By Dale Western on 14 November 2014

The importance of a holiday playlist has been drummed into us from an early age; remember all the advice in TV Hits about making compilation tapes before heading off on your holidays?

Nothing's changed apart from the medium - these days we've swapped our beloved tapes for Spotify and iTunes - but the idea that you can have a futureproof soundtrack to the best week of the year remains. We've asked around the office, and we reckon that these are the ultimate holiday tunes.

Best for: Waiting in the airport

You're tired, you're frazzled, and you can't bear the thought of any more funky house. Not that you should be listening to that anyway, but you know what we mean. These are the most relaxing songs on our books that'll leave you mooching around Duty Free in a state of semi-bliss.

St Vincent: Surgeon

Flash and The Pan: Waiting for a Train

Metric: London Halflife

Portishead: Deep Water

Goldfrapp: Time Out from the World

The Maaccabees: Toothpaste Kisses

Nouvelle Vague: Friday Night, Saturday Morning

Beck: Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime

LCD Soundsystem: Too Much Love

Radiohead: True Love Waits

DJ Shadow: Midnight in a Perfect World

Best for: Taking off

Whether or not you love that kick in the back as the plane leaves the ground, there's no denying that take-off signifies the start of your holiday. So, even if you're feeling a bit nervous about speeding around in a glorified tin can, these songs will give you that pre-holiday glow:

Two Door Cinema Club: Something Good Can Work

Katy Perry: International Smile

Will Smith: Summertime (Hands up who thought we'd leave this out? No way!) 

Todd Terje: Delorean Dynamite

Bobby Brown: Every Little Step

Lily Allen: URL Badman

Strike: U Sure Do

Far East Movement: Like A G6

Madeon: The City

The Chainsmokers: #SELFIE

Justice: Audio, Video, Disco

Best for: Beach life

It's time to play it cool. You don't want something that you can't fall asleep to, but it needn't be so slow that you start thinking about gloomy things. We reckon we've struck the right balance with this lot:

Lana Del Ray: Blue Jeans (RAC remix)

Bertie Blackman: Black Cats (Shazam remix)

All Saints: Pure Shores

Muscles: Sweaty

Annie: Anniemal

Young and Company: I Like What You're Doing To Me

Holy Ghost: Hold On

Blur: Tracy Jacks

Junkie XL: Zerotonine

The Smiths: London

Best for: The morning after

If you've woken up with someone rather nice-looking, pop this on. Alternatively, if you've come to on the floor surrounded by bottles and three underdressed friends, this will also do nicely and reduce that post-drinking anxiety as you shuffle around and attempt to find all your belongings.

James Chadwick: The Wooden Floor

The Auteurs: After Murder Park

The Wave Pictures: I Love You Like a Madman

Pulp: David's Last Summer

Manic Street Preachers: All Surface, No Feeling

Pet Shop Boys: Being Boring

Junior Boys: In the Morning

The Divine Comedy: Down in the Street Below

Peter and Kerry: One Thing

Fleetwood Mac: Landslide

The Flaming Lips: Race For The Prize

Sarah Nixey: Love and Exile

Uffie: First Love

Hooverphonic: Mad About You


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