Best Dance & Electronic
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Before exploring her latest release, however, I'd like to make a couple of observations that may help anyone new to her music. (Full disclosure: when it comes to seventh graders, it is hard to beat flesh-eating zombies who can flat out dance.). I have received several notes from parents thanking me for introducing them to Stirling (and to a lesser extent, The Piano Guys, 2Cellos and some others). In addition to Stirling, we have The Piano Guys, David Garrett, Bond, Vanessa Mae, 2Cellos, and others producing music that doesn't readily fit into any current node. To my ear, they have the same basic rhythm and sound, but seem richer in supportive percussion and orchestration. "Roundtable Rival" has terrific guitar rifts, reminiscent of AC/DC and other classic rock groups."
"I tried the CD on two (2) different sound systems to eliminate the receiver/CD player as the problem and I bought an identical CD from Amazon and it has the exact same issue."
"This is a great way to get both the CD and the digital format."
"This music grows on you."
"Violinist Lindsey Stirling has once again combined classical music with electronic music, and she even included some vocals on a couple of tracks on this album!"
"If I could only pick my favorite two songs, they would definitely be tracks 1 & 4. Overall the album is good, I wouldn't say that it's better than her debut album but if she created more ballad songs like tracks 1-5 with a little drama, it would be ah-mazing!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"From dubstep violin, to haunting melodies such as "Song of the Caged Bird" to power packed songs like "Shadows" .... and don't forget to YouTube her take on Phantom of the Opera, Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones. The dance she incorporates into her videos along with the cinematography of Devin Graham, make each video a feast for the eyes and ears."
"Honestly got me pretty interested in other violin-artists.Has a bit of vocals on some tracks, and nice mixes of electronic music, some I can even put on repeat and just not get tired of it."
"Well worth the pre-order, did not expect it to be such a great pressing, and the inside sleeve has some nice photos and info about the tracks, like inspirations and so on, very cool read, and very well worth the purchase price."
"This album is fun to listen to."
"Overall a great effort the songs have great melodies you will have running through your head after you turn it off."
"It's not really an easy genre to find a great quality of: mostly when you look for this type of music, it's an MP3 of violin or other strings music that is in no way prepared to have their music bred with dubstep/techno, and someone adds it to the music anyway."
"I have been searching for new music to chew on while running or when I can't sleep and I need to throw some paint on a blank canvas seeking out a new vision. This is. music that can attach itself to your spirit, pull you in and dig deep to find a new level and leaves you searching for more!"
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Both "Lindsey Stirling" and "Shatter Me" were shining star albums (and if you've ever seen her on tour... JUST WOW.). Couple that with the fact that 8/14 songs are collabs (when in the past her albums have been mostly free instrumental), and you may find yourself a little disappointed. To top that off, if you listen to many of the tracks, and you know the year that Lindsey has had, you will likely understand some of the thoughts behind these decisions."
"But I also think that some of the songs have a bit more processing than before - there seems to be a bit more aggressive panning between right & left channels (listening with headphones) on some of the tracks as well as some new effects."
"I high recommend the beautiful sound, but I wish the artist didn't make the cover look like a big heart with a woman dancing in front of it."
"She's taking a lot of chances musically and lyrically that she probably didn't have the confidence before."
"I had pre-ordered “Brave Enough” and had received it on the actual release day, which was great for me as I have had the song “Something Wild” stuck in my head ever since I saw the music video."
"Saw Lindsey Stirling in Vancouver last week for the Brave Enough tour and it was awesome!"
"At first I wasn't sure how I felt about how many of the songs include vocal work."
"This revolutionary violinist stretches all types of music boundaries, seeming to have no limitation or set genre!"
Best Ambient
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"In my humble opinion, We Are But Hunks Of Wood is a much more cohesive work - the tracks on that album seem to fit together as a whole, where on "Micky Mouse Operation", it seemed like he was finding his footing."
"I bought it because certain songs kept coming up on my pandora account, and I realized I needed to hear the rest of the album, and actually own it."
"I've heard some say the track "Moon" nearly brought tears to their eyes upon first listen; "Unsaid" will utterly haunt you; And "Gravitas" will just make you feel like a badass."
"Excellent ambient music for puttering around the house, I'll often put this on while enjoying coffee, reading a book, or cleaning."
"There a saying " Quietness without Loneliness" as in not requiring constant speech or attention...a sort of comfort in being there, but not there..."
"This music is quite simply..."
"Perfect study tunes."
"Well, it's just good."
Best Compilations
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Such amazing music."
"Nice music - we got this after watching the video of the performance."
"I really enjoy this album, but its not showing up on my music player on my phone."
"The music always enhances what I saw in person and helps to remember what I enjoyed."
"Michael Flatley shouldn't have been on top of the dancing world yet his persistence and drive made a small boy into a world class dancer."
"My mom took me to this performance when I was in 7th or 8th grade and being able to listen to the music it just takes me back to that concert with her."
"I love the music on this cd."
"I loved the show; I loved meeting Michael Flatley afterwards, backstage, at the San Francisco show; he is a warm, and engaging man; and I love moving to the music."
Best Dance Pop
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Before exploring her latest release, however, I'd like to make a couple of observations that may help anyone new to her music. (Full disclosure: when it comes to seventh graders, it is hard to beat flesh-eating zombies who can flat out dance.). I have received several notes from parents thanking me for introducing them to Stirling (and to a lesser extent, The Piano Guys, 2Cellos and some others). In addition to Stirling, we have The Piano Guys, David Garrett, Bond, Vanessa Mae, 2Cellos, and others producing music that doesn't readily fit into any current node. To my ear, they have the same basic rhythm and sound, but seem richer in supportive percussion and orchestration. "Roundtable Rival" has terrific guitar rifts, reminiscent of AC/DC and other classic rock groups."
"I tried the CD on two (2) different sound systems to eliminate the receiver/CD player as the problem and I bought an identical CD from Amazon and it has the exact same issue."
"This is a great way to get both the CD and the digital format."
"This music grows on you."
"Violinist Lindsey Stirling has once again combined classical music with electronic music, and she even included some vocals on a couple of tracks on this album!"
"If I could only pick my favorite two songs, they would definitely be tracks 1 & 4. Overall the album is good, I wouldn't say that it's better than her debut album but if she created more ballad songs like tracks 1-5 with a little drama, it would be ah-mazing!"
Best Disco
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Although, I've heard "My Forbidden Lover" before, I've NEVER heard "My Feet Keep Dancing", UNTIL May of 1980... when "My Forbidden Lover" PROMPTED me to buy the "Risque" album. Chic appears TWO more times, on THIS soundtrack, w/ their 1979 hit single, "I Want Your Love" & a cute INSTR. This album CD is very enjoyable & it's Jam Packed w/ memories.. And it's also HIGHLY recommended..."
"Even music fans who cringe at the thought of some of the more outlandish songs from that time period may have to admit that Chic was producing some very high quality material that transcended the genre."
"Nice set of songs, and several extended versions."
"Not only did this Band have a great sound, they knew how to dress."
"Quality of CD excellent, and received on time."
"Purchased this for my husband...loved it!"
"Chic dominated the disco age along with KC& The Sunshine Band, Donna Summer and Sister Sledge."
"Best of the best of CHIC compilation."
Best Drum & Bass
Best Dubstep
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Before exploring her latest release, however, I'd like to make a couple of observations that may help anyone new to her music. (Full disclosure: when it comes to seventh graders, it is hard to beat flesh-eating zombies who can flat out dance.). I have received several notes from parents thanking me for introducing them to Stirling (and to a lesser extent, The Piano Guys, 2Cellos and some others). In addition to Stirling, we have The Piano Guys, David Garrett, Bond, Vanessa Mae, 2Cellos, and others producing music that doesn't readily fit into any current node. To my ear, they have the same basic rhythm and sound, but seem richer in supportive percussion and orchestration. "Roundtable Rival" has terrific guitar rifts, reminiscent of AC/DC and other classic rock groups."
"I tried the CD on two (2) different sound systems to eliminate the receiver/CD player as the problem and I bought an identical CD from Amazon and it has the exact same issue."
"This is a great way to get both the CD and the digital format."
"This music grows on you."
"Violinist Lindsey Stirling has once again combined classical music with electronic music, and she even included some vocals on a couple of tracks on this album!"
"If I could only pick my favorite two songs, they would definitely be tracks 1 & 4. Overall the album is good, I wouldn't say that it's better than her debut album but if she created more ballad songs like tracks 1-5 with a little drama, it would be ah-mazing!"
Best Electronica
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Awesome, lovely, romantic, chill out mood music."
"I was getting prepped for a sales call to showcase a bluetooth player...the buyers were younger hip women...so, I put this on my phone to play through the bluetooth player and it was perfect."
"Even as I'm typing this I'm listening to "Show Me", a track that Alina Baraz's voice seems to just flow over like warm bath water."
"This artist is amazing!"
"This album is a gift from the gods."
"I can stream it for free as a prime member, but I purchased it anyway because it's just that good."
"Love the fact that it's clear!"
"I've heard this described as a mellow but thoughtful mix of soft sade like vocals over an awesome blend of Electronica, chopped and screwed and beautiful piano keys...the review was right!"
Best Freestyle
![Both Sides Of The Brain [Explicit]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5147sWDNbrL._SS600_.jpg)
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"i had been waiting impatiently since august of 1999 for the release of del's 4th album."
"Del is one of the most under rated rappers there is... this is DEFINITELY a classic hiphop album."
"Dels unique sense of rhyme and flow plus interesting subject matter and mastery of syntax vocab and delivery will leave you dyin for more."
"Great beats and Del has a great lyrical flow!"
"The production on No Need For Alarm is complex in it's creative manipulation of the sampler, and although that sound can still be relevant, you have to be a revivalist like Madlib to pull it off. Here on the other hand, Del seems to roll right off the hype he created among my friends with the track he did on the first Handsome Boy Modeling School album. I mean, come on people...peep game: "My mainframe gumption is brain bustin'. I like lumpin' up dumb cuts with abundance. Rhyme reservoirs that glitter like a gun bust". Nobody even cares about rapping lines like that anymore except Def Jux, Heiro, and maybe MF Doom or Stones Throw."
"The first track, "Time Is Too Expensive" is actually really good, with a crazy mellow beat and his raps in a distorted voice. He vents some anger towards pop rappers on "Fake As F**k" where he actually only curses on the hook and the beginning of the track, not in the verses. "BM's" has a cool beat and he ponders getting high vs. drinking, and "Skull 7 Crossbones" is a comical tale about driving under the influence and he actually portrays his own fictional death. Some vintage Del tracks here include "Jaw Gymnastics,"(ft/ Casual) "Press Rewind," "Style Police," "Disastrous," and "Phoney Phranchise," among others. by Prince Paul) "Catch All This," and "Stay On Your Toes,"(ft/ A+) literally 'stand out' because they sound a little different musically or because Del challenges himself a little more lyrically. This song states that Hiphop is still alive and well, and calls for all artists(mainstream and underground) to 'stay on thier toes!'."
Best House
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Love, Love, Love this."
"A very good album that keeps a mellow theme throughout."
"I like the music, but the recording has several faults where it skips over things or has brief blanks."
"Awesome!"
"Love the music but so far it's only put the dog to sleep which is a good thing!"
"I fall asleep to this within minutes."
Best Techno
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"My favorite part is this sound effect, sort of percussion I suppose, that plays through out the entire mix, sometimes more volume sometimes not playing at all."
"With age and each new album Digweed only gets better and better."
"Probably one of the finest examples of story-telling in a DJ set, this first disc starts with a slow, lounge simmer and builds incrementally to a wonderful climax with Quivver's stellar "Boom Boom," a track a DJ would have to go out of his way to ruin. An enlivening and engrossing set, this first disc shows what a truly talented DJ can accomplish when they refuse to lose focus for a second while slotting songs together. Considering also that this download comes with DJ friendly track choices of all the songs Digweed used in the mixes, but still only costs as much as one album, if you're even mildly considering buying it, you've no reason not to."
"I think Digweed is still to this day figuring out his niche, because he continues to change genres every few years and produces good music, but it's not phenomenal by any means."
"Of course, Sasha has done his own productions of other tracks and then turned them into a studio album and Digweed has produced enough of his own to knock a few (way way, Heaven Scent will forever be one of the greatest tracks to be dropped) out of the park, just never enough for a *truly* all original "mixed" album. Wildly inconsistent, and yet predictable, the guy stood with Sasha and stack of records, yet produced tracks every bit as good as the people that were found in his sets, yet studio success obviously not being a long time goal (opinions on his own tracks span as wide has his passport is thick with stamps), and even abandoned records entirely for their last major recording done jointly, a digitally mixed one, which was just boring enough to sound like almost everything else that had the words progressive or deep attached to it, returned to the clicks and pops of vinyl in MMII and scored another honest win... Fans of Digweed all seem to have a different favorite Transitions mix (I prefer Transitions 2), but each sounds about as close to something originally produced as anything he has done, but an album in length and a tech sound. On top of spanning the globe, entertaining thousands upon thousands of people with one groove after another a question; was his creativity away from the 24hr party people done out of personal interest or just need for a track between two he really wanted to have during another set, or another album. We find 9 dollars buys two more 'polished' mixes, a live mix, and almost 40 full tracks for anyone that wants to play fantasy DJ themselves with material of his own, or personally picked, to appear in this album, that much like his career, varies from one end to the other, but never so far to the middle as to scare away the people that liked this music but could live without the clubs. When he came dangerously close (EG: Communicate), his reaction was to back away to something that sounded like it walked out of the 90s, some of the tracks sounding like he just got bored one night and decided to make a mix, who has time to clean their records spotless when his appearance in an indie film "Groove" had everyone wondering what the hell that song he opened his set with was *in the movie?"
"Maybe this is an album for DJs."
Best Trance
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I honestly put that up there with Orphans, Sargent Peppers, The Downward Spiral, and The Dark Side of the Moon as one of the Greatest Recordings Humankind has ever acheived; it's perfect. Really great stuff here, definately Progressive EDM(or psytrance, whatever y'all call it) and a solid album to Jam out to. (I really liked Army, but after the 500th playthrough the goofy bits got a lil grating). I say throwback as it feels like it was advertised; old IM with today's tech. On a side note, I bought this day 1 for $7.99 (as a superfan I woulda payed $799.00, no joke) and I thought, from a product point of view, it was very considerate to include the 49 minute continuous mix as the last track. Everyone writes these reviews, with a tiny part hoping that the band reads them (I'm sure they've better things to do) but honestly, for me, I'm ready for tattoo # 2, and it'll be either something SKYRIM or IM."
"You can still hear the rock influence, and some tracks most definitely have a progressive rock sound to them that seems to be a nod to bands like Dream Theater, but it's definitely not unwelcome."
"I love infected mushroom and I feel like this album was a return to the style that got me into them."
"I'm bias towards Infected Mushroom, so 5 stars."
"Love these guys... so talented ... thank you for this great music."
"Fantastic album; maybe not quite as good as Classical Mushroom, but absolutely great none-the-less."
"Much better than their last album."
"Probably best album yet."
Best Trip-Hop
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was looking up artist in youtube on 80's synth style music ( like Power Glove ) when H.U.V.A."
"Some songs seem to gather energy and momentum like solar sailors, others pulse like quasars spinning through the cosmos pumping out mysterious messages of enormous power and unstoppable forces. I feel them inside me as I listen, as I jog, as I code, as I dream and plan my future."
"I can, and do sometimes, listen to this all day long."
"depending on what you expect..............this is great space-out music...not something to focus and attempt to evaluate whether the artists are giving you what you think you expect to get...it is floating,.. great book reading, relaxing, enjoying every note,... drifting...wash your dishes to, sit think about some problem, or just headphone and watch you children move about your house..enjoy, if you can't understand that concept....your life is moving faster than you can handle......"
"Great music to have in your ear while you work."
"I have spent hours playing it in the background while working and I my blood pressure resumes healthy status."
"Transcendent."
"This is one of the finest ambient lps I have listened to."
Best Turntablists
Best World Dance
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The even numbered songs tended to have discordant feels to them and occasionally jarring noises that really made me wince. Track 5 (Roustabout) was a big surprise as it riffs off of Enter the Gladiators (aka: the circus clown song), but after getting over the surprise, I really got into this track."
"Great music!"
"The first time I listened to it, I found it just weird enough to keep me both slightly off-balance and entirely intrigued. And then I found myself wanting to listen to it, over and over... just bought this CD last night and I've listened to it 3 or 4 times already and woke up with the first track stuck in my head!"
"One of the best albums ever made."
"The only thing I will say is if you know you do not like dark, circus, or industrial sounds, you should definitely listen to the clips provided on Amazon before buying."
"I was raised listening to music of many nationalities, and have always had a soft spot for this style of music."
"Beautiful album, great tribal beats and eclectic weirdness."
"Very unique and easy to listen to."