2014 - Pop is not the F word

2014 - Pop is not the F word

Here we are Stylish Soulsters , yet again for another end of year recap.This year’s lists

weigh heavily on rock music’s mindless sister….pop.



This poor,humble but otherwise

honest DJ/Radio Producer ( I love me some Greeklish ) shall firstly refer you to the heading

and secondly join in a collective prayer hoping that rock, r’n’b/soul,dance/electronica will

make a comeback next year.




25 Tracks that rocked my world this year:
(In random order)

                                                                                                                                                           
FKA Twigs - Two Weeks

Grimes - Go

Sia – Chandelier

John Legend – All Of Me (Released in 2013 but peaked at no. 1 on the billboard chart in
May 17, 2014)

Moko – Ceremony

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Faultlines

Coldplay – Midnight (Just a thought…Chris Martin should have broken up with Gwyneth
Paltrow long ago considering the brilliance of A Head Full Of Dreams!)

EMA – Satellites

Foo Fighters – Outside

Pharrell Williams – Happy

Disclosure & Mary J. Blige – F For You (This is how you breathe life into a previously
released song.Ms Blige should stay in the U.K. and find her lost mojo!)

Charli XCX – Superlove

Kendrick Lamar – “I”

Maxine Ashley – By Your Side

Ariana Grande & The Weeknd – Love Me Harder

Tensnake feat. Fiora – 58 BPM

Gorgon City & Jennifer Hudson  – Go All Night (Garage/Warehouse parties,bring them
back!)

MNEK – Wrote A Song About You (So far so good.Will 2015 be his year?)

Kylie Minogue + Garibay – Glow (Simply stunning, a new level…more of this Ms. Minogue)

Indiana – Solo Dancing

Lykke Li – No Rest For The Wicked (Joris Voorn Remix)

Todd Terje – Delorean Dynamite

Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne – Rather Be

Max Cooper – Woven Ancestry (Original & Lusine Mix.Electronica at its best) 



 Track of the year honours go to Sam Smith – Stay With Me. 

What can I say, I’m a sucker for plain yet evocative and passionate melodies. Throw in a gospel choir and it’s a done deal. 

 14 Albums on repeat this year: (In random order)

 Katy B – Little Red 

 Jessie Ware – Tough Love (No sophomore slump for Katy and Jessie) 

 Sam Smith – In The Lonely Hour (Pray to God he avoids the 2nd album curse) 

 Royksopp – The Inevitable End (Sublime melancholy.Let’s hope it’s not their final studio LP as the duo have announced) 

 Blue Six – Signs And Wonders (A sophisticated,seductive, aural experience) 

 Caribou – Our Love (Strangely fascinating…that’s love for you!)

 Damien Rice – My Favourite Faded Fantasy (“You could be my poison,my cross,my razor blade.I could love you more than life if I wasn’t so afraid”…need I say more)

 Nicone – Let Love Begin (2013 Q4 release) 

 Basement Jaxx – Junto (Three cheers to Nicone and Basement Jaxx for releasing solid dance LPs in a world where one hit wonders are commonplace) 

 Miguel Migs – Dim Division (The man from San Francisco can do no wrong) 

 Flight Facilities – Down To Earth (My fellow Aussies have done me proud. Debussy would be proud too; Claire De Lune is celestial) 

Sky Ferreira – Night Time My Time (2013 Q4/2014 Q1 release.Hype or no hype there is more to Ms. Ferreira than meets the eye) 

 Chris Brown – X (The track featuring Aaliyah brought tears to my eyes-miss ya so.Few tracks aside,this really is a solid pop/urban album) 




 Album of the year honours go to Jarrod Lawson and his debut self-titled album. Every once in a blue moon an album comes around that raises the bar; a game changer.This is one of those albums. At the age of 37, singer/songwriter and musical prodigy Jarrod Lawson relesases a self-funded, self- produced, independent album and graces the world with one of the most musically provocative albums of the…decade (at least!!!!). At a very young age he found treasure in his father’s record collection. The influences of Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder are evident but at no point throughout the album are you inclined to suggest that Jarrod tries to copy their signature sound.Lawson has a flair for variance (soul, funk,gospel) and live musicianship.The lengthy arrangements give his songs room to breathe,to unfold and to take you on a journey. On a more personal level, I long for the brilliant soul recordings of the 70’s/early 80’s and wish that there were more of these gems in contemporary music. I wish that Lewis Taylor would reconsider his decision to retire from music or that Maxwell would make his way to the recording studio more often…but c’est la vie.Indeed, life should be all about finding solace in what you already have and cherishing what you are given in any shape or form not pleading or even demanding for more. Jarrod Lawson, I welcome thee to my world, just don’t wait another 37 years! 





 15 Confessions on the dancefloor: (In random order)

Take The Fall (Manuel Tur Remix) – Paskal,Urban Absolutes,Pete Josef

My Fault – Noir,HRRSN

Love Lights The Underground – Groove Armada

Pure Emotion – The Echonomist

Grace – Cleavage,Lars Vegas

Feels So Right – Solution

Wake Up – Pj D’arpino,Krisy,Liz Hill

Pushing On – Oliver S,Jimi Jules

You Are My Pride (Croatia Squad Remix) – Nora En Pure

Forget – Patrick Topping

I Got (Something You Need) – Ed Ed

Reach Out To Me – Karen Pollard (An out of this world remix bundle of this mid 90’s house 

anthem)

Do You Feel The Same – Hercules & Love Affair

Thank You Baby – Krankbrother

Dance track of the year honours go to GusGus – Airwaves (T-World Dub Mix).The obvious 

choice would have been  their first single Crossfade (Maceo Plex Remix) but this version of 

Airwaves has such a dark,twisted  inner strength that explodes from within (homage to 

Ridley Scott and the scene from Alien). It beams you up from the dancefloor and 

transports you to another galaxy.

Back in our galaxy Stylish Soulsters,  it’s time to sincerely look at ourselves in the mirror, to 

reflect upon the past year and to make new resolutions.This is such an intimate and 

unique  experience for everyone but one aspect should always be constant for all of 

us…Life happens and life is a dance but whatever the tune may be just keep on smiling and 


keep on dancing.

Season’s greetings to all of you.
Mr. CeeKay

Ceekay in Wonderland 
www.generateproject.com
Saturday Evenings 7pm Athens / 5pm London