From Diamond Platnumz’s update of a Tanzanian classic to Patoranking’s ode to sexual consent, these are the tunes that got Africa shimmying this year

Among the group’s top five vocoder tracks are a Belgian disco stomp from the 70s, Anderson’s O Superman, Kraftwerk’s Robots, and a slice of fine Italodisco

From punk’s cathartic power to the raw vulnerability of a folk icon – artists involved in Calm’s Torch Songs, a campaign celebrating the music that uplifts us, share their most empowering tracks

Forty years after helping to form the Damned, the Captain picks a punk-free playlist of all-time favourites

Ahead of the first ever Simple Minds acoustic album, the band’s frontman picks five songs that have shaped him

The producer picks his current favourite jazz, LA-Ethio funk and ‘non-electronic electronic music’

Mark Stewart of the Bristol post-punk group recommends noise aficionados, an aural alchemist and a sonic assassin

Adam Curtis’s music supervisor, Gavin Miller, shares some the arpeggiated synths and creepy atmospherics that score Curtis’s latest documentary

The singer and artist selects music from the tranquil end of the spectrum – from Erik Satie to Thomas Tallis via Virginia Astley and Aphex Twin

One of the UK’s leading folk artists chooses his top five collaborations, including John Hiatt and Glyn Johns, Buddy and Julie Miller, and Go Jane Go

The alt-R&B artist picks some hyper-melodic, joyful tracks from rap’s new wave, a modern experimental standout and a late 90s love song

Recorded while travelling across the US by train, Bragg and Henry’s new album, Shine a Light, features songs made famous by Hank Williams, Lead Belly and more. Here they pick their favourite tracks for a road trip

The indie pop frontman chooses distinctive music from 2016 by artists whose names start with A

London DJ duo the Heatwave select their ultimate tracks for this weekend’s festivities

From the latest summer dreampop to hypnotic trance, the Primal Scream singer shares his current favourite tracks

The reality TV star and Foregone Conclusion frontman shares some of the music that inspires him – plus some of his own compositions, to help inspire others

Vocalist Ranking Roger picks the punk, ska and reggae tracks that influenced him and the sound of his band, the Beat

From a moody duet to a joyful four-on-the-floor groove, the DJ, producer and poptimist shares the songs he’s got queued up this summer