Putumayo Discovery’s upcoming album, Lotus Lounge (Friday, May 15th), blends global acoustic traditions, cross-cultural fusions, and subtle electronic textures into a beautifully entrancing soundtrack for the spa, sauna, or simply switching off. In recent years, the appetite for music that transports, soothes, and connects has grown alongside a broader embrace of wellness culture worldwide, and this collection speaks directly to that moment.

The iconic Saharan rock band’s sixth album, Assikel, is by turns intimate, raw and deeply atmospheric. Recorded on analogue tape, with the band playing live and direct, the album fully captures their instinctive interplay and hypnotic presence. Songs of resistance, community and longing. Music for this moment. Featuring: Ibrahim Ag Alhabib (Tinariwen)

Paul Haslinger is an Austrian-born composer and music producer based out of Los Angeles, California. In 1985, Haslinger joined the German electronic group Tangerine Dream. During his 5 years with the group, he recorded a total of 15 albums, participated in 4 international tours, and collaborated on a number of soundtracks including Miracle Mile, Near Dark, Shy People and Miramar’s Canyon Dreams directed by Jan Nickman. The soundtrack for Canyon Dreams earned Haslinger his first Grammy nomination in 1991. In 1991, Haslinger left Tangerine Dream and relocated to Los Angeles. In 1994 Haslinger released his first solo record, "Future Primitive"…

Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) revolutionized traditional tango by creating Tango Nuevo, a genre that fused traditional Argentine sounds with elements of jazz, classical music, and even rock. His compositions shifted tango from the dance halls to the concert stage, emphasizing intricate harmonies and intense emotion. While the album is a 2026 compilation, it consists of original recordings where Piazzolla plays his signature instrument, the bandoneón. These tracks are digitally remastered to take advantage of Qobuz's Hi-Res audio formats. The distinct, breathy, and percussive sound of the lead instrument is Piazzolla himself. Most of these recordings feature his famous Quinteto Tango Nuevo, including legendary collaborators like Fernando Suárez Paz (violin) and Pablo Ziegler (piano).

Robbie Basho was one of the big three American acoustic guitar innovators, John Fahey and Leo Kottke being the other two. Basho was the least commercially successful of the three, but his influence and reputation has steadily grown since his untimely death in 1986 at the age of 45. And with good reason; for Basho's deeply spiritual approach, intellectual rigor, and formal explorations (among his goals was the creation of a raga system for American music), present a deeply compelling, multi-faceted artist. Basho was actually a college friend of John Fahey, and his early recordings (like Kottke's) were for Fahey's Takoma label. Following Fahey 's move to Vanguard, Basho followed suit, and released Voice of the Eagle and Zarthus for the label in 1972 and 1974, respectively (his most commercially successful records were made for the Windham Hill label later in the decade).

World is the 1995 album by D-Ream, a UK dance-pop and house project known for blending uplifting club rhythms with accessible pop songwriting. The album continues the group’s signature style established in the early 90s, combining energetic piano-driven house production with melodic vocal hooks and optimistic lyrical themes. Tracks like “Shoot Me With Your Love” and “The Power (Of All The Love In The World)” reflect the era’s crossover appeal between club culture and mainstream pop charts. Throughout the album, polished production and emotionally direct songwriting create a consistent feel-good atmosphere, while maintaining strong dancefloor orientation. Overall, World represents mid-90s UK dance music at its most commercial and melodic, bridging house music with pop accessibility.

With over 90 albums to his credit, the task for those who wish to investigate the recordings of India's master musician Ravi Shankar can be a daunting one. Therefore, the Legacy/BMG Essential Ravi Shankar fills a welcome place in his catalog and serves as a starting point for the novitiate. There are 20 cuts on these two discs that range over most of the sitarist and composer's shelf, from his early Angel recordings where he played mostly Indian classical music, to his later recordings for Private Music, to his lone Columbia album, The Sounds of India, in 1968. Along the way, Shakar is featured in many settings, from solo to performances with large ensembles of traditional Indian musicians, to his collaborations with violinist Yehudi Menuhin from the gorgeous West Meets East recording, to his recording with George Harrison, to his work with Philip Glass and numerous other musicians on Passages. Through it all, Shankar is consistently in the classical framework, whether he is improvising on ragas or performing other compositions. The sound here has been completely remastered and the liner essay by Hank Bordowitz is both informative and compelling factually. This is the real intro to Shankar that has been needed for such a long time on CD.

In the liner notes to these carefully packaged reissues, all four of the Incredible String Band principals– co-founder Clive Palmer, core duo Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, and Elektra records executive Joe Boyd– offer their insights in separate essays. Three of them mention the smell of patchouli. Such were the times, certainly, but the ISB are loved equally by avant-garde musicians, psychedelia enthusiasts, and those slightly dweeby young gentlemen who hang around music shops on college campuses. The reissue of their first four albums probably put to rest any notion that the ISB were a properly great band, releasing just one true classic, but they were rarely anything less than brave, inspired, and profoundly weird.

Pangea is the second project from Dan Lacksman, the man behind the new age studio dance troupe, Deep Forest. Like Deep Forest, Pangea attempts to fuse danceable polyrhythms with worldbeat textures and synthesizers. On the whole, Pangea has a stronger world music influence than Deep Forest, which means it isn't quite as accessible. Nevertheless, Lacksman's knack is for making foreign musics palatable to Western tastes and, at its best, Pangea fulfills that promise quite effectively.

Ranjha is the new album and collaboration between award-winning composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, celebrated composer/musician Shye Ben Tzur, and the Indian ensemble The Rajasthan Express. The upcoming album is a follow-up to their acclaimed debut Junun, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary.

When I first heard about this record, I couldn't wait to hear it. Ali Akbar Khan and L. Subramaniam are 2 of my very favorite musicians. Sarod and Carnatic violin are 2 of my favorite instruments. Also, Zakir Hussain accomapanies them on tabla. There is Mridangam on there 2 but not sure who. This cd did not let me down at all. It is great. The maestros all give an outstanding performance. I listen to alot of different kinds of music and own alot of different cd's. This is in the top 5 for sure.

Lakshmi Shankar has a heavenly voice, sweet and clear. The "Khyal in Raga Dhaani" is in a blues-like pentatonic scale, and the romantic "Thumri" are delivered in an innocent, direct, lyrical melodiousness. The bhajan "Gopala," by the 16th-century poet Nidhiram, is totally engaging in its pleading yet devotional quality, with Shankar beginning at a high point right from the onset. "Janama Marana," by the saint/poetess of the 16th century, Mirabai, who gave up her life as a queen for devotion to Lord Krishna, has a loving, serious quality. It is a thoroughly enjoyable album.

Qolors, released in 2010 by Tribeqa, is a vibrant and eclectic fusion of jazz, funk, and world music influences. The album showcases the band’s distinctive approach to groove-based compositions, blending rhythmic complexity with melodic creativity. Drawing inspiration from African, Latin, and contemporary jazz traditions, Qolors delivers a dynamic listening experience full of energy and stylistic diversity. The arrangements shift seamlessly between tight funk grooves, improvisational jazz passages, and atmospheric interludes, creating a rich sonic journey. Short transitional pieces, labeled as sQiT segments, act as connective tissue between the main tracks, enhancing the album’s flow and conceptual cohesion. Tracks like Groove Bande, Ceremony, and Vaudoo highlight the band’s rhythmic precision and expressive instrumentation. Overall, Qolors stands as a compelling modern jazz fusion album that balances accessibility with artistic exploration, appealing to listeners who appreciate genre-blending and global musical textures.