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Musical Alphabetti Spaghetti - Songs!

Alphabetti SpaghettiFavourite SongsSong Alphabetti Spaghetti
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This is likely one of my last Alphabetti Spaghetti’s for a while - it’s taken quite a bit out of me really - although I did promise to do an Anime one at some stage. I’ve been putting this one off for the longest time, as it’s the most complex really in every way.

 

Certain songs grab your attention immediately as nagging earworms. but can then become cloying and annoying - while others creep into your conscience and become pretty constant perennials. Truth is that this is forever in flux - some of your favourite tracks could be overlooked at any moment, or you choose to demote them and favour others. For me, as with most things - it’s very susceptible to mood, emotion and occasion.

 

Nevertheless I’ve tried my best to deep-mine all my lifetime favourites, although chances are I’ve overlooked a fair few, and possibly promoted others unfairly. In any case I have thousands of favourite songs and tracks across a vast variety of genres, and I’ve tried to include most / many of those here. It’s a really tough challenge though, and I tried to set myself some arbitrary rules initially, but soon threw those out the window - there should be no rules here really.

 

For those that struggle with this exercise it’s a matter of checking through your playlists - and seeing what stuff you listen to the the most, and what maintains a lingering affections even after all these years. It’s physically impractical and impossible to cover absolutely everything - which is why the emphasis is really just on selecting songs for each of the 27 categories - numbers, then full alphabet as I have done. Some categories have more options and alternatives than others, yet many are heavily conflicted.

 

I’ve tried to maintain some control over balance here - as I really have quite a broad pallet, yet some categories will always be under-represented, and others rather overblown. In any case - Enjoy!

 

Note 1 - I will likely edit this periodically and the preferred cuts may change at any given time!

 

Note 2 - Alternatives up for consideration are listed alphabetically below each chosen highlight

 

Note 3 - This is but a carefully curated small fraction of the whole - I’ve tried to be very selective here in trying to attain a good balance of genres, I have very deliberately not listed all my favourites - that list would go on for ever ...

 

 

# = 212 - Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay (Hip-House - 2011, USA)

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I was sort of torn here between the chosen one above and 3 AM Eternal - for now it's Azealia Banks for the win!

  • 1 Thing - Amerie
  • 1UL - Danny L Harle
  • 3 AM Eternal - The KLF
  • 5 AM - Katy B
  • 7 - Prince
  • 7th Heaven - Vanity
  • 7 Ways to Love - Cola Boy
  • 9 PM Till I Come - ATB
  • 18 - Echosmith
  • 19 (Destruction Mix) - Paul Hardcastle
  • 20Hz - Capricorn
  • 20 Seconds to Comply - Silver Bullet
  • 23 Mins of Your Love - Angel Moraes
  • 40 Miles - Congress
  • 49% (Angello & Ingresso Rmx) - Royksopp
  • 60 Seconds - Audio Deluxe
  • 99 - Cassius
  • 99 Luftballons - Nena
  • 1999 - Prince

A = Are You The One? - Bullion (Dub - 2009, UK)

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The first of my slightly obscure ones - some great alternatives here - but 'Are You The One' still does it for me - a worthy winner!

  • Ace of Spades - Motorhead
  • Affropuffs - The Lady of Rage ft Snoop Dogg
  • Africa - Toto
  • Aerodynamic - Daft Punk
  • Ain't Nobody - Rufus and Chaka Khan
  • Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love - Van Halen
  • Air for Life - Above & Beyond ft Andy Moor
  • Alice, I Want You Just for Me! - Full Force
  • Alive and Kicking - Simple Minds
  • All of the Lights - Kanye West
  • All Night Long - Mary Jane Girls
  • All The Things She Said - t.A.T.u.
  • All The Things She Said She Said - Simple Minds
  • All This Love That I'm Giving - Gwen McCrae
  • Always - Bent
  • American Woman - Lenny Kravitz
  • Animal Nitrate - Suede
  • Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd
  • Anthem - N-Joi
  • Apologize - OneRepublic
  • Archangel - Burial
  • Are Friends Electric - Gary Numan
  • Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
  • Around The World - Daft Punk
  • Around You - Motorcycle
  • At the River - Groove Armada

B = Bureaucrat of Flaccostreet - Urban Dance Squad (Rap Rock/Fusion - 1991, Netherlands)

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I'm a huge fan of music with interesting percussion, and Bureaucrat of Flaccostreet is a real standout cut all these years later - it really should be more popular than it is!

  • Baby I'm a Fool - Melody Gardot
  • Baby I'm a Star - Prince
  • Back in Black - AC/DC
  • Back to Life - Soul II Soul
  • Banquet - Block Party
  • Beatific - G/L/A/S/S/C/A/N/D/Y
  • Beautiful Lies - B-Complex
  • The Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
  • Bed (Haji & Emmanuel Rmx) - J. Holiday
  • The Beginning - Bar 9
  • Believers (King Unique Vocal Rmx) - Baz
  • Big In Japan - Alphaville
  • Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
  • Bitch Better Have My Money - Rihanna
  • Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order
  • Black Sheep - Metric
  • Blade Runner End Theme - Vangelis
  • Blinded By The Lights - The Streets
  • Blue Monday - New Order
  • Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
  • Born Slippy .NUXX - Underworld
  • Born To Kill - Scotch
  • The Boss (MAW Mix) - The Braxtons
  • Breakdown - Prince
  • Break 4 Love (Love Edit) - Excursions vs Raze
  • Breathe - Prodigy
  • Brothers in Arms - Dire Straits
  • Build Me Up - The Foundations
  • Burn (Axwell Rmx) - Usher
  • Burnt - Kiasmos
  • Butterflies & Hurricanes - Muse

C = Choices (Yup) - E-40 (Hip Hop - 2014, USA)

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I picked this one up from American Honey - my favourite film of 2016 - it had a great soundtrack - including this catchy jam.

  • California Love - Dr Dre and 2Pac
  • Carry Me Home (Will's Procrastinatin' Mix) - Gloworm
  • Cars - Gary Numan
  • Casanova 70 - Air
  • Cascades of Colour (Danny Tenaglia Edit Of Saffron Mix) - Ananda Project ft Gaelle Adisson
  • Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - David Bowie
  • Cave De Flore - Doctor Rockit
  • The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
  • Chained to the Rhythm - Katy Perry
  • Chandelier - Sia
  • Change - Tears for Fears
  • Chicane - Salt Water
  • China Girl - David Bowie
  • Clave Rocks (Original) - Amoretto
  • Close to Me - The Cure
  • Close to the Edit - Art of Noise
  • Come Back When You Can - Barcelona
  • Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley and the Wailers
  • Clouds Across the Moon - Rah Band
  • Club Foot - Kasabian
  • Clubbed to Death - Rob Dougan
  • Come On Girl - Taio Cruz ft Luciana
  • Comfortably Numb - Scissor Sisters
  • Computer Blue - Prince
  • Connected- Stereo MC's
  • Contagious - Adult
  • The Creeps - Camille Jones vs Fedde le Grand
  • Crazy in Love - Beyonce
  • Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne ft Randy Rhoads
  • Crimewave - Crystal Castles
  • The Crown - Gary Bird & The GB Experience
  • Cry Boy Cry - Blue Zoo
  • Cry Little Sister - Gerard McMann
  • Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake
  • Crystal - New Order

D = Dancing Queen - Abba (Disco-Pop - 1976, Sweden)

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One of a few guilt pleasures here - great opening hook to a song - and yes I will still get on the dancefloor to this - I can't explain it, there's some euphoric ingredients in the mix here which are still addictive all these years later.

  • Daft Punk Is Playing at My House - LCD Soundsystem
  • Damn That Valley - U.S. Girls
  • Dance Hall Days (12") - Wang Chung
  • Dancing With Tears In My Eyes - Ultravox
  • Dare - Gorillaz
  • Dark Horse - Katy Perry
  • Dat Dere - Rickie Lee Jones
  • David (Darren Emerson Rmx) - Gus Gus
  • Daybreak - Lisa Ekdahl
  • Days of Wild (Live) - Prince
  • Dead Ringer for Love - Meatloaf
  • Delirio Mind - Scotch
  • Dem Girls - Mutiny ft Sweetie Irie
  • Desire - Everything Everything
  • Diamonds in the Sky - Husky Rescue
  • Disco Band - Scotch
  • Disco Cubizm - i:Cube
  • Do It Like That (Fred Falke Rmx) - Ricki-Lee
  • Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys
  • Don't Give Up - Peter Gabriel ft Kate Bush
  • Don't Go - Yazoo
  • Don't Kill My Vibe - Sigrid
  • Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
  • Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis
  • Don't Play Nice - Verbalicious
  • Don't Stop - Brazilian Girls
  • Don't Think Twice It's Alright - Cock Robin
  • Don't Wait Too Long - Madeleine Peyroux
  • Don't You Forget About Me - Simple Minds
  • Don't You Want Me (Red Jerry's Holiday Mix) - Felix
  • Dream 17 - Annette
  • Dreaming of You - War Tapes
  • Drinking in L.A. - Van Bran 3000
  • Dub Be Good To Me - Beats International
  • Dub It (Big Girl Mix) - Coco, Steel & Lovebomb
  • Duel (Jewelled Mix) - Propaganda
  • Dum Dum Girl - Talk Talk
  • Dusk Till Dawn - Ladyhawke
  • Du What U Du (Trentemøller Rmx) - Yoshimoto

E = Eye of the Tiger - Survivor (Rock - 1982, USA)

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Of course I grew up with the Rocky movies and I recall hearing this on the car radio on the way to the appropriate movie at the time - another song with a great opening. Works well in the film too!

  • Earthball - Djosos Krost
  • E = MC2 - Big Audio Dynamite
  • Edge of Seventeen - Stevie Nicks
  • Elastic Heart - Sia
  • Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
  • Electric Feel (Justice Rmx) - MGMT
  • Emerge - Fischerspooner
  • Empathy - Crystal Castles
  • End Credits - Chase & Status
  • Endless Road - Time Bandits
  • Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode
  • Enola Gay - OMD
  • Equinoxe 5 - Jean-Michel Jarre
  • Everybody Be Somebody (Positano Mix) - Ruffneck ft Yavahn
  • Eyes - Clio
  • Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
  • Exit Music - Radiohead
  • Ezio - Motorbass

F = Finally (Choice Mix) - Ce Ce Peniston (House - 1991, USA)

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One of my Classic Vocal House dancefloor favourites - pretty much always works for me - must have dance to it a thousand times and I still like it.

  • Fade to Grey - Visage
  • Faded - Zhu
  • Fastlove - George Michael
  • Feel Alive - Pure Orange ft Shane Nolan
  • Feel Good Inc - Gorillaz
  • Feeling for You (LRD Rmx) - Cassius
  • Feel What You Want - Kristine W
  • A Few Dollars More - Project 1
  • Fight For This Love - Cheryl Cole
  • Fight the Power - Public Enemy
  • Fire - Charlene
  • Firestarter - Prodigy
  • Firework - Katy Perry
  • Flash - Queen
  • Flashback - Imagination
  • Flesh for Fantasy - Billy Idol
  • Flesh without Blood - Grimes
  • Flotation (Subsonic Grid Mix) - The Grid
  • Fly Life - Basement Jaxx
  • Fool's Gold - Stone Roses
  • Four to the Floor (TWD Rmx) - Starsailor
  • Forever More - Moloko
  • Fox On The Run - Sweet
  • Foxy Lady - Jimi Hendrix
  • Freedom - Pharrell Williams
  • French Kisses (E-Smoove Rmx) - Jentina
  • F*** The Pain Away - Peaches
  • The Funk Phenomena (Da Hool Rmx) - Armand Van Helden
  • Funny Car (Love is Dead) - Morel

G = Get A Load of This - Guaranteed Raw (Space Funk - 1990, Belgium)

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A super rarity that I used to start my set with on occasion back in my sometime DJ days - made by Renaat Vandepapeliere founder and the 'R' in legendary Belgian R&S record label. (The 'S' is for his wife Sabine).

  • Garden Party - Mezzoforte
  • Gatekeeper - Feist
  • Georgy Porgy - Toto
  • Genius of Love - Tom Tom Club
  • Get Down - Groove Armada
  • Get Lucky - Daft Punk
  • Get Some - Lykke Li
  • Get Up! (Mousse T Extd) - Byron Stingily
  • Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliott
  • Get Yourself High - The Chemical Brothers
  • Ghosts N Stuff (Original) - Deadmau5
  • Gimme Sympathy - Metric
  • Girl from Ipanema - Astrud Gilberto with Stan Getz
  • Girl Goodbye - Toto
  • Girls and Boys - Prince
  • Girls on Film - Duran Duran
  • Give It Up - The Goodmen
  • Give It Up - KC & The Sunshine Band
  • Give Me Luv - Alcatraz
  • Give Me That Slow Knowing Smile - Lisa Ekdahl
  • Glory Box - Portishead
  • Go! - Moby
  • Golden Brown - The Stranglers
  • Good Life - Inner City
  • Good Luck (Summer Bootleg) - Basement Jaxx
  • The Greatest Hit - Annie
  • Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite
  • Gypsy Woman - Crystal Waters

H = How Soon is Now - The Smiths (Alternative / Indie Rock, 1985, UK)

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For the longest time the only Smiths track I truly loved, have warmed to others since then. Really love this track - that vibey tremolo sounds amazing - have lots of different versions of this - remixes, bootlegs and covers, but the original is still strong - just a perfectly produced track.

  • Hallowed Be Thy Name - Iron Maiden
  • Happy - Pharrell Williams
  • Hard ft Jeezy (Chew Fu Rmx) - Rihanna
  • Hard to Beat (Axwell Rmx) - Hard-Fi
  • Heads Will Roll (A-Trak Rmx) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
  • Heartbeat - Sandra
  • Heartbeat City - Cars
  • Heartbreaker - Dionne Warwick
  • Heart of Glass - Blondie
  • Heavy Cross - Gossip
  • Helicopter - Bloc Party
  • Help, I'm Alive - Metric
  • Here Comes the Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze
  • Here Comes The Rain Again - Eurythmics
  • Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
  • Here is the News - ELO
  • Hey Boy Hey Girl - The Chemical Brothers
  • Hey Jude - The Beatles
  • Hey Lolita Hey (original) - Lana Del Rey
  • Hey Ya! - Outkast
  • Hideaway (Deep Dish Mix) - De'Lacy
  • Hideaway - Kiesza
  • High For This - The Weeknd
  • Higher Ground - Red Hot Chilli Pepper
  • History - Mai Tai
  • Hold On - En Vogue
  • Hold The Line - Toto
  • Holiday - Madonna
  • An Honest Mistake - The Bravery
  • Hot - Inna
  • Hot Right Now - DJ Fresh ft Rita Ora
  • Hotel California - The Eagles
  • Hotter Than Hell - Dua Lipa
  • House of Balloons... - The Weeknd
  • House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
  • Humble Stance - Saga
  • Hyperballad - Björk
  • Hysteria - Muse

I = I.O.U. - Freeez (Freestyle - 1983, UK)

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I really have a thing for twittery synth hooks, and this has one of the best - One of my favourite songs ever. Just a perfect confection of superb production and arrangement which has all the right hooky elements in the mix - this is probably the perfect template of a track for me.

  • I Am Impressed When Music Matters (Quentin Harris Say It Right Bootleg) - Nelly Furtado
  • I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) - Hall & Oates
  • I Can't Wait - Nu Shooz
  • I Don't Know Anybody Else - Black Box
  • If I Was Your Girlfriend - Prince
  • I Feel Love - Donna Summer
  • I Follow Rivers - Lykke Li
  • I Just Can't Get Enough - Herd & Fitz ft Abigail Bailey
  • I Like Chopin - Gazebo
  • I Love Rock 'n' Roll - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
  • Imagination - Laura Branigan
  • I'm Cold - Whale
  • I'm So Crazy - Par-T-One ft INXS
  • Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
  • In Da Club - 50 Cent
  • In For The Kill - La Roux
  • Insomnia - Faithless
  • In My Heart - Ethan
  • In My Trunk - Dev
  • Intergalactic - Beastie Boys
  • In the Evening - Sheryl Lee Ralph
  • In the Heat of the Night - Sandra
  • Into The Groove - Madonna
  • Into The Light (Live) - In This Moment
  • In Too Deep (Off Yer Mong Mix) - Dead or Alive
  • Intro - Alan Braxe & Fred Falke
  • Invincible - Pat Benatar
  • I Shall Overcome (Axwell Rmx) - Hard-Fi
  • Is It Love? - iiO
  • It Could Not Happen - Critical Rhythm
  • It Started with a Kiss - Hot Chocolate
  • It's My Life - Talk Talk
  • It's My Turn - Stezo
  • I've Been Losing You - A-ha
  • I Was Made for Loving You Baby - Queen of Japan
  • I Wonder If I Take You Home - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force
  • I Would Die 4 U - Prince

J = Jailbreak (House Tip) - Paradox (Hip-House - 1989, UK)

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Another funky Jam that was all over those early London raves back in the day - very liberally 'borrows' from Derrick May's 'Strings of Life' - but funks it up into a hip-house style. Some of the purists don't like this, but it works well on the 'floor!

  • Jamie's Cryin' - Van Halen
  • Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
  • Jazz Master (K&D Rmx) - Alex Reece
  • Jealous Guy - John Lennon / Bryan Ferry
  • Jealousy - Fan Death
  • Jerk It Out - Caesars Palace
  • Jesus to a Child - George Michael
  • Joan of Arc - In This Moment
  • Joan of Arc - OMD
  • Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
  • JJ Tribute - Asha
  • Judas - Lady Gaga
  • Juke Box Hero - Foreigner
  • Jump - Kriss Kross
  • Jump - Van Halen
  • Jump Around - House of Pain
  • Jungle - ELO
  • Jungle Boogie - Kool And The Gang
  • Just A Little - Liberty X
  • Just As Long As I Got You - 101
  • (Just Like) Starting Over - John Lennon
  • Justify My Love - Madonna
  • Just One Second (Apex Rmx) - London Electricity

K = Kill V. Main - Grimes (Art Pop - 2016, Canada)

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I'm a huge fan of Grimes / Claire Boucher and have everything she has released to date - this one is probably my favourite of all her singles.

  • Karma Police - Radiohead
  • Kashmir - Led Zeppelin
  • Kids (Soulwax Rmx) - MGMT
  • Kids in America - Kim Wilde
  • Kiesza - Hideaway
  • Killer - Adamski ft Seal
  • Killer Queen - Queen
  • Killing in the Name Of - Rage Against The Machine
  • Killing Me Softly With His Song - Fugees
  • The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
  • Kinda Outta Luck - Lana Del Rey
  • Kiss Me (US Rmx) - Stephen 'Tin Tin' Duffy
  • Kiss On My List - Hall & Oates
  • Kissing with Confidence - Will Powers
  • Knights of Cydonia - Muse
  • Knights of the Jaguar - DJ Rolando / Aztec Mystic
  • Knock On Wood - Amii Stewart

L = Let's Dance - David Bowie (Dance-Pop - 1983, UK)

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David Bowie is one of my 3 favourite musicians - alongside Björk and Prince of Course. Favourite track of his is split between this and China Girl. Nile Rodgers really worked his magic on this - another class opening hook and funky as.

  • Lack of Emotion - Skott
  • Lady (Hear Me Tonight) - Modjo
  • Landslide - Olivia Newton John
  • Lapdance - N*E*R*D
  • Last Night - P Diddy ft Keyshia Cole
  • Last Resort - Papa Roach
  • Last Train to Trancentral - The KLF
  • Latch - Disclosure ft sam Smith
  • Lay All Your Love On Me - Abba
  • Layla - Derek & the Dominos
  • Lazy ft David Byrne - X-Press 2
  • Le Freak - Chic
  • Legend Has It - Run The Jewels
  • Les Ondes - Motorbass
  • Let It Rock (Cahill Rmx) - Kevin Rudolf
  • Let Me Luv U - Jii Hoo
  • Let's Stay Together - Al Green
  • Let The Music Play - Shannon
  • Le Voie le Soleil (Hoxton Rmx) - Subliminal Cuts
  • Libertango (I've Seen That Face Before) - Grace Jones
  • Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk
  • Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan
  • Like It Ain't Nuttin' - Fergie
  • Li'l Devil - The Cult
  • Little Talks - Of Monsters and Men
  • Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney and Wings
  • Living in Another World - Talk Talk
  • Livin' on a Prayer - Bon Jovi
  • Living on Video - Trans-X
  • Loaded - Primal Scream
  • Lock Up (Monolith Mix) - Zero B
  • Lonely - Corrina Joseph
  • Losing in Time - Scotch
  • Love Action - Human League
  • Love Comes Quickly (Shep Pettibone Rmx) - Pet Shop Boys
  • Love In Your Eyes - Gazebo
  • Love On Your Side (Rap Boy Rap Mix) - Thompson Twins
  • Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar
  • Love is A Suicide - Natalia Kills
  • Love is Free (feat. Maluca) - Robyn & La Bagatelle Magique
  • Love is Won - Lia Ices
  • Lucky - Donna Summer
  • Lust for Life - Iggy Pop
  • Luv 4 Me - Doctor Jeep

M = Mu Getsu - DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo (Hip Hop Jazz - 1996, Japan)

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Another slightly leftfield choice here from my favourite Japanese Hip Hop Jazz album - just beautifully tasteful Jazz 'n' Beats - sheer class!

  • Mad World - Tears for Fears
  • Magic - Olivia Newton John
  • Magnificent Romeo - Basement Jaxx
  • Maid of Orleans - OMD
  • Make It Happen - Playgroup
  • Make It Up - Tirzah
  • Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
  • The Man - The Killers
  • Maniac - Michael Sembello
  • Many Rivers to Cross - UB40
  • Maria Magdalena - Sandra
  • Maria Maria - Santana
  • The Masterplan - Diana Brown & Barrie K Sharp
  • Mickey - Toni Basil
  • Milkshake - Kelis
  • Mind is Ugly - War Tapes
  • Meddle (Tenori-On Version) - Little Boots
  • Me Myself and I - De La Soul
  • Miracles Keep On Playin' - Basement Jaxx
  • Miss You - Rolling Stones
  • The Model - Kraftwerk
  • Modern Love - David Bowie
  • Moments in Love - Art of Noise
  • Monster - Kanye West
  • The Motive - Then Jericho
  • Motorcycle Emptiness - Manic Street Preachers
  • Mr Brightside - The Killers
  • Mr Crowley - Ozzy Osbourne ft Randy Rhoads
  • Mr Kirk's Nightmare - 4 Hero
  • Muscle Deep - Then Jericho
  • Music is the Answer (Deep Dish Deadline Mix) - Danny Tenaglia ft Celeda
  • Music Power - Porno
  • Music Sounds Better With You - Stardust
  • Must Be Dreaming (K-Klass Ultra Vocal Mix) - Frou Frou
  • My Arms - Bloodgroup
  • My Way - Frank Sinatra

N = Ný batterí - Sigur Rós (Ambient Post-Rock - 1999, Iceland)

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All of Sigur Rós's sophomore album is genius - the way the atmosphere builds and slightly unworldly sounds evolve to blend elegantly with emotive melodies. It's the kind of music you just melt into.

  • Nasty Girl - Inaya Day / Vanity 6
  • Natural Born Sinner - In This Moment
  • Need You Tonight - INXS
  • Never - Massive Lust
  • Never Leave You - Lumidee
  • Newborn - Muse
  • New Rules (Initial Talk Rmx) - Dua Lipa
  • New Year's Day - U2
  • Nightcall - Kavinsky
  • The Night You Murdered Love (Whole Story) - ABC
  • Njósnavelin - Sigur Rós
  • No Air - Jordin Sparks ft Chris Brown
  • No Cars Go - Arcade Fire
  • No Diggity - Blackstreet
  • No Good (Start The Dance) - Prodigy
  • No Stranger - Small Black
  • No Surprises - Radiohead
  • Not Gonna Get Us - t.A.T.u.
  • No Tears - Tuxedomoon
  • Nothin' But Love - Whitney Houston
  • Nothing Has Been Proved (Full Italian Job) - The Strings of Love
  • Novacane - Frank Ocean
  • Nowhere Fast - Fire Inc.
  • Nu Flow - Big Brovaz
  • Numbers - Kraftwerk

O = Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads (Art Pop - 1981, USA)

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One of the best basslines of all time - the rhythm section just kills it on this track. This has been a perennial favourite since I first witnessed the video on MTV.

  • Oblivion - Grimes
  • Obsession - Animotion
  • On Melancholy Hill - Gorillaz
  • One - Swedish House Mafia
  • One - U2
  • One More Time - Daft Punk
  • Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Saint Etienne
  • Only This Moment - Royksopp
  • On The Loose - Saga
  • Open Up - Leftfield
  • Open Your Heart - Human League
  • Orange Crush - R.E.M.
  • Ordinary World - Duran Duran
  • Out of Space - The Prodigy
  • Outside (Plastic Dreams Rmx) - George Michael
  • Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
  • Oxygene 2 - Jean-Michel Jarre
  • Oxygene 4 - Jean-Michel Jarre
  • Oye Como Va - Santana

P = Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode (Synth Rock - 1989, UK)

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Just a great stand-out track, not necessarily immediately recognisable as Depeche Mode in style - but the vocals are unmistakably Dave Gahan.

  • Paid In Full (Seven Minutes of Madness Coldcut Rmx) - Eric B & Rakim
  • Paint It Black - Rolling Stones
  • Pale Shelter - Tears for Fears
  • Paradise by the Dashboard Light - Meatloaf
  • Paradise Circus - Massive Attack
  • Paranoid Android - Radiohead
  • Paris (Aeroplane Rmx) - Friendly Fires
  • The Passenger - Hunter As A Horse
  • Pass That Dutch - Missy Elliott
  • Pearly Gates - U.S. Girls
  • Pennies From Heaven (Kevin's Tunnel Mix) - Inner City
  • Pjanoo - Eric Prydz
  • Planet Rock - Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force
  • Playback Fantasy - O'Gar
  • Play Dead - Bjork
  • Please Don't Go - Barcelona
  • Plug In Baby - Muse
  • Plot Twist - Sigrid
  • Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
  • Polyestereday - Gus Gus
  • Porcelain - Moby
  • Power - Kanye West
  • The Power (Jungle Fever Mix) - Snap
  • Power Out - Arcade Fire
  • Precious Little Diamond (Shep Pettibone Rmx) - Fox the Fox
  • Pride (In The Name of Love) - U2
  • Professional Widow (AVH Trunk Funk Rmx) - Tori Amos
  • Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
  • Promiscuous (Axwell Rmx) - Nelly Furtado
  • The Promise You Made - Cock Robin
  • Pump Up The Jam - Technotronic
  • Pump Up The Volume - M|A|R|R|S
  • Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
  • Push It - Salt-N-Peppa
  • Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See - Busta Rhymes

Q = Que Tal America (The Mericana Mix) - A Man Called Adam (Latin Disco House - 2011, UK)

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Not a huge selection for 'Q', but all those featured here are still classics, including this mid-tempo latinesque house groove - proper grown-up house!

  • Queer - Garbage
  • Question Of Lust - Depeche Mode
  • Quicksand - La Roux
  • Quiet Storm Remix ft Lil' Kim - Mobb Deep

R = Rapture (Deep Dish Space Rmx) - iiO (Big Room House - 2001, USA)

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iiO's debut album could easily have been called 'Enduring Club Classic Vol 1' but was named Poetica instead, and every track still sounds amazing. The combination of Nadia Ali and Markus Moser has rarely been bettered, and this is their signature track - wonderful middle-eastern inflected vocals make it sound all the more exotic - pretty much everyone loves this particular track.

  • Radio Babylon - Meat Beat Manifesto
  • Rain - The Cult
  • The Rain - Oran 'Juice' Jones
  • Randomness - Olga Bell
  • Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang
  • Rapture - Blondie
  • Rather Be - Clean Bandit
  • Reach (Jaxx Firecracker Mix) - Lil' Mo' Yin Yang
  • Read My Mind - The Killers
  • Ready or Not - Fugees
  • Real Fun - Children of a New Generation
  • A Real Hero - College ft Electric Youth
  • Realiti - Grimes
  • The Realm (Love in D Minor Mix) - C'hantal
  • Rebel Yell - Billy Idol
  • Reckless Girl - Beginerz
  • Regulate - Warren G & Nate Dogg
  • Relax - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  • Rich In Paradise - FPI Project
  • Ride a Rocket - Lithium and Sonya Madan
  • Right Here Right Now - Fatboy Slim
  • Rise From Your Grave - Phuture
  • R.I.P - Rita Ora
  • Roads - Portishead
  • Rock Me Amadeus (Salieri Mix) - Falco
  • Rock You Like a Hurricane - Scorpions
  • Rolling Down the Hills - G/L/A/S/S/C/A/N/D/Y
  • Rose Rouge - St Germain
  • Royals - Lorde
  • Rhodes Royce - Plastyc Buddha
  • Runaway - Del Shannon
  • Running Up That Hill - Kate Bush
  • Runnin’ With the Devil - Van Halen
  • Run The Show ft Busta Rhymes - Kat DeLuna

S = The Spoils ft. Hope Sandoval - Massive Attack (Trip Hop - 2016, UK)

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Simply gorgeous - it's incredible that Massive Attack can still keep on delivering these beautifully emotional beat poems with such regularity. It's sort of melancholy yet simultaneously uplifting.

  • Sæglópur - Sigur Rós
  • Samba Pa Ti - Carlos Santana
  • Save a Prayer (Era Rmx) - Duran Duran
  • Scarlet (Instrumental Version) - Periphery
  • Seconds - Human League
  • Self Control - Laura Branigan
  • Serious - Donna Allen
  • Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
  • Sex Metal Barbie - In This Moment
  • Shadows - Lindsey Stirling
  • She Sells Sanctuary - The Cult
  • Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd
  • Silly Boy - Eva Simons
  • Since I Left You - The Avalanches
  • Sing It Back (Boris Dlugosch Musical Mix) - Moloko
  • The Slightest Touch (Shep Pettibone Rmx) - 5 Star
  • Sly One - Marina Van-Rooy
  • Smack My B***h Up - Prodigy
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
  • So In Love - OMD
  • Somebody Told Me - The Killers
  • Song 2 - Blur
  • Sound and Vision - David Bowie
  • The Sound of Violence (Narcotic Thrust Rmx) - Cassius
  • Sour Times - Portishead
  • Souvenir - OMD
  • Sorry - Justin Bieber
  • Spice (Mix with Notes) - Eon
  • Stand Back - Stevie Nicks / Linus Loves ft Sam Obernik
  • Standing in the Way of Control - Gossip
  • Starálfur - Sigur Rós
  • Starcatching Girl - Brother Brown
  • State of Independence - Donna Summer
  • State of the Nation - Industry
  • Stay - Shakespeare's Sister
  • Step On - Happy Mondays
  • Stop Bajon - Tulio de Piscopo
  • Stay Here - Sahara
  • Straight Up - Paula Abdul
  • Strangers - Sigrid
  • Stranger Things Theme - Luke Million
  • Strict Machine - Goldfrapp
  • Sub-Culture (Rmx) - New Order
  • Suburban Knights (Angelo & Ingrosso Rmx) - Hard-Fi
  • Such a Shame - Talk Talk
  • Sultans of Swing (Live Alchemy) - Dire Straits
  • The Sun Always Shines On TV - A-ha
  • Super Freak - Rick James
  • Supernature - Cerrone
  • Superstylin' - Groove Armada
  • Surrender (Stuff Gun Mix) - Swing Out Sister
  • Svefn-g-englar - Sigur Rós
  • Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
  • Swollen - Bent

T = Tomorrow Never Knows - Beatles (Psychedelic Rock - 1966, UK)

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I've always felt that there was a direct lineage between this and 'The Chemical Brothers' - the 'Beat'-les were decades ahead of their time in sound production and engineering - a timeless modern track.

  • Take a Chance - Mr Flagio
  • Tambourine - Eve
  • Teardrop - Massive Attack
  • Tears (Classic Vocal & Full Intention Drippin' Rmx) - Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi Tomiie ft Robert Owens
  • Technetium - Reso
  • Tequila - Bo Boss
  • Tessio - Luomo
  • There Must Be Love (World Mix) - David Morales & Janice Robinson
  • Thriller - Michael Jackson
  • Time (Stonebridge Club Mix) - Therese
  • Time to Say Goodbye - Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli
  • To Be In Love (Full Intention Mix) - Masters at Work
  • Thought You Were on My Side - Cock Robin
  • Time to Pretend - MGMT
  • Tom's Diner (DNA 12" Rmx) - Suzanne Vega
  • Tonight is What it Means to Be Young - Fire Inc.
  • Too Shy Too Shy (12") - Kajagoogoo
  • Touch - Little Mix
  • Tour De France - Kraftwerk
  • Train - Goldfrapp
  • Tron - Joker
  • The Trooper - Iron Maiden
  • Truck on D Road - Bunji Garlin
  • True Faith - New Order
  • Tun Up - Jus Now ft. Bunji Garlin
  • Turn It Up (Rmx) - Busta Rhymes
  • Turn Me Loose - Loverboy
  • Two Months Off (King Unique Rmx) - Underworld
  • Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

U = Under The Water (Deep Dish Underpressure Remix) - Brother Brown (Big Room House - 1999, Denmark/USA)

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Probably my favourite 'Club Track' of all time - just wonderful atmospherics here - hauntingly beautiful!

  • U Got The Look - Prince
  • Unbelievable - EMF
  • Unbelievable (David Morales Dub) - Yello
  • Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
  • Unchained - Van Halen
  • Under Pressure - Queen with David Bowie
  • Under Your Spell - Desire
  • Unexpected Lovers - Lime
  • Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
  • Unravel - Bjork
  • Untrue - Burial
  • Untrust Us - Crystal Castles
  • Up, Up and Away - Andy Williams
  • Upside Down - Diana Ross
  • Uptight Downtown - La Roux
  • Uptown Funk - Mark Ronson
  • Urban Forms - Koven
  • Urgent - Foreigner
  • Utopia - Goldfrapp
  • U Wanna Little of This (Ali Payami Club Rmx) - Ricki-lee

V = Vitamin C - Can (Krautrock / Experimental - 1972, Germany)

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Another very percussively interesting track with rhythm section changing and evolving throughout - pretty much as equally timeless as the Beatles' Tomorrow Never Knows - and equally ahead of its time.

  • Vamos a la Playa - Righeira
  • Vamp - Outlander
  • Vanished - Crystal Castles
  • Venus as a Boy - Bjork
  • Very Important People - Gus Gus
  • Video Games - Lana Del Rey
  • Vicious Games - Yello
  • Video Killed The Radio Star - Buggles
  • Vienna - Ultravox
  • Viva La Vida - Coldplay
  • Voices Inside My Head (Ashley Beedle & DJ Harvey Rmx‎) - The Police
  • Voodo Child - Jimi Hendrix
  • Voulez-Vous - Abba
  • Voyage Voyage - Desireless

W = Wake Up - Arcade Fire (Art/Baroque Rock - 2004, Canada)

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This is simply the most beautifully evocative awe-inspiring track I know - truly emotional!

  • Walking on a Dream - Empire of the Sun
  • Wandering Star - Portishead
  • Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - Michael Jackson
  • War Of The Worlds (The Eve Of The War) - Jeff Wayne
  • Warm in the Shadows (Villa Remix) - Music Go Music
  • Wasted Times - The Weeknd
  • Waterfall - Stargate ft Pink & Sia
  • We Are The People - Empire of the Sun
  • We Are Your Friends - Justice vs Simian
  • We Become Heroes (Royksopp Rmx) - The Streets
  • We Belong - Pat Benatar
  • We Have All The Time In The World - Louis Armstrong
  • Welcome Home - Coheed and Cambria
  • Welcome to the Factory - Moraes
  • Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
  • What is Love? - Haddaway
  • What's A Girl To Do - Bat for Lashes
  • What You Waiting For (JLC Rmx) - Gwen Stefani
  • When Doves Cry - Prince
  • When Your Heart Is Weak - Cock Robin
  • When the Dawn Breaks (Cicada Rmx) - Narcotic Thrust
  • Where Is My Mind - Pixies
  • White Horse - Laid Back
  • White Wedding - Billy Idol
  • Whiter Shade of Pale - Procul Harum
  • Whispers - Aeroplane ff. Kathy Diamond
  • Wicked Game - Chris Isaak
  • Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
  • Wind Him Up - Saga
  • Window Shades - U.S. Girls
  • Why Can't We Live Together - Illusion
  • Wish I Didn't Miss You (Blaze Vocal Remix) - Angie Stone
  • Witch Doctor - Armand Van Helden
  • Witness (1 Hope) - Roots Manuva
  • Wonderland - Natalia Kills
  • Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check - Busta Rhymes
  • Wordy Rappinghood - Chicks on Speed
  • Work (Freemasons Rmx) - Kelly Rowland
  • Work It - Missy Elliott
  • World Princess Pt II - Grimes
  • Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Villa Remix) - Agnetha Faltskog
  • Wreak Havoc - Skylar Grey
  • Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush

X = X (Sound Factory Mix) - Junior Vasquez (Tribal House - 1994, USA)

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Another perennial big room club classic - chunky, throbbing, blissful, dancefloor blazer. Not much for X as such, but still a handful of goodies.

  • Xanadu - Oliva Newton John + ELO
  • XXX 88 - Mø

Y = Your Love - Jamie Principle & Frankie Knuckles (House - 1986, USA)

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There have been many versions of this, including the Jamie Principle original, but in my mind the best version is #2 - with Frankie Knuckles in on the collaboration with some deft studio touches.

  • Yeah! It's Yours (Mashup) - Skulduggery pres. Usher vs Jon Cutler
  • Yeke Yeke (Hardfloor Rmx) - Mory Kante
  • Yes (Bongo Disco Mix) - MGO
  • Yo Yo - Basement Jaxx
  • You and I - Medina
  • You Are My High - Demon vs Heartbreaker
  • You Can Do It - Ice Cube
  • You Know Me Better - Roisin Murphy
  • You Know You Like It - Aluna George
  • You Need Some Activator (Deep Dish Rmx) - Whatever Girl
  • Young American Primitive - Young American Primitive
  • You're Not Alone - Olive
  • You Take My Breath Away (MHC Remix) - The Knife
  • You Won't Forget About Me - Flower Power ft Dannii Minogue
  • Your Love Takes Me Higher - The Beloved
  • Your Loving Arms (JA Edit) - Karen Overton & Jose Amnesia

Z = Zeros - Starsmith (Electro House - 2012, UK)

Video can be found here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDxp8-JP2rM

It is alas not embeddable! Great modern melodic instrumental house though. Generally quite slim pickings for 'Z' not surprisingly!

  • Zdarlight - Digitalism
  • Zephyr - Madeon
  • Zvvl - Chvrches

Final Thoughts

I had no idea how much effort this would take when I headed down this rabbit hole - it's been rather physically, spiritually and emotionally challenging, but quite euphoric in the end too.

 

I set out to create not a fully comprehensive, but eclectically representative list of some of my favourites - the full list would simply be ludicrous. I initially entertained some arbitrary rules about how often a particular artist could appear in these listings, but in the end I was more concerned with covering as broad a field as possible.

 

There is a somewhat random element in here as some may feel certain categories over-represented and others at the opposite scale. Nevertheless I have tried to achieve some sort of balance - not necessarily in frequency, but in the depth and width and scope of material covered - ranging across a good 6 decades of musical evolution.

 

We feature original, covers, collaborations, mashups, reworks and remixes - so hopefully there is something for everyone here. I would love to know what your own Alphabetti lists are too! - just the 27 highlighted ones of course...

Stefan Karlsson
Posted by Stefan Karlsson
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