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用户Wiki:Demobanker/sandbox4

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I want to learn more about the old Touhou hardcore/hard dance scene (up to releases from 2013, since that's the general sentiment of when the golden age of Touhou music ended), and what better way to do that than making a listening diary while I fill out the wiki? I'll try to write something for each album listened, but I will most likely skip commenting ones in genres I don't like (anything trance-y, makina, schranz, etc.) Revisits and albums that are basically v/a compilations will be tagged as such.

Shoutouts to Kogasa54 and its predecessor Kogasa45 for bringing Touhou hardcore to the Youtube masses with stretched thumbnails.

曲目信息
Volatile Vacuity
Volatile Vacuity (2009-02-15)
社团:OG-G Music Works
Jan 1, 2024

various genres

Average hardcore variety pack. My favorite of the bunch are Nocturne~Eastern Nightmare and 上海大麻館~Toxic tea (Whiy Is M.H. Dead).
曲目信息
WEIRD ADORABLE WAVE
WEIRD ADORABLE WAVE (2009-10-11)
社团:OG-G Music Works
Jan 1, 2024

various genres

Even more varied than Volatile Vacuity and I like it more, though I don't have any particular standout tracks.
曲目信息
X-RateD -Back 2 Back 90's-
X-RateD -Back 2 Back 90's- (2010-03-14)
社团:OG-G Music Works
Jan 2, 2024

various genres, with a specific 90s theme

Makes me want to listen to more 90s hardcore, if only because this just doesn't feel like 90s to me. This is, however, more varied than the 90s rave revival I hear nowadays.

Be of good cheer M.F.!! is a clear favorite. Always like when a speedcore track throws in slow groovy parts for contrast.
曲目信息
東方酒乱集・弐
東方酒乱集・弐 (2011-12-30)
社团:HEKATONCHEIR BEATS
Jan 2, 2024

schranz V/A comp

Kept my interest for a while which is pretty cool. My favorite track on this is yujurie's OWEN OWEN OWEN, which layers futuristic space music on top of the genre's typical construction site sound.
曲目信息
Pathetic Girls
Pathetic Girls (2010-10-31)
社团:Bitter Quartz, mono music
Jan 3, 2024

makina

yeah I'll skip commenting on this one. didn't make me like the genre any more. Pretty nice of them to include breaks on Makina Spark.
曲目信息
MENTALISTS
MENTALISTS (2010-05-05)
社团:Bitter Quartz
Jan 4, 2024

mostly makina, + a few gabber & hardstyle tracks. First 4 and the last track is Touhou, the other 3 are original.

The MIDI choir vocals Complexed C (Volvic Remix) is super neat. Good standout among the makina stuff.
曲目信息
GENSOU HARDSOUND#007
GENSOU HARDSOUND#007 (2011-12-30)
社团:KINZOK ON
Jan 4, 2024 (revisit)

nu style gabber (mostly)

hell yeah that's what I'm talking about. full of fist-pumping tunes

As I commented on the circle's page, moro's original music is much, much more unique than his Touhou arrangements. There are hints of later moro present like a short flute part on It is I and an industrial rap-rock part on Sickness, but they don't exactly blow my mind.

...ahhhh who am I kidding, that part on Sickness gets me every time. The closest thing this scene has ever come to sounding like Death Grips.
曲目信息
東方ブレイクコア
東方ブレイクコア (2009-08-15)
社团:east breaks in thousand
Jan 5, 2024 (revisit)

breakcore, also dubstep on the first half of the last track

Out of all the breakcore releases that apply to this list, I chose this one first because it's the only one I didn't like and I wanted to see if I warmed up to it over the years. It's still very lackluster. The breaks sound impressive at first but a lot of it is basic amen break loops with a few snare rolls. There aren't any emphasis on technical drum programming or cool rhythm tricks other than that one part on 竹取飛翔 ~ Lunatic Princess -ab remix- where there are kicks that plays in time with the melody. Basic amen loops has been the default approach to breakcore since the 00s, and while I can enjoy it as a default, it's not something I like by itself.

The good thing about this genre, though, is if your chopping sucks, you can always make up for it with sampling, genre fusions or a gimmick! So let's see what happens if you take away the breaks! It's faithful MIDI instrument arrangements. Which isn't even all that good by Touhou arrangement standards. The Lunatic Princess arrangement has a tabla which sounds interesting until you realize that tabla playing can have very complex grooves and this just doesn't do anything with the instrument.

The dubstep part sucks too. The piano is super loud and the reverb makes it covers the bass, which misses the point of the genre.


I've been dunking on this EP but I do want to recommend the circle's later music. In particular, ebi1000's arrangement of Chrono Trigger's Corridor of Time from Ancient Breaks LP is excellent and has interesting breaks going on.
曲目信息
久遠の記憶
久遠の記憶 (2007-04-22)
社团:sun3 FielD
Jan 5, 2024 (revisit)

trancecore, happy hardcore, + other genres

sun3's music was ripe for charts back in the early Stepmania days but my undisputed classic is still the beautiful artcore dnb track 彼岸帰航-idling mix-. The others are better than I remembered.
曲目信息
Ghost Region
Ghost Region (2011-12-30)
社团:ALiCE'S EMOTiON
Jan 5, 2024

various EDM, trance and hardcore genres

Wanted to try an album from this circle I haven't listened to before, and ended up with one that was slightly more non-hardcore than hardcore (6 non-hc vs 5 hc tracks).1 It was worth it, however, because I got to hear Saint Force, Redalice's hardcore take on Jersey club.

The vocal tracks do nice turns with the original melodies without losing catchiness, which shows how much the arrangers have grown as songwriters. The t+pazolite track is colorful and fun (in spite of the Eurobeat parts), as expected. Believe It and Imagery also stand out as two house tracks that radiates warmth, one through 2010s electro house and the other through heavy guitars.
曲目信息
Re:+
Re:+ (2008-11-02)
社团:BubbleRecords
Jan 15, 2024

trance, house, hardcore/hard dance

Another one that's slightly more hardcore/hdm than not (3 vs 4) but I'll keep it here anyways.

Hell for Frandle and Goblin Girl are both good gabber tracks, the latter with a 00s J-core & trance twist. Kero-chang Core is makina. I like it more than the other makina stuff from this list.

Beyond that, my favorite is ICE Lover, a house track that shows Cirno's whimsical and delicate side with its distinct instrument choices.
曲目信息
Re:-
Re:- (2009-03-08)
社团:BubbleRecords
Jan 15, 2024

hard dance, trance

This one has 4/7 hard dance tracks!!!

Bloodstained Dance Party is fast paced and eclectic. While it's not super unique as far as J-core goes, it's still the type of music that's unique enough to make me interested in the genre in the first place. Moon Rise Again is also solid speedy happy trancecore. The rest is okay, Nuclear Warhead and Welcome to Ghost town are both midtempo slumpers and listening to them made me feel the circle's long track lengths more than the other albums I listened to.
曲目信息
Sacredess Fantasy Ship
Sacredess Fantasy Ship (2010-08-14)
社团:音召缶
Jan 15, 2024

pop, trance, trancecore, happy hardcore, also maybe hyper techno on some parts

You might think I have nothing to say about this but you'd be wrong. This jumpscared me with the Nonary Game intro. It also features Wooming from Kissing The Mirror and TAM from TAMUSIC on a song but honestly the Zero Escape jumpscare is more noteworthy to me.
曲目信息
Unlimited Spark!
Unlimited Spark! (2006-05-21)
社团:C.H.S
Jan 15, 2024 (revisit)

hardcore variety pack, a lot of happy hardcore though

As much as I love t+pazolite, my long-held opinion is that he only developed his unique takes on hardcore techno from RESetup; onwards. But nah, even his first album had those playful instruments and wild samples! 完全で瀟洒な従者のための郷想曲のはずだったのに is some of the most unique breakcore you can find from 2006 (even more than most the stuff displayed on 蟲と東方と毒殺ミルク), and the guitar on Remillia2080 goes super hard. This album also has some Stepmania classics, namely the long trancecore track World End's Yama Xanadu and speedcore track NECROPOTENCE.
曲目信息
STORM BRINGER(Prismatica Material Records)
STORM BRINGER(Prismatica Material Records) (2008-08-16)
社团:Prismatica Material Records
Jan 30, 2024 (created page)

trancecore & makina. V/A comp but somewhat of an edge case because the circle lead does half the arrangements

just realized I've been writing down 2023 and not 2024 all this time haha

I like Myon Beyond!! and Goblet of Flowers (makina remix) but it's probably the Beatmania references that are doing a lot of the work. catastrophe is a clear departure from the rest of the album. It has a stripped down and subtle sound palette, but at the same time it feels percussive and bassy. The bells that comes on in the middle makes for a beautiful contrast.

More Stepmania talk: the release page says it features popular Stepmania composer D.J.Iristear, which most people reading this probably have no idea who they are. Well the circle was formed as a staff team for the "DDR party nite MIX" series of Stepmania packs, and Iristear appears on a few of these packs.
曲目信息
BOUNDARY -MIX UP "Project Shrine Maiden"-
BOUNDARY -MIX UP "Project Shrine Maiden"- (2008-10-13)
社团:Prismatica Material Records
Jan 31, 2024 (created page)


trancecore & makina DJ mix
曲目信息
STORM BRINGER e.p.
STORM BRINGER e.p. (2008-06-29)
社团:Prismatica Material Records
Jan 31, 2024

trancecore & makina

preview for STORM BRINGER album
曲目信息
TOUHOU REMEMBER
TOUHOU REMEMBER (2014-05-11)
社团:淡麗
Feb 2, 2024

trancecore (created page)

Crunchy mastering. The first two tracks and the Baldr Sky arrangement goes on too long for the originals' short length (but Far East does have sections that space things out). Overall okay, and I appreciate that it includes a megamix at the end.
曲目信息
東方女犯坊
東方女犯坊 (2008-12-29)
社团:DJ Schwarzenegger
Feb 2, 2024

trancecore + speedcore on the last track (revisit, created page)

I got distracted while making the album page and never finished it for 7 years. Which I regret because this is way better than the other Touhou release from this label. Fun psy basslines.
曲目信息
東方紅想歌
東方紅想歌 (2006-02-12)
社团:Cis-Trance
Feb 2, 2024

makina, hardcore

I like the hardcore tracks, esp the kagome kagome sample on 萌え萌え東方ハードコア!!.
曲目信息
月喰淵夜 -ツクバミエンヤ-
月喰淵夜 -ツクバミエンヤ- (2007-10-08)
社团:Angelic Quasar
Feb 2, 2024

mostly trancecore + some hardcore

Does some interesting things with the trancecore formula. Amane turns the original melodies super sugary on Sugar Sweet Strawberry and whirl in the wind, and the latter song even has tribal drumming. A few tracks have more distorted hardcore percussions that you don't get from this genre, but they more or less exist on top of a trancecore base. In Imperishable Screaming Schranz's case, it ends up feeling even more abrasive and mechanical than regular schranz. The big standout is 詠懐に謳う寂寥の念 (Original Version) which is lush tribal house.
曲目信息
Catcher to TreasureShip
Catcher to TreasureShip (2009-06-07)
社团:KINZOK ON
Feb 2, 2024

mostly gabber

So yeah I never tried listening to their Touhou discography from before the Gensou Hardsound series. In my defense I thought they would suck because it's their early work.

The first track is some weird collage-idm-gabber blend that reminds me of moro's later experimental tracks. Sadly the following two tracks are boring as I feared. The last one does pick up a bit with unusual percussions at the start and the end, but drags in the middle.
曲目信息
Bug core
Bug core (2009-08-15)
社团:KINZOK ON
Feb 2, 2024

psychedelic hardcore - half nu style gabber, half grab bag of hardcore/hard dance genres


As with Unlimited Spark, once again I've underestimated the early discography of an artist I like.

The tempo shift on the first track is already a good indication of weirdness, and later tracks deliver on that with a mix of organic sounds and hi-tech effects. The march of fly isn't breakcore but glitchy IDM. Noctiluca's escape is good start at making pretty-sounding atmospheric speedcore - and since moro never picked back up this sound again, I'm gonna shill Neurocore's The Magellan Chronicles and Speedcore Front ost Berlin's Speedcore Symphonia for examples of this niche at its best.
曲目信息
Qino Core
Qino Core (2009-10-11)
社团:KINZOK ON
Feb 3, 2024

gabber + grab bag of hardcore/hard dance styles

There are still psychedelic parts on the album but it's nowhere near as varied as the psych on on Bug Core. It also doesn't help that the midsection (tr. 5-7) drags. The rainy background intro yamabushi RAIN is good, then the beats come in and it's weak techno with played at a plodding midtempo speed. Personal highlight is tukiyo LUMINESCENCE which goes all in on the glitchy psychedelia.

Honestly just listen to Bug Core instead. It's more consistent and doesn't have boring filler tracks.



The circle index:

A way to keep track of the circles I listened to, and hopefully give a better introduction than the Other Touhou Wiki's bare minimum.

Circle headed by Amane (aka 天音); does a lot of different EDM genres.
Circle headed by REDALiCE, who later brought on Ayumi Nomiya as vocalist and t+pazolite as another arranger. Started off with a focus on happy hardcore, and later expanded to general EDM and pop production. Before turning to Touhou arrangements in 2008, the circle made arrangement albums on games and anime including the Mother series, Final Fantasy series, Rhythm Heaven, Suguri, Umineko and My-HiME.
Circle headed by Amethys; mostly does makina from the releases I heard. Amethys is also the founder of the netlabel Pallusination Records, which according to a quick Discogs check does hardcore and trance.
Circle headed by Pastry (aka ぺた); more of a house & trance producer than a hard dance or hardcore producer, but does enough that I'm putting them on this list.
Circle headed by Technetium; specializes in makina. The circle was formerly called Chemical Sound and arranged music from Key's visual novels.
Circle headed by ebi1000; specializes in breakcore. They mostly arrange music from RPGs.
Circle headed by siromaru; specializes in schranz. Can be considered a successor to Lolita Comp Records as 東方酒乱集・弐 is meant to be the third in a series of V/A schranz compilations.
Circle headed by moro; specializes in gabber. A huge favorite of Kogasa54.
Circle headed by Volvic; specializes in makina. Only appearance on the wiki is a split album with Bitter Quartz, and they also contribute to Pallusination Records.
Circle headed by vorbis; dabbles in multiple genres. Vorbis is also the founder of HARDCORE OMORO, a collaborative doujin circle/label that focuses on hardcore and trance. Members include o.k.o.G4 (TRiANCE CODE), moro (KINZOK ON), nam5 (FOX RAVEL), nekutsu (WhiTECHNO), Yuuna Kamishiro (Sound∞Infinity / Primrose Records) and DJ Nanasaki (Primrose Records).
Circle headed by Asuka Sakurai (aka Ered Nust); specializes in makina, trance and uk hardcore. Going by the circle's website, it started through the "DDR party nite MIX" series of Stepmania packs and was the series' staff team of sorts. Their Touhou releases is only a small part of the circle and you can look them up on Discogs to see the rest.
Circle headed by sun3; specializes in trancecore, happy hardcore and trance. sun3 also makes lots of Touhou BMS files.
Circle headed by C3000; specializes in trancecore but they also do other hardcore genres from what I heard in their original album 淡麗ハードコア (which was on TLMC, wtf?).

write later: 音召缶, C.H.S


Label index

Sub-label of Japanese hardcore label MOB SQUAD TOKYO, run by M-Project and m1dy (and formerly DJ Schwarzenegger).

  1. I also checked out a BubbleRecords album since they were on my list of circles to check out, but that turned out to be house.