2025-12-23
Hey City Zen 2025
2025 was not much different in showing how crappy and hypocritical our western governments are. The only ray of sunshine, politically, was the election of Zohran Mamdani. Still, it was a good year for work, with important awards and most of all doing fun research. Too busy for my own good, and so I want to spend more time with friends and family in 2026. I continued to DJ #happymusic at Roterdão Clube in Lisbon's Pink Street.
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2025 was another a great year for music, with such amazing tracks from Jazz, House and Techno to Pop, Rock and Country -- even Brazilian Disco by AI! Don't let Boomers tell you music was better back when. I am sure I missed really excellent stuff, but here is the best City Zen of the year that made my radar. Top 50 Albums (plus a few collections), Top 100 Tracks, Top 20 Remixes/Edits (from E-Trash's DJ sets). The top tracks and remixes are assembled in a Spotify List as well.
Top 50 Albums of 2025
Grouped alphabetically in 4 groups below.
Diamond Cut
There was one album that stood head and shoulders above the rest. Rosalía showed us what a great album is from start to finish, best listened to in its entirety. Amazing voice, absolute craftmanship in the arrangements and production. Thank you for the creativity and the power of great art.
Rosalía – Lux
Platinum Set
These 9 albums, coming from very distinct genres, are almost flawless and I could not get enough of them:
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – Papota
Hollie Cook – Shy Girl
Cymande – Renascence
Lady Gaga – MAYHEM
Mavis Staples – Sad and Beautiful World
Midnight Generation – Tender Love
Pulp – More
Saint Etienne – International
Lola Young – I’m only F**king Myself
Gold Circle
Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant
Bad Bunny – Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Barry Can’t Swim – Loner
David Byrne – Who is The Sky?
Desire – Games People Play
Baxter Dury – Albarone
Florence and the Machine – Everybody Scream
Anna von Hausswolff – ICONOCLASTS
Parcels – LOVED
Polo & Pan – 22:22
Sparks – MAD!
Teddy Swims – I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)
Jimi Tenor – Selenites, Selenites!
Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
Beatie Wolfe and Brian Eno – Luminal
Silver Line
Bakermat – Grace Note
Benefits – Land of the Tyrants
Justin Bieber – SWAG
Carminho – Eu vou morrer de amor ou resistir
Sabrina Carpenter – Man’s Best Friend
Da Chick - Up in the Clouds
Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band – New Threats From the Soul
Carolina Deslandes – Chorar no Club
Sam Fender – People Watching
Franz Ferdinand – Human Fear
FKA Twigs – Eusexua
Francesco Gabbani – Dalla tua parte
Geese – Getting Killed
Felipe Gordon – Live Session
Maro & Nasaya – Lifeline
Morcheeba – Escape the Chaos
MXGPU – Sudden Light
Sombr – I barely know her
TEED – Always with Me
Morgan Wallen – I’m The Problem
Weather Station – Humanhood
Weekend – Hurry Up Tomorrow
Paul Weller - Find El Dorado
Wet Leg – moisturizer
Charlotte de Witte – Charlotte de Witte
Best Box Set of 2025
David Bowie – I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)
Best Remasters of 2025
Louis Armstrong – New Mono to Stereo Mixes
The Delta Rhythm Boys – Les Geants Du Jazz: From Harlem to Smaland
Best EPs of 2025
Three EPs were on rotation a lot, with more good tracks than many albums:
Jimi Tenor and Cold Diamon & Mink – July Blue Skies
Roy Ayers - Delfonic Reworked #1
Cerrone and Christine and the Queens - Catching Feelings
Top 100 Tracks of 2025
The best way to display this is via a Spotify list which also includes the remixes below at the end. The list was mixed with the new and beta Spotify mixing feature. It makes mistakes, is not available in every platform, and is certainly not the same as mixing with DJ equipment, but it is fun and the list should be listened to in the order shown, but can also be listened to at random of course (with no mixing):
Top 20 Remixes and Edits of 2025
So many great remixes and edits this year. 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:
Roy Ayers – Oh What a Lonely Feeling (Delfonic Rework)
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – Beto’s Horns (Fred again remix)
The Cure – Alone (Four Tet Remix)
Fatboy Slim and the Rolling Stones – Satisfaction Skank
RAYE – Where’s my husband! (David Guetta and Hypaton Remix)
Donna Summer – Oh Billy, Please (Ladies on Mars Remix)
The remaining awesome remixes alphabetically:
Booka Shade – Glare (Sainte Vie Extended Mix)
Bronski Beat – Love and Money (Kinky Roland’s RSF Metropol Italo Extended Remix)
Crazy P – Stop Space Return (Cosmodelica Remix)
Desire – Dangerous Drug (Loofy Remix)
Franz Ferdinand – Hooked (Joe Goddard Remix)
Nelly Furtado – Maneater (Nala Remix)
Groove Armada – I See You Baby (Austin Ato Remix)
JENNIE – like JENNIE (Peggy Gou Remix)
Letrux – Flerte Revival (Gaspar Muniz, BENO & Banana Gold Remix)
Bom Marley – Could you be Loved (LP Giobbi Remix)
K’Alexi Shelby feat. Tony Loveless – Ancestral Rhythm (Carl Craig’s C2 Edit)
Umberto Tozzi – Gloria (Agatino Romero Edit)
Sofi Tukker – Purple Hat (Adam Sellouk & Doriann Remix)
Vinyl Pleasures – HY BRASIL (The Reflex Remix)
Labels: #2025, #BestOf, #DJ, #Music
# posted by Luis Rocha @ 16:52 
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