VA - Dream House - Aquatic (1999) is a compilation album released in 1999 featuring various artists in the dream house genre, a substyle of house music known for its melodic and atmospheric soundscapes. The album, released under the Aquatic label, includes smooth, uplifting tracks designed to create a relaxing yet danceable vibe. Combining deep basslines, soft synths, and steady beats, the compilation captures the essence of late 1990s electronic dance music culture. It appeals to fans of trance and progressive house, offering a soothing yet energetic listening experience that reflects the dreamy, immersive qualities of the genre.

VA - Hip House - Xeon (2000) is a music compilation album from the year 2000, featuring various artists in the hip house genre—a fusion of hip hop and house music. Released under the Xeon label, this album blends energetic house beats with rap vocals, capturing the dancefloor vibe of the late '90s and early 2000s. It showcases a mix of upbeat tracks that combine rhythmic grooves with catchy lyrics, appealing to fans of both hip hop and electronic dance music. The compilation reflects the era’s urban club culture, making it a notable release for collectors and enthusiasts of early hip house music.

*A Colt 45 Christmas* (2006) by Afroman is a humorous and irreverent holiday-themed rap album that blends Christmas motifs with the rapper’s signature style of laid-back beats and comedic, often explicit lyrics. Known for his hit “Because I Got High,” Afroman delivers parody tracks that rework traditional Christmas themes with a satirical, adult twist. Songs like “12 J’s of Christmas” and “Deck My Balls” feature playful wordplay, cannabis references, and crude humor. This album is intended for fans of novelty rap and not suitable for all audiences. It’s a tongue-in-cheek, unconventional take on holiday music with Afroman’s unmistakable flair.

Double-CD set of 47 tracks that Hardin recorded for Verve between 1964 and 1966. His expressive, blues-inflected vocals and confessional songwriting are heard on covers and famous compositions like "If I Were a Carpenter," "Lady Came From Baltimore," and "Reason to Believe." The compilation includes every studio recording that Hardin released on the Verve label, as well as two alternate takes and 15 previously unreleased tracks.

Goa Trance – Meltdown (2000) is a various artists compilation featuring high-energy tracks from the psychedelic trance scene, particularly the Goa trance subgenre. Released at the peak of global interest in psytrance, the album delivers fast BPMs, hypnotic rhythms, layered synths, and mind-bending soundscapes designed for immersive dancefloor experiences. It showcases artists who fuse Eastern melodies, spacey effects, and tribal beats typical of Goa trance’s spiritual and futuristic vibe. *Meltdown* captures the essence of late '90s and early 2000s trance culture, making it a solid listen for fans of underground electronic music and psychedelic festival sounds.

Para Todos (1994) by Poncho Sanchez is a vibrant and heartfelt Latin jazz album that showcases his deep roots in Afro-Cuban music, salsa, and jazz. The title, meaning "For Everyone," reflects the album’s inclusive spirit and broad musical appeal. With energetic conga rhythms, dynamic horn arrangements, and a mix of original compositions and classic covers, Sanchez leads his band through a lively and soulful set. The album blends danceable grooves with jazz improvisation, featuring elements of mambo, cha-cha, and bolero. *Para Todos* captures Sanchez’s joyful approach to music and stands as a strong entry in his celebrated discography.

Fifty years after "Whiter Shade of Pale" introduced the concept of progressive rock, Procol Harum roll on, even with singer and pianist Gary Brooker as the only remaining original member. Novum is their first new studio album in 14 years. Their last, 2003's The Well's on Fire, marked the end of the decades-long writing partnership between Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid. Organist Matthew Fisher and drummer Mark Brzezicki left shortly thereafter. Brooker still had guitarist Geoff Whitehorn and bassist Matt Pegg. They recruited organist Josh Phillips and drummer Greg Dunn. This version has been together for a decade.
Novum is a worthy 50th anniversary offering (though it's not, as Brooker claims, Procol's finest). This is the sound of a working band, not a tired reunion project…

After 20 years, Bleed from Within have reached their Zenith. The Glasgow firebrands are one of the hardest working acts in metal: playing shows globally with everyone from Megadeth to Slipknot, all while writing and regularly releasing monstrous, exhilarating songs. The upward journey reaches new heights on their seventh album, which contains the band's heaviest, catchiest and most intrepid music to date.

If Rhino's Very Best of the Drifters is a fine R&B snack, then All-Time Greatest Hits & More: 1959-1965 is a three-course gourmet meal with dessert built on the same ingredients. Forget about the higher price and the fact that 40 songs might seem to be more Drifters than most casual listeners would want – All-Time Greatest Hits & More: 1959-1965 is a towering and magnificent collection of some of the best popular R&B ever done this side of Sam Cooke. And, as with Sam Cooke, the beautiful part of the Drifters' work during this period is that any look beyond and behind their hits reveals a lot more songs that were every bit as good as those hits. There's not even a slightly weak track anywhere on All-Time Greatest Hits & More, which contains the biggest hits Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis, and Johnny Moore sang for the group. "There Goes My Baby," "This Magic Moment," "Save the Last Dance for Me," "Sweets for My Sweet," "I Count the Tears," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Up on the Roof," "On Broadway," and "Under the Boardwalk" are all here, mastered in surprisingly good sound for the late '80s.

Tasmin Little has decided to showcase works by Ottorino Respighi and Richard Strauss in her latest recital album for Chandos. She is joined by the well-respected Australian pianist Piers Lane.

Welcome to a journey back to the future! Herman Rarebell & Friends take you back to the eighties and together we return to our time with the greatest music of this powerful decade. Herman has chosen twelve songs to re-record with good friends and great musicians. As a tribute to the greatest hits of a time that was a golden age for him personally. Former Black Sabbath bassist Bob Daisley can be heard on this album; Dan Huff, who can be heard as a studio musician on some of the greatest albums in pop history, is there, as well as Howard Leese from the legendary US rockers Heart and singer Michael Voss (Casanova, Mad Max, Michael Schenker, among others).

Hymn is the twelfth studio album by English soprano Sarah Brightman and first since 2013's Dreamchaser. The five-year gap between both studio albums marks Brightman's longest break between studio releases. This album marks Brightman's ninth studio collaboration with producer Frank Peterson. The album was released on 9 November 2018, entering at No. 1 on both the Billboard Classical Crossover Albums and overall Classical Albums, making Brightman the female artist with the most No. 1s in both charts.

The Refectory Hall at Leeds University is, judging by the wealth of talented band who have played there, an important venue in northern England. Pink Floyd played there three times. The first time was on November 8th, 1969 and doesn’t have a tape source. The February 28th, 1970 show, which is featured on Dying Of Boredom, is complete and the final appearance in Leeds, which was on January 23rd, 1971, has a fragmentary tape with “A Saucerful Of Secrets” and the blues encore. A previous commercial release of this tape can be found on Leeds 1970 (Ayanami-243) but Sigma is the first silver release of this tape. It is very good and clear but a bit “flat” and lacking in dynamics. It contains all of the music played the taper paused between songs cutting off many of the song introductions. Despite these limitations it is still a very nice document from the first couple months of the new decade.

Supergrass celebrate their acclaimed 2020 reunion tour – and 25th anniversary – with Live On Other Planets, a new live album.The 20-track collection features recordings drawn from this year’s tour and has been mixed by longtime collaborator John Cornfield, who worked on the first three studio albums.Frontman Gaz Coombes had this to say about the tour and the live album:The tour we did right before lockdown was amazing, we thought it’d be great to capture those gigs on record and to say thank you to the fans who were there. All proceeds from the sale of this record will go towards helping and highlighting the struggle consistently being faced by grassroots music venues. We’d like to give a little back to the live music scene that has given us so much over the years.

Siouxsie & The Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that notched 18 Top 40 hits in the U.K. as well as a left-field Top 40 hit in the U.S. Throughout its numerous lineup changes and textural shifts, the group remained under the leadership of vocalist Siouxsie Sioux, born Susan Janet Ballion on May 27, 1957. She and the Banshees' initial lineup emerged from the Bromley Contingent, a notorious group of rabid Sex Pistols fans; inspired by the growing punk movement, Dallion adopted the name Siouxsie and formed the Banshees in September 1976. In addition to bassist Steven Severin and guitarist Marco Pirroni, the band included drummer John Simon Ritchie, who assumed the name Sid Vicious; they debuted later that year at the legendary Punk Festival held at London's 100 Club, where their entire set consisted of a savage, 20-minute rendition of "The Lord's Prayer." Soon after, Vicious joined the Sex Pistols, while Pirroni went on to join Adam and the Ants.