| Year | Title | Artist | Genre |
|---|
| 1924 | Rhapdosy in Blue | George Gershwin | Modern Classical |
| 1925 | So Am I | George Gershwin | Stage & Screen |
| 1926 | Everything's Made for Love | Gene Austin | Traditional Popular Music |
| 1927 | I am Bound for the Promised Land | Alfred G. Karnes | Folk |
| 1928 | Basin Street Blues | Louis Armstrong | Jazz |
| 1929 | Honey | Rudy Vallee | Traditional Popular Music |
| 1930 | Mood Indigo | Duke Ellington | Jazz |
| 1931 | II. Adiago Assai | Maurice Ravel | Classical |
| 1932 | To Minore Tou Teke | Ioannis Chalkias | Greek Instrumental |
| 1933 | Shadow Waltz | Harry Warren and Al Dubin | Stage & Screen |
| 1934 | Soleá de Alcalá | Antonio Mairena | Flamenco |
| 1935 | A Tendinha | Hermínia Silva | Fado |
| 1936 | Kind Hearted Woman Blues | Robert Johnson | Blues |
| 1937 | Caravan | Duke Ellington | Jazz |
| 1938 | Aoko | Were Omito | Folk |
| 1939 | I'll See You In My Dreams | Django Reinhardt | Jazz |
| 1940 | Nuages | Django Reinhardt | Jazz |
| 1941 | Oiwake | Koichi Sugii | Jazz |
| 1943 | Soleares | José Cepero | Flamenco |
| 1944 | Round Midnight | Thelonious Monk | Jazz |
| 1945 | Mysterious Adventure | John Cage | Classical |
| 1946 | Midnight Special | Lead Belly | Blues |
| 1947 | Nature Boy | Nat King Cole Trio | Traditional Popular Music |
| 1948 | Misirlou | Anton Abdelahad | Folk |
| 1949 | Old Virginny | Jean Ritchie | Folk |
| 1950 | Remembering Your Lips | Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman | Space Age Pop |
| 1951 | Kohwe Wo Kunu Ayease | Kwame Boaki and His Band | Highlife |
| 1952 | Kundi Harp Recording | | Folk |
| 1953 | Theme and Variations | Moondog | Avant-Folk |
| 1954 | O Mar | Dorival Caymmi | Samba |
| 1955 | Talking Like You (Two Tall Mountains) | Connie Converse | Folk |
| 1956 | Call for All Demons | Sun Ra and His Arkestra | Jazz |
| 1957 | Yaa Amponsah | Koo Nimo | Highlife |
| 1958 | Fantastica Music from Outer Space | Russ Garcia And His Orchestra | Space Age Exotica |
| 1959 | Ebe Awalam Di | Ononkwo Aigwe and Group | Highlife |
| 1960 | I Hear a New World | Joe Meek | Space Age Pop |
| 1961 | Daisy Bell | IBM | Computer |
| 1962 | Portofino | Raymond Scott | Experimental |
| 1963 | Anna (Go to Him) | The Beatles | Pop Rock |
| 1964 | If I Fell | The Beatles | Pop Rock |
| 1965 | Michelle | The Beatles | Pop Rock |
| 1966 | God Only Knows | The Beach Boys | Pop Rock |
| 1967 | Baby, You're A Rich Man | The Beatles | Psychadelic Rock |
| 1968 | Long, Long, Long | The Beatles | Rock |
| 1969 | A Rainbow in Curved Air | Terry Riley | Experimental |
| 1970 | Dig a Pony | The Beatles | Rock |
| 1971 | Kaze Wo Atsumete | Happy End | Folk |
| 1972 | You Turn Me On I'm a Radio | Joni Mitchell | Folk |
| 1973 | Bara To Yaju | Haruomi Hosono | Rock |
| 1974 | Qué Desgraciaitos Son | Camarón De La Isla | Flamenco |
| 1975 | Another Green World | Brian Eno | Ambient Pop |
| 1976 | Moonlight Feels Right | Starbuck | Soft Rock |
| 1977 | I Feel Love | Donna Summer | Disco |
| 1978 | Enough About Human Rights | Moondog | Avant-Folk |
| 1979 | Are Friends Electric? | Gary Numan & The Tubway Army | Synth Pop |
| 1980 | Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On) | Talking Heads | New Wave |
| 1981 | Cue | Yellow Magic Orchestra | Electropop |
| 1982 | Camino del Sol | Antena | Electro-samba |
| 1983 | The Grid | Philip Glass | Experimental |
| 1984 | I Can Only Bliss Out (F'Days) | Laraaji | New Age |
| 1985 | Watching You Without Me | Kate Bush | Art Pop |
| 1986 | Your Love | Frankie Knuckles | Electronic |
| 1987 | A Little Lost | Arthur Russel | Avant Pop |
| 1988 | Seabird | Alessi Brothers | Folk |
| 1989 | Indang Pariaman | Samsimar | Sumatran Pop |
| 1990 | Bonita Applebum | A Tribe Called Quest | Hip Hop |
| 1991 | Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless) | Crystal Waters | House |
| 1992 | Sarah | Ween | Rock |
| 1993 | Venus as a Boy | Bjork | Avant Pop |
| 1994 | You Don't Love Me (No, no, no) | Dawn Penn | Reggae |
| 1995 | Show Me the Way | DJ Sneak | House |
| 1996 | Sugar Water | Cibo Matto | Alternative Rock |
| 1997 | God Only Knows | Cornelius | Shibuya-kei |
| 1998 | Ready to Rock | Sunship | UK Garage |
| 1999 | King of Silence | Cibo Matto | Alternative Rock |
| 2000 | Untitled (How Does it Feel) | D'Angelo | R&B |
| 2001 | Baby Lulu | Stereolab | Pop |
| 2002 | Dawn Chorus | Boards of Canada | Electronic |
| 2003 | The Lemon of Pink | The Books | Electronic |
| 2004 | "En Gallop" | Joanna Newson | Folk |
| 2005 | Michael A Grammar | Broadcast | Pop |
| 2006 | Don't Cry | J Dilla | Hip Hop |
| 2007 | Big Milk | Dan Deacon | Electronic |
| 2008 | Paper Planes | MIA | Alternative Hip Hop |
| 2009 | What Would I Want Sky | Animal Collective | Electronic |
| 2010 | Diplomat's Son | Vampire Weekend | Indie Pop |
| 2011 | Willow Pattern | Momus | Avant Pop |
| 2012 | Symphony of the Nymph | Ariel Pink | Pop |
| 2013 | Let U No | DJ Rashad | Footwork |
| 2014 | Never Catch Me (Instrumental) | Flying Lotus | Electronic |
| 2015 | Broken Flowers | Danny L Harle | Electronic |
| 2016 | 1001 Decisions | Woo | Avant Pop |
| 2017 | If You're Here | Cornelius | Shibuya-kei |
| 2018 | Dog Milk | Palm | Math Rock |
| 2019 | Count Contessa | Azealia Banks | Hip Hop House |
| 2020 | You Create Yourself | Dirty Projectors | Avant Pop |
| 2021 | Primera Fila | N. Hardem | Rap |
| 2022 | Ditto | NewJeans | K-pop |
| 2023 | Oral | Bjork and Rosalia | Art Pop |
| 2024 | How Sweet | NewJeans | K-pop |