5. INFINITY – INFINITY INK: The classic deep house tune. You’ll find this little gem dropped in sets all across the interweb,  with thick, bassy sounds that make you bob your head and tap your feet. Your dad will love it.

4. NIGHTINGALE (GORGON CITY REMIX) – CLEAN BANDIT: Pushing the boundaries of what we call ‘deep house’ here, but I couldn’t make the list without it. One of my favourite tunes, this makes even the most socially inept get up and bust some shapes. Gorgon City have been slowly rising this year, absolutely killed it at Boardmasters and hopefully we’ll get to see them along with their other Black Butter chums back in Oxford soon.

3. SO CLOSE – KIDNAP KID: Another Black Butter veteran and arguably my favourite producer, every track this guy releases is pure gold. So Close is a beauty, with vocals known to make grown men weep, and that sensual bouncy house feel to keep your head bobbing whilst you search for the download button. Ipods should come with this preset. It’s that good.

2. WHAT I MIGHT DO – BEN PEARCE: Mournful, sensual and all with a dark underside that makes you scrunch up your face when it drops. What I love about this track is its versatility: it’s soulful enough to be a chilled out ‘walk to work’ track, but drop it at your cool/hip/groovy party and you’ll have everyone up on their feet funking out. Everyone except that dub-head in the corner who says all house sounds the same. But nobody invited him anyway.

1. MR MAN – DUSKY: You couldn’t have this list without Dusky, and this track really is a masterpiece of the genre. The thumping bass melts away into those piano chords and you’re left smiling and spinning in a sort of musically orientated orgasm. The vocals are delicious, the beat is on point every time and the melody just rolls over the whole thing and makes you want to hug each and every person who happens to be there with you. Perfection.

There are so many more I’d love to include on this list. If you like the above, names like Cyril Hahn, Bondax and DEVolution should be looked into. If you want something with a similar vibe but a little darker check out George Fitzgerald, Huxley or Eats Everything and finally if you want that bouncy house feel but with nastier drops, look for names like Hannah Wants and Chris Lorenzo.

Elvis Costello & The Roots – Wise Up Ghost     9/10

An unlikely pairing: two industry outsiders who meet in the middle ground to create a record that shouldn’t, but somehow does, work. Both serial collaborators, Costello’s lyrical genius is self-referential to some of his own ‘deepest cuts’ (‘Refuse To Be Saved’ quotes from Mighty Like A Rose’s Invasion Hit Parade), whilst the Roots provide the music.

If you were expecting Costello to rap alongside Black Thought, be disappointed – it’s probably for the best. It’s an entirely different ‘vibe’ to 2010’s Wake Up! where the Roots (with John Legend) reference their Afro-American influences. Wise Up Ghost is more subtle, darker, and a more intelligent record with more swagger than ever for all involved.

Elton John – The Diving Board     3/10

Once again collaborating with long-term friend and lyricist Bernie Taupin, Elton seems to have become his own spitting image. Critically acclaimed track ‘Oscar Wilde Gets Out’ is a poor overdub of his previous work, with a piano part that could easily have been a variation of Your Song; album opener ‘Oceans Away’ is just dull and lacks any credibility. Where’s the innovation? Where’s the excitement!? The Diving Board has been described as reflective, a stripped back record that shows Elton at his best – but all it does is reveals gaping holes in his artistic abilities which leave you wondering whether he was actually ever any good? Perhaps not.

Kings Of Leon – Mechanical Bull     5/10

A respectable rock band? A guilty pleasure? The career of Kings of Leon is immortalised in their latest offering – a dichotomy of credibility and laziness, the sublime and the uninspired. Mechanical Bull remains frustrating and ultimately underwhelming. Lyrics such as “I was running through the desert/I was lookin’ for drugs” raises serious questions about Caleb’s creative abilities. Moments of brilliance are suggested with the grime and grit of ‘Don’t Matter’ and the balls-out bassline of ‘Family Tree’ but they’re far too few and far between. With a lack of the complexity and basic layering that led to the anthemic feel of past offerings, Mechanical Bull feels unfinished, perhaps unlike the band themselves.

Drake – Nothing Was The Same     8/10

Apart from Jay Z. who managed to creep into the studio for ‘Pound Cake’, Nothing Was The Same remains an entirely solo affair for Drake, and an intimate one at that. Known for including rants at non-famous girlfriends throughout his records, the line “The one that I needed was Courtney from Hooters on Peachtree/ I’ve always been feeling like she was the piece to complete me” (‘From Time’) has already gone as viral as the album itself, with his most successful first-week sales to date. The subtleties of Drake’s compositions remain intact with one idea generally worming its way into the next, and a lack of the abrasive horn sounds that dominate the megalomaniacal approach to rap. Drake is a populist, but also an introvert, reflective and not afraid to give you less for more. Genius.

Haim – Days Are Gone     7/10

The most over-hyped album of the year? Probably. The most upbeat, radio friendly ‘guitar band’ of the year? Definitely.

It seems practically impossible to even make a passing reference to Haim without mentioning Fleetwood Mac, who’s influence is felt with a Status Quo-esque shuffle present on ‘The Wire’, and shimmering ‘Everywhere’ synths on ‘Falling’. Despite being heavily influenced by the 80s, the funk-laced groooove, bass-laden mix and catchy lyrics are just falling straight into the class of summer 2013. Haim are obviously due to take over our airwaves and party like it’s 1989. If it’s originality you’re looking for though, please look elsewhere.

On a wet weekend in mid-September, I found myself (as one does) in an architect’s office in East London. Amidst the chrome-and-glass and strangely configured furniture was a group of artists and architects who were participating in an event called 10×10: Drawing the City London – an initiative run by the charity Article 25.

The concept is to divide an area of London (this year, the City) into a 10×10 grid. 100 artists, designers and architects are then allocated one square and they respond artistically to their zone. The artworks they produce are then exhibited for a week and finally put up for auction. All of the money raised goes to help the charity. Big names such as Richard Rogers, Sir Terry Farrell and Zaha Hadid all take part and therefore the auction can prove extremely profitable for the charity.

The conceit is a neat one. The charity responds to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states that adequate shelter and housing are fundamental to our human rights. The architects who get involved believe they have an obligation to “build” homes. They continue to do so here, but indirectly: their sketches make the money which makes the shelters.

The difference in the responses to the task by the participants was fascinating. Artist Rydal Handbury cherished the way that the initiative had given her the opportunity to draw in a different area of London. Usually she draws commuters at Bank but her patch was at the bottom of Brick Lane. Her drawing caught the sense of community outside a small greengrocers owned by two brothers. During the period that she worked there, they started to sell Jack-fruits – which are rare Bangladeshi goods – and she depicts the enthusiasm and the discernment of the customers.

By contrast Dara Huang, the founder of the luxury design firm Design Haus Liberty, had the intention to look at her space conceptually and “draw what you don’t see”. But most notable was the enthusiasm they all had for the event.

This passion for the initiative was understandable. Article 25 is an enterprising and successful charity that is providing aid where is it often forgotten. One of the stories regaled to me at this event was their struggle in Darfur to provide shelter when they had no water with which to make mud-bricks. They employed researchers at the University of Sheffield to work out the precise amount of human urine that could be mixed with the dirt instead in order to make durable bricks.

So often art auctions in aid for charity are marred by the disquieting disparity between the buyers and those who the charity helps, whether this becomes the case at the auction in November has yet to be seen, but the overwhelming impression of the initial weekend was the uncomplicated desire of the artists to use their skills to help others. It was certainly inspiring.