Best Of 3CD (The Platinum Collection on the first 2009 issue) is a triple-disc set that contains one disc of Enigma’s greatest hits, one disc of remixes, and one disc of “The Lost Ones,” brief instrumental snippets that were used as source material and ideas for full-length tracks. Naturally, this last disc is what’s interesting for the hardcore fan which, unlike the rest, consists of unreleased material - but even the hardcore may find this slightly ephemeral; after all, these were designed as something like work tapes, not for release. The rest of the set is a good overview of basics, but it’s still unclear exactly who this is for, as this recycles too much for the hardcore, and it’s too lengthy for the casual fan.

Opal Fire (2002). Son of a UN diplomat and classically trained, exciting young pianist Akram grew up digesting musical influences from around the world. These exotic flavors are brilliantly woven together in melodies that take flight and soar with expansive orchestrations and passionate rhythms and in more soothing moments, evoke an emotional response in a beautifully serene way.
Free As A Bird (2004). Free As a Bird is the much-anticipated follow-up to Omar's 2002 release, Opal Fire. Exotic, sensual, and brimming with life, it was worth the wait! Richly arranged and orchestrated by David Dial and Gregg Karukas, real instruments replace some of the keyboards from the earlier release, and the interaction of great musicians…

Kitaro is one of the most popular and influential new age artists of all time, having sold millions of records and toured across the world numerous times, in addition to winning Grammy and Golden Globe awards. His style fuses contemplative, highly melodic synthesizer work with acoustic instrumentation, drawing from Eastern musical traditions as well as folk, classical, and rock influences.

Channeling new age and spiritual jazz, the multidisciplinary artist’s debut solo album creates its own thoughtful and potent world with the help of many guests and many flutes.

Of the 14 tracks on Aquarello, 12 are live recordings. Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Nicola Alesini, and Fabio Capanni performed together at the VI Musica Visual in Lanzarote. The liner notes are in German, so listeners are left with no "graphic interference" as they interpret these atmospheres, textures, and timbres. Roedelius is a sound design genius and has crafted some very different music on this CD. It is definitely e-music, but there are extras. Alesini's saxophones offset the atmospheres. The atmospheres approach listeners from two or three different levels. It is almost like harmonic overtones. The deep electronics have minimalist qualities. There are mechanical repetitions with organic overtones. This is a relatively unique effort. It will appeal to fans of Brian Eno, Robert Rich, Matt Harris, and Cyber Zen Sound Engine.

It's been four long years since pianist and composer Keiko Matsui released the spare, elegant Moyo. That is an atypical break for an artist who has recorded 22 studio albums since her debut in the late 1980s. Appearing on Shanachie for the first time, The Road was largely self-produced. Matsui appears in varying contexts here, from trios to quartets and quintets to an octet on a musically diverse set that sums up virtually every place she's been while continuing to point the way forward. Some of these players have collaborated with her for decades while still others make their initial appearances.

From MEDIUM, an electronic music label run by Masanori Nozawa, a writer/producer based in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, who has produced outstanding works centered on dance music/ambient chillout, a masterpiece dedicated to Japan's ambient scene has been released. Long-awaited appearance!

In the spirit of the Olympics and in celebration of the 1992 games, Australian composer, keyboardist, producer, arranger and recording artist Mars Lasar brings us Olympus. This music is triumphant, romantic and uplifting. These 13 tracks are filled with very diverse and powerful instrumental music. The strength of some selections is offset by the beautifully melodic passion of others.

After celebrating his 2012 Grammy-winning "Echoes of Love", Omar softens the mood to serenade us with the romantic melodies of "Daytime Dreamer". Featuring six brand new tracks and five previously released selections, the familiar splashes of Omar's signature world textures (oud, duduk, violin and guitar) weave back and forth in a sublime dance with his exquisite piano compositions.

Omar Akram's piano-driven, instrumental music elegantly defies borders and has played a crucial role in defining modern New Age and World music. In 2013, he became the first Afghan-American to win a Grammy Award with ''Echoes Of Love''. In 2013, he also released ''Daytime Dreamer,'' presenting an enchanting blend of World, New Age and electronica music that lures listeners with masterful musicianship and his well-traveled wisdom. ''Destiny'' was produced by the legendary Walter Afanasieff and features an eighty-piece symphony orchestra conducted by Shardad Rohani (Yanni: Live at the Acropolis).

The brothers Giorgio and Martin Koppehele wrote and produced for and with Plácido Domingo, Alan Parsons, Boy George, Midge Ure, Bro'Sis, Suzi Quatro, CC Catch, Shari Belafonte, Chris Thompson, Splash, Odyssey, Nicole, Michelle and Lou Bega. They wrote and produced for advertising jingles, dance projects, music for films, television series as well as for soundtracks and exhibitions such as the Titanic exhibition in Hamburg. The music of Lichtmond combines electronic music with ambient and rock elements that flow into each other. Alan Parsons called Lichtmond as the modern-day Tangerine Dream or Kraftwerk.

Deep Forest is the first studio album by the musical group Deep Forest, consisting of French duo Eric Mouquet and Michel Sanchez. The album mixes New Age electronics with UNESCO field recordings of music from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Solomon Islands, Burundi, Tibesti, and the Sahel. Deep Forest was nominated for the Grammy Award as Best World Music Album in 1994. For Sanchez and Mouquet, the most important purpose of the album was to express their own fascination with the Efe people, and open the world's ears to the exquisite sound of a quickly vanishing culture. As Mouquet noted, "It's not very often you can hear a Pygmy singing on the radio."

The 1978 recording debut from reformed avant-garde composer and eventual ambient forerunner Harold Budd consists of four chamber works (written between 1972 and 1975) that use varying combinations of harp, mallet instruments, piano, saxophone, and female or male vocals. Two years before his fateful first studio collaboration with Brian Eno (who produced this album), Budd was creating hypnotic music in an acoustic mode. All of the works herein–including "Two Rooms," whose latter half is an adaptation of John Coltrane's "After the Rain"–sustain a similarly dreamy vibe. An important credo for Budd was to make music as pretty as possible as an antidote to the noisy avant-garde he had escaped from. One cannot fault him for the lovely sounds he creates here, although fans familiar with his more cinematic works might be caught off-guard. Regardless, the pleasant Pavilion of Dreams provides insight into Budd's past, and it offers the same somniferous effect as a gentle lullaby, making it perfect for late-evening listening.