Playlist for the Gated Signal
Music matters here.
Every post on The Gated Signal includes a "Signal Boost"; a track that amplifies the mood or message. I see music as more than background noise. It’s rhythm, emotion, and memory wrapped in melody. It lifts us, grounds us, connects us. This site is soundtracked for a reason: to remind us that tech and leadership aren’t just logic and frameworks, they’re about feeling, flow, and finding your voice.
This playlist started as an attempt to pin down my top 10 favourite songs. But I quickly realised that was impossible. Then I broke the top 100 song rule too. Now it’s over 125 and still growing. Every track is carefully curated. These are the songs I can listen to on repeat. The ones that never get old.
Here’s the running list, in no particular order, of what’s shaping the mood behind the words:
| Track | Artist | Genre |
|---|---|---|
| Black Velvet | Alannah Myles | Rock |
| Journey in Satchidananda | Alice Coltrane | Spiritual Jazz |
| Turiya and Ramakrishna | Alice Coltrane | Spiritual Jazz |
| To You | Andy Shauf | Indie Folk |
| Reflektor | Arcade Fire | Indie Rock |
| (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman | Aretha Franklin | Soul |
| Counting | Autre Ne Veut | Alternative R&B |
| I Found U (feat. Max'C) [Radio Edit] | Axwell | House |
| Waiting Game | BANKS | Alternative R&B |
| 27 Hours | BANKS | Alternative R&B |
| Sunday Love | Bat for Lashes | Art Pop |
| Best to You | Blood Orange | Indie R&B |
| I Know You Got Soul | Bobby Byrd | Funk |
| Holding on for Life | Broken Bells | Indie Rock |
| The Mother We Share | CHVRCHES | Synthpop |
| Don't Forget About Me | CLOVES | Indie Pop |
| Different Now | Chastity Belt | Post-Punk |
| Seasons | Chris Cornell | Rock |
| Marijuana | Chrome Sparks | Electronic |
| Weekend | Class Actress | Synthpop |
| Princess of China | Coldplay & Rihanna | Pop |
| You Are We | Crazy P | Nu-Disco |
| Fortunate Son | Creedence Clearwater Revival | Roots Rock |
| Twist of Cain | Danzig | Heavy Metal |
| My Own Summer (Shove It) | Deftones | Alternative Metal |
| The Boys Of Summer (Remastered 2024) | Don Henley | Rock |
| State of Independence | Donna Summer | Disco |
| The Giver (Reprise) | Duke Dumont | House |
| The Circle Married the Line | Feist | Indie Pop |
| Live In the Light | Fertile Ground | Neo-Soul |
| The Lion's Roar | First Aid Kit | Folk Pop |
| Two Thousand and Seventeen | Four Tet | Electronic |
| Novacane | Frank Ocean | Alternative R&B |
| Band of Gold (Re-Record) | Freda Payne | Soul |
| Try It Out | Gino Soccio | Disco |
| Strict Machine | Goldfrapp | Electropop |
| Clowns | Goldfrapp | Electropop |
| Here Comes the Breeze | Gomez | Indie Rock |
| Wish You Well | Grant Lee Buffalo | Alternative Rock |
| House of Broken Love | Great White | Glam Metal |
| All This Love That I'm Givin' | Gwen McCrae | Soul |
| All the Days | HAERTS | Indie Pop |
| Dissolving | Hannah Cohen | Dream Pop |
| This Is Your Life | Hannah Cohen | Dream Pop |
| These Dreams | Heart | Hard Rock |
| Island | Heather Nova | Alternative Rock |
| Nakamarra (feat. Q-Tip) | Hiatus Kaiyote | Neo-Soul |
| Take Me To Church | Hozier | Indie Rock |
| We're All Going to Hell | Ida Maria | Garage Rock |
| Stop | J Dilla | Hip-Hop |
| Two Can Win | J Dilla | Hip-Hop |
| (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher | Jackie Wilson | Soul |
| I Believe In Miracles | Jackson Sisters | Funk |
| Limit to Your Love | James Blake | Electronic Soul |
| Three Days | Jane's Addiction | Alternative Rock |
| The Fact Is (I Need You) | Jill Scott | Neo-Soul |
| Hypnotic Drugstore | Jimi Tenor | Jazz-Funk |
| Darker Side of Night | Jimi Tenor & Tony Allen | Afrobeat Fusion |
| Canon x Love S.O.S. (WWW) | Justice | Electro House |
| Glory Days | Karima Francis | Indie Rock |
| Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) [2018 Remaster] | Kate Bush | Art Pop |
| Summerland | King's X | Progressive Metal |
| Moonlight | Koreless | Ambient Electronic |
| Faultlines | Lanterns on the Lake | Indie Rock |
| Smokestacks | Layla | Soul |
| Cool Out | Leroy Hutson | Soul |
| What's Wrong With Groovin' | Letta Mbulu | Afro-Soul |
| Twice | Little Dragon | Electronic Soul |
| Cult of Personality (2023 Remaster) | Living Colour | Funk Metal |
| Wasting My Young Years | London Grammar | Dream Pop |
| Visions of a New World (Phase I) | Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes | Jazz-Funk |
| Bad Girls | M.I.A. | Alternative Hip-Hop |
| Go! (feat. Mai Lan) | M83 | Shoegaze / Electronic |
| Woman of the Ghetto (Catz 'n Dogz Remix) | Marlena Shaw | Jazz Soul |
| Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) | Marvin Gaye | Soul |
| Unfinished Sympathy (2012 Mix/Master) | Massive Attack | Trip-Hop |
| Fade into You | Mazzy Star | Dream Pop |
| Inside My Love | Minnie Riperton | Soul |
| Final Song | MØ | Electropop |
| You Only Live Twice | Nancy Sinatra | Pop |
| So Have I For You | Nikka Costa | Funk Pop |
| I Am the Black Gold of the Sun (feat. Jocelyn Brown) | Nuyorican Soul | Latin Jazz / House |
| We Float | PJ Harvey | Alternative Rock |
| Embrace | PNAU | Electronic |
| The Ick | Panic Shack | Punk Rock |
| Like a Ship | Pastor T.L. Barrett and The Youth for Christ Choir | Gospel |
| Money | Pink Floyd | Progressive Rock |
| Berlin | RY X | Ambient Folk |
| Bent for Silver | Raging Slab | Southern Rock |
| One Day I'll Fly Away | Randy Crawford | Soul |
| Gabriel (Live Garage Mix) (feat. Preven Everett) | Roy Davis Jr. | House |
| Agnus Dei | Rufus Wainwright | Baroque Pop |
| Bloodflows | SOHN | Electronic Soul |
| Too Much | Sampha | Alternative R&B |
| Chandelier | Sia | Pop |
| I Believe | Simian Mobile Disco | Techno / Electronic |
| Medevac | Siobhan Donaghy | Electropop |
| In Your River | Snoh Aalegra | R&B |
| When You Touch Me | Taana Gardner | Disco |
| All I Do Is Think About You | Tammi Terrell | Motown Soul |
| Everybody Wants to Rule the World | Tears for Fears | New Wave |
| Bassically | Tei Shi | Dream Pop |
| Hunger Strike | Temple of the Dog | Grunge |
| The House of the Rising Sun | The Animals | Blues Rock |
| I Want You (She's So Heavy) | The Beatles | Rock |
| Drive | The Cars | New Wave |
| To Build a Home (feat. Patrick Watson) | The Cinematic Orchestra | Nu Jazz |
| Devil’s Backbone | The Civil Wars | Folk Pop |
| Considering a Move to Memphis | The Colorblind James Experience | Alternative Folk Rock |
| Voodoo Child (Slight Return) | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | Psychedelic Rock |
| Pelican | The Maccabees | Indie Rock |
| Gimme Shelter (Remastered 2019) | The Rolling Stones | Rock |
| Starla (2011 Mix) | The Smashing Pumpkins | Alternative Rock |
| The Weight | The Staple Singers | Gospel Soul |
| You Are in My System | The System | Electro Funk |
| Fully Completely | The Tragically Hip | Rock |
| Little Bones | The Tragically Hip | Rock |
| The Rat | The Walkmen | Indie Rock |
| Under the Pressure | The War on Drugs | Indie Rock |
| Inspector Norse | Todd Terje | Nu-Disco |
| Precious Things (2015 Remastered Version) | Tori Amos | Baroque Pop |
| Patterns (feat. Lianne La Havas) | Tourist | Electronic |
| Together | Tourist | Electronic |
| Habits (Stay High) | Tove Lo | Electropop |
| Rez / Cowgirl (Live / Brussels, Belgium / 1999) | Underworld | Progressive House |
| Cowgirl (Remastered) | Underworld | Progressive House |
| Girl Gone Bad | Van Halen | Hard Rock |
| Eyes Be Closed | Washed Out | Chillwave |
| Feel It All Around | Washed Out | Chillwave |
| Teardrops | Womack & Womack | Soul |
| Dull Life | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Indie Rock |
This playlist isn’t fixed. Just like the ideas on this site, it evolves. I’m always adding tracks that strike a chord. Whether they stir up a memory, reflect a mood, or just sound too good to ignore. Check back now and then for new additions. Who knows what might be playing next time you drop in?