Ayumi Hamasaki
» Cyber TRANCE presents ayu trance COMPLETE EDITION
Reviewed by Pete M
/ Submitted 05-02-26 15:28
Label: AVEX
Format: Digital
Genre: Trance
When you think of big artists, you'll instantly go to the likes of Beyonce, Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey. One artist you probably won't name is Ayumi Hamasaki. Stick with me on this cos I am going somewhere. Ayumi Hamasaki is Japan's Queen of Pop; Japan's Whitney if you will. Over the years, she's had countless albums, singles, remix albums and maxis selling by the bucketload in Japan but in Europe, we've not really "got" her.
That all changed in 2001 when her label, AVEX, opened the Ayu Trance branch. The premise was to take some of her biggest tracks and put them to some of Europe's finest trance producers. Back then, the albums were edited compilations i.e. the tracks were radio edits as opposed to full length versions. Now granted, AT2 did include SOME full versions but not many.
Fast forward to 2021. 20 years. High time for an anniversary. So AVEX re-released both AT1 and AT2; orange and blue, in COMPLETE EDITION versions. With the Orange one, AT1, which is what I'm reviewing now, you got full length remixes of Trauma, M, UNITE!, AUDIENCE, Fly high and more. And not just the main mixes but the dubs AND the edits.
Being a trance lover, I'd always heard these mixes in various forms but to have them here, in full, is an absolute dream. Included is the full spectrum of European-based remixes. Here, you will find Above & Beyond's Typhoon Dub of M, Darren Tate's luscious rendition of Audience and the Moogwai mixes of Unite! as well as Airwave's Unite!, Voodoo & Serano's Fly high and even The JamX & De Leon mixes of Trauma, the pinnacle of German-Teutonic hard trance. Wioth 48 mixes, this is WAY more expanded than the first release in 2001 and offers more bang for your buck and yes, its pop, unashamedly pop, but damn it, if you're a trance aficionado, this is pure history and nostalgia. From Moogwai's monochrome swagger on "UNITE!" to DuMonde's mechanised assault on "Trauma", this is almost an A to Z of mixes. Ayu-style.
Ayu Trance 2, the blue one, which was released in the same year at the same time, gathered 30 mixes; again, edits, mains and dubs. That's for another time. If you do not have the Orange one yet, give it a stream or two. You'll find something rare. Love those Trauma mixes!
What's amazing about this collection, and the Blue collection, is that none of the mixes were ever included on the singles; CD or vinyl. In Europe, it was different. We did get vinyl remixes but that's it. Now of course, the Ayu m-i-x series had remixes from Alex M.O.R.P.H., Dance Nation, Aly & Fila and more but again, those were edits. Edits aren't really suited for Ayu. You need the real deal.
NB: This was purchased on iTunes.
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