle; I often complained that his soundworlds and synth riff choices were too weak and/or not sufficient for the song at hand.
Forget it. This song is the kind of gold our friend Bratt Sinclaire has needed. It forgoes the usual ho-hum tricks and really delivers a solid product. A synth riff sound that has some real substance and hearkens back to the Delta days, solid well-done vocals, and some really great bass, this track delivers in ways that only a few before it from the Sinclaire camp have since the 160s. My hat goes off to Bratt Sinclaire for such an improvement.
GRADE: A (95%)

SHINE
(By Mad Max) (SAIFAM)
I’m Tsundere for SAIFAM. They keep making songs that have these facets that I really, really dislike in Eurobeat, and in ways that I dislike them. And I’ll dislike the song, at least the first time.
…and it’ll be stuck in my head. And I’ll love it the next day.
Shine is just such a song. I HATE when vocals are sung over the synth riff.. I HATE overy simple synth riffs. And this song has BOTH OF THEM.
I love this song.. God knows why, and I wish he’d tell me because I sure don’t know. SAIFAM is just too fun for me to be mad at it for too long. It’s like a puppy that knocks over things but has these huge, cute li’l eyes. Darnit, Farina, I’ll make up my mind about you soon.
GRADE: B+ (87%)

KOOKY SPOOKY
(By Scream Team… Irene, right?) (SCP)
Members of the EB Prime forums have criticized this song for being too “lovey-dovey” or too silly… but that’s just it! It’s supposed to be a very “Scooby-Doo”-esque type of humor, and for all intents and purposes I imagine the singer of Scream Team as a sort of ghost-character singing the “lovey” parts, it makes the lyrics easier to ‘digest’. Fun synth riff, enjoyable sound world and sense of humor make this a great entry for my money.
GRADE: A- (93%)

WILD BOY BAD LOVE
(By Garc— err, Joe Banana) (HI-NRG ATTACK)
(I need to stop listening to “Shine” so I can re-listen to this and remember my thoughts on this one… darn it SAIFAM!)
Yes, HRG does sound very much the same in their intros and the like. Is that such a bad thing? I say nay. The song as a whole reminds me of On The Road Again To The Show, barring the synth riff. I do miss when the HRG synth riffs had hooks, but… Avex demands are demands, I guess. Ah well, I’m sure their unreleased material will house more power. For now, an above-average HRG song.
GRADE: B- (82%)

What a great album! I truly enjoyed almost all of it, which is quite a statement. Every label shone somehow, and even if their song wasn’t great at least it was above-par (excepting Don’t Belong, for my money).This album receives an A in my book (I’m not going to bother with a percentage grade), for all-around being above-par. Every label had at least a sufficient song SOMEwhere in the mix, and their efforts are noticed.

Here’s the purchase link: CLICK HERE to buy SEB 195

Without any hesitation, I must say I’m proud to own Super Eurobeat Vols. 175, 185 and 195. Something about the SEB 1*5s has proven to be one of the heights of their ‘decades’ in the Super Eurobeat spectrum. 175 had the introduction to Go Gos Music; 185 had a very high level overall (Delta in particular was strong on this one); and 195 has songs that will not leave my head any time soon (even if, as of the writing of this post, it is still fairly recent).

What is allowed some hesitation is the idea that the 1*6 will follow the level of its predecessor. In some cases they match their level; in others, they simply fail to live up to the hype. 176 and 186, in some cases, are considered to not meet the success their respective predecessors attained. Upon hearing the samples for 196, I was ready to dismiss it as “1*6” syndrome.

However, upon receiving it, I’m ready to propose that 196 is NOT a letdown compared to 195. Granted, it is not as strong of a success, but it is certainly not too far a drop. Let’s observe.

I’m skipping the nonstop mix for the sake of focus on the original pieces.

ONE DAY (By Kate Rush) (DIMA)

Unusually pop-rock, casual feel. It’s a nice, positive vibe instead of the usual melancholy sound we’ve usually heard out of Dima these days. I’d actually pay to see this in a rock form, if Kate isn’t pitched Dave (heck, even if it were, to see this song done live in rock form would STILL be worthwhile).

GRADE: B+

MONKEY DANCE (By Y&Co ft. Domino) (Y&Co. LTD)

Synth riff sound is the same one we’ve grown to love from Y&Co. The song seems like a “celebration” of the original. Though, I’d have preferred to see something like Poodle 2009 or Speedy Cat 2009. RUVRY RIKE A FAYA~

GRADE: B+

MAMMA MIA (By Veronica) (EUROGROOVES)

Underwhelming. Riff was weak, as was the soundworld and chorus. Just shy of being solid, it came across as Bland. Sorry Eurogrooves, didn’t top Hurricane Man.

GRADE: D+

LOVE IN THE ELEVATOR (By Dave Rodgers) (ABEATC)

ABeatC has done their homework! A nice fusion of Dance Dave and Rock Dave, we get another solid entry from one of the big names in the scene. While not as amazing as it could have been, it’s certainly solid with just enough flash and polish to really be an enjoyable track.

GRADE: A-

BYE BYE TOKYO (By Delta Queens) (DELTA)

GOOD GRIEF this song is fast. I like the intro, it’s rather fun. The synth riff sound choice is iffy but ultimately won’t distract me from further listens. I’ve one particularly strong complaint: Start singing the lyrics to Joe Banana’s “Boom Boom Sexy Lady” over this song. It’s an almost identical match. (For added fun points, check out “Spiderman” by Mark Foster and “Go Rocky Joe” by Maximum Power. Newfield seems to love ‘dem tributes.)

GRADE: B

BRIGHT TIME (By Jay Lehr) (SCP)

I like how smooth this song is, right off the bat. The lack of speed is definitely appropriate for this song, even if we didn’t exactly expect speed from Jay Lehr. I’d be comfortable playing this out my windows downtown; people probably wouldn’t know the difference between this and most other pop songs, barring for the synths. It’s nice to see Lehr breaking out of his “innocent” shell, too— he’s entering more seductive territory, a move I certainly don’t mind hearing from this alias.

GRADE: A-

HANAMI (By April) (SCP)

Spacey. I almost expected it to be ABeatC for a second. It almost sounds like a mesh between Hatsune Miku and Fright Ranger. It’s a little monotone until the Chorus. The riff is a little sparse… not my favorite, but it’s just solid enough to warrant a C+. It’d be cool if this were a Diskowarp SCP collab, wouldn’t it?

GRADE: C+

GIVE ME SUNSHINE (By Futura) (ABEATC)

The intro has a strange magic to it, I like the intro. The jump to the synth riff caught me off guard. The riff isn’t quite a strong one, but my attention is definitely there. The singing strikes me as meek/timid, but it fits the style (and I’ll be darned if it isn’t a little adorable~). Is that a little Jazz I hear influencing the song? This… is a very unique composition style. In the preview I couldn’t hear much of a soundworld, but I definitely hear one now. It’s easily the first surprise of the album.

GRADE: B++ (not A-), with the additional + for being something unique~

STARGATE (By Starkly Ice) (HI-NRG ATTACK)

Not fond of the very beginning. Intro is very HRG, nothing is new here. BUT WHAT IS UP WITH THE SYNTH RIFF? It’s so un-HRG! It’s so un-fast! …and I like that! Starkly Ice presents a pitch from left-field that caught me just as off-guard as Give Me Sunshine. Rick’s voice is still just a drop less accurate than his “Midnight Lady” days, but that’s forgivable. The riff is actually still enjoyable. There’s this unusual old-school element to it, and I’m rather fond of some of HRG’s earlier presentations. My props to Hi-NRG Attack for a unique entry!

GRADE: A-

UPSIDE DOWN (By Queen 26) (DELTA)

I like the sense of humor in the intro, Delta continues the HRG homages again here. The riff is very old-school, almost beckoning to the Sinclaire days. After the dark, intricate tapestry of Dark Secret Love, a song like Upside Down is a nice change of style. The writing/composition is very nicely done. Delta’s usual strong bass is here, though it overpowers much of the soundworld. The piano harkens to SAIFAM to me, for some reason. It’s solid and enjoyable, though it didn’t leave too strong an impression on me. It’s a drop more solid than Bye Bye Tokyo and doesn’t sound like any other-label Eurobeat that I know about.

GRADE: B+

PIRATES (By Rich Hard) (ABEATC)

ARRRR! The intro be promisin’, which be a good thing fer my doubloons. The riff is excellent, almost taking a page from Hans Zimmer’s scores for Pirates of the Caribbean. The voice is a nice mesh of Dave and Manuel, but with a definite unique flair of his own. The chorus could’ve been stronger (for instance, background singers could’ve been more pronounced), but the new vocalist is VERY good. The piano and synth solos are VERY nice and actually fit pretty darn well. ‘Pirates’ is a VERY solid entry that shows that Dave & Luigi have been doing their homework on what works and what doesn’t. It’s still a little iffy in spots, but ABeatC has made a nice transfer to the 2009 style of Eurobeat. I hope we see more Rich Hard. (Did ABeatC use the name generator on Eurobeat Prime?)

GRADE: A-

KING & QUEEN <CLASSIC MIX> (By Tora) (SINCLAIRESTYLE)

I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never heard the original in full, so I guess I’ll be the “non-expectations” viewpoint. The intro is pretty crazy; it’s a nice way to hype up the listener. While opening with a sound effect is nothing new from Sinclaire, it’s well done here. The synth riff is definitely presented as a tribute to the original, as much as I can gauge. Chorus is nicely rounded out. I must say, Sinclaire has really impressed me the last few entries. I used to be very critical of his soundworlds and sound choices, but this is definitely something to make the original proud. Sinclaire has taken a classic and adjusted it masterfully for 2009.

GRADE: A

SHOT SHOT SHOT (By Giorgia V) (GO GOS MUSIC)

The infamous Youtube-advertised song, how does it stack up? The intro seems to promise a better synth riff sound than GGM has been using lately, will they finally use a different sound than that “hit-brass” they seem to use so much? Survey says… yes-ish. It’s definitely a bit more like my old favorite at ABeatC. The soundworld and mixing are much stronger than Race Queen, which is good. The chorus is a little bit stereotypical for GGM, but it doesn’t detract from the song much. The synth riff is well-done for a usually predictable GGM. One critique is… we all already know that Giorgia V is a cosplayer… can they stop capitalizing on that? (I’m still awaiting the day she decides to cosplay as Kasumi Tendo— was that out loud?)

GRADE: B

Ultimately, SEB 196 is not the album that SEB 195 was, but it’s certainly high up in the standings as far as SEB 19*s go.

ALBUM GRADE: B+. Certainly one of the better entries of the 19*s. Not as strong as it had the potential to be, but a large percent of the entries were strong, for my money.

Seeing as I’m a very big fan of supporting Eurobeat the old-fashioned way (that is, tangible purchases), and that the means of downloading these tracks from mu-mo.net and other services are currently disallowed from foreign IPs, I’ll provide a link to CDJapan’s entry for this album, so you can pick this one up for yourself. CDJapan has been pretty good to me for the last 3 SEBs I purchased tangibly, and I’m sure they’ll be just as good to you.

Click Here to buy SEB 196 from CDJapan