2020-12-28
Hey City Zen 2020
After a crazy travelling year of 2019, like everybody, I was stuck at home (on both sides of the Atlantic) for most of 2020---though still travelling like crazy January to March, and a few times over the Atlantic. Maybe because of all this, I listened to even more music, which was one of the few things that kept me sane, really. Yet another great year for music, despite it al! I am sure I missed really great stuff, but here is the best City Zen of the year that made my radar. Top 50 Albums, Top 120 Tracks, Top 30 Remixes/Edits (from E-Trash's DJ sets), Live albums and EPs. The top tracks and remixes are assembled in a Spotify List as well.
I so miss live shows, so these albums kept that feeling alive, three from classic acts stood out:
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Top 50 Albums of 2020
Grouped alphabetically in 5 groups below.Diamond Cut
There were definitely 3 albums that stood above for, mostly because they captured what I needed in this pandemic year: a retro look to all tomorrow's dance parties. The ladies were on constant rotation!:
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
Roisin Murphy - Roisin Machine
Jessie Ware - What's your Pleasure?
Platinum Set
These 7 albums are just excellent from beginning to end and I could not get enough of them:
Aksel & Aino – Lullabies For Submarines
Disclosure – Energy
JARV IS (Jarvis Cocker) – Beyond the Pale
Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot
The Pretenders – Hate for Sale
The Strokes – The new abnormal
Paul Weller – On Sunset
Gold Circle
Marc Almond - Chaos and a Dancing Star
Booka Shade - Dear Future Self
Capicua - Madrepérola
Caribou - Suddenly
Bod Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways
Paul Epworth – Voyager
Maria João e OGRE – Open Your Mouth
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - What kinda music
Moodymann – Taken Away
Poolside - Low Season
The Sparks - A steady drip, drip, drip
O Terno - <atrás/além>
Tres Tristes Tigres – Mínima Luz
Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels
Yello – Point
Silver Line
Cristina Branco - Eva
Clã – Véspera
Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts
Baxter Dury - the Night Chancers
Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
Magnetic Fields - Quickies
Perfume Genius – Set my heart on fire immediately
La Roux - Supervision
Sault – Untitled (Black Is)
Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA
Robotaki - The grand mirage
Shamir – Shamir
Jimi Tenor - Aulos
Working men’s Club – Working men’s Club
Yaeji - What we drew
Bronze Medal
(((O))) – (((2)))
Donny Benét - Mr. Experience
Cabaret Voltaire – Shadow of Fear
Celebrity BBQ Sauce – Celebrity BBQ Sauce
IDLES – Ultra Mono
Eminem - Music to be Murdered By
Ellie Goulding – Brightest Blue
Ian Isiah – AUNTIE
Alicia Keys - Underdog
Shawn Mendes – Wonder
Best Live Albums of 2020
I so miss live shows, so these albums kept that feeling alive, three from classic acts stood out:
David Bowie - Ouvrez Le Chien (Live Dallas 95)
Bryan Ferry - Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1974
Rolling Stones - Steel Wheels Live
Best EPs of 2020
Seven EPs were on rotation a lot, with more good tracks than many albums:
Black Light Smoke - Heat Flash
James Blake – Covers
Christine and the Queens - La Vita Nuova
Chromeo - Quarantine Casanova
Digitalism – Reality 2
Pongo - UWA
Tiger & Woods - Boot & Heel
Top 120 Tracks of 2020
I think this year deserves another 20 tracks :) The best way to display this is via a Spotify list which also includes the remixes below at the end (more or less organized, but can be listened to at random):
Top 30 Remixes and Edits of 2019
So many great remixes and edits this year. Special mentions, first to one of my fave 2020 albums (see above) that also received an entire remix album orchestrated by the Blessed Madonna: Dua Lipa - Club Future Nostalgia (DJ Mix by The Blessed Madonna). Second to the super fun albumwith dub remixes of several Boy George hits: This is what I Dub, Vol. 1.
Looking at individual tracks, there were definitely 6 above the rest, which took the original into another place of excellence. All remixes, edits and mashups below elevate the originals either into a whole different place, a distilled essence, or simply make it work so well on the dance floor. It is great when a track has two great lives, which is a remix at its best:
Bonga -Mona Ki Ngi Xica (Pablo Fierro Remix)
David Bowie - The man who saved the World (Brian Eno 'Live´Mix 2020)
Django Django - Glowing in the Dark (Hot Chip Remix)
Goldie feat. Mike Banks - Redemption (Jon Dixon Edit)
Vince Watson - Progress (Joe Claussell Remix)
The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (The Chromatics Remix)
The remaining awesome remixes alphabetically:
All We Are - Not Your Man (Just Kiddin Remix)
Blancmange - Blind Vision (Honey Dijon Remix)
Casbah 73 - Love Saves the Day (Danny Krivit Extended Edit)
Neneh Cherry - I've got you under my skin (Blacksmith "Brixton Bass Mix")
Gal Costa - Cuidando de Longe (Diogo Strauz Remix)
Mike Dunn - Natural High (Riva Starr Mo'Funk Extended Remix)
Erasure - Love to Hate You (Robbie Rivera Juicy Mix)
Jamiroquai - Cosmic Girl (Dimitri from Paris Remix)
Kraak & Smaak - Same Blood (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
Chris Lake & Solardo - Free your body (Noizu Remix)
Dua Lipa - Physical (Erika de Casier Remix)
Barry Manilow - Copacabana 2020 (The Reflex Revision)
Moby - Power Is Taken (Felguk Remix)
Moullinex - Running in the Dark (Seb Wildblood Remix)
Pet Shop Boys - Monkey Business (Friend Within Friend Remix)
Pnau - Chameleon (Pnau x Melé Remix)
Rhye - Beautiful (Lewis ofMan Remix)
Risk Assessment feat. Jemeni G - Remember Me (Yuksek Remix)
Robbie Rivera - Change (Fangs Remix)
Rina Sawayana - Comme des Garçons (Pablo Vittar x Brabo Remix)
Russel Small & DNO P - Strawberry Letter 23 (Dr. Packer Remix)
Sunset City - Feels so Right (Art of Tones '1982' Remix)
O Terno - Bielzinho/Bielzinho (Xinobi Extended remix)
David Walters - Kryé Mwen (Patchworks Remix)
Labels: #2020, #BestOf, #Music
