Looking for playlist recommendations.
I have also enjoyed combining jazz with a rain simulator like RainyMood [2]. Volume-balance them together and it's sublime.
[1]: https://open.spotify.com/user/edlerner/playlist/5TJbCB33vOzT...
Mostly: anything without easily discernible or deep lyrics that distract me. This could be Black Metal, EDM, classical music.
Also ok: Stuff I really like and know really well, e.g. Metal with understandable lyrics, 80s Synthpop, Soundtracks
Usually not ok: ballads, rap, stuff with lyrics in my mother tongue
Special mentions: EVE Online OST: https://soundcloud.com/ccpgames/sets/eve-online-login-screen..., The Cat Empire, Dirty Doering, Pendulum, Massive Attack, Portishead, or random DJ sets
The Algorithm and Master Boot Record are metal-inspired electronic music with no vocals.
Video game soundtracks also work well. Danny Baronowsky, Ridiculon (The End Is Nigh soundtrack is phenomenal), and Disasterpiece are some of my favorite indie game composers.
Metroid Metal is kinda similar, but it's highly technical prog-metal covers of music from the Metroid series. Descendants of Erdrick and Armcannon are also enjoyable metal video game cover bands.
If you want to get lost in coding for a long while without needing to change albums, Chronicles of Time is a 5 hour long compilation of covers of music from Chrono Trigger by a huge variety of artists. If you listen to this from start to finish without stopping, you should probably take a break and stretch for a while.
I really enjoy the soundtrack from Elder Scrolls Online. The new Doom has an excellent soundtrack as well, though it does have occasional voice-over.
Instrumental prog metal is really good for getting work done though.
I've spent so much time trying to find good electronic music that doesn't have any vocals at all, and it's frustrating. Post-rock is great for letting your subconcious drift away while you work.
- Trent Reznor and NiN: Social Network, Ghosts and The Fragile.
- How to destroy Angels (also a subproject of Trent Reznor).
- Daft Punk: live album and Tron soundtrack.
- Miles Davis: Bitches Brew.
- RadioHead: OK Computer, KID A and Amnesiac.
- Gojira: Magma and From Mars to Sirius
- Opeth: Live at Royal Albert Hall
- U2: Songs of Inocence and Songs of Experience.
- Massive Attack: Mezzanine
- Blade Runner soundtrack.
- Interstellar soundtrack.
Recently Synthwave DJs
- Kavinsky: Outrun
- The Midnight: Any song (i really love these guys and the atmosphere they put into their songs).
Hope it helps you find a music for your mood.
Second Daft Punk's Tron score. It's kind of my default.
On the Miles Davis front, check out Panthalassa.
I should really donate on monthly basis, i listen to that radio a lot
Unfortunately the Android app stopped working for me.
I've contacted their support, they were initially quite responsive but no solution yet.
Recommended for support.
For calm, I go to Calm Radio on YT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxn8p26WTR4
when i’m doing something tricky but not right at my limit: palestrina and other polyphonic composers of medieval and renaissance sacred music.
plug and chug coding: kind of whatever.
Recently been listening to loads of Hard Bop Jazz though, Sonny Rollins in particular.
Mostly prog metal that I know well already. I find it hard to focus with music I have not heard before, but can quickly go into very deep focus mode with something well known.
Shanghai Restoration Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09b-jSbPreU&list=PLxjXphoR4Y...
Breaking Benjamin
For coding, design and code reviews that require focus, silence is the best.
My long-time addiction that has helped me a lot on numerous occasions is https://www.focusatwill.com/. I also use it as pomodoro timer. Silence is still better, if you're in a distraction-free environment.
For coding I usually like electronica. I go back and forth between ambient stuff, like Koan or H.U.V.A Network, and vocal trance which has a pleasing, hypnotic aspect.
I've tried binaural beats as well, they're not awful but they're not my go-to. Spotify has a ton of these kind of 2-hour tracks. Rainstorms can be nice as well.
https://youtu.be/CL-vqNpGVQs https://youtu.be/-e-jXfHeUy0 (terrible transitions) https://youtu.be/TmENer4RPhw (anything by Monrroe) https://youtu.be/Q0dK7_3mkQM https://youtu.be/_QVbDoVT9Ro https://youtu.be/-qiMuebvq9E https://youtu.be/LYgNN8lDQ5s https://youtu.be/egd1cC5hH7s https://youtu.be/tRCvp0DI-Qg
Unfortunately, a search for "Drum and Bass no vocals" gives you every genre of vocals you can imagine.
MiM0SA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXHhKIChMbw
Fuck Buttons - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxVZDxK02QE
Philip Glass - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoqFj81bpok
Police Scanner & Ambient Sounds - http://youarelistening.to/newyork
While thinking/reviewing/learning, generally instrumental jazzy/stoner trip-hop stuff:
Jan Jelinek - Loop Finding Jazz Records: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hIgBEXuQD8
Fila Brazillia - A Touch Of Cloth: https://youtu.be/RjuP9cvgLic?t=4m56s
Also Kruder & Dorfmeister/Peace Orchestra, John Abercrombie, Hidden Orchestra (highly recommend the albums Archipelago and Wingbeats).
Some examples:
Monrroe https://youtu.be/TmENer4RPhw https://youtu.be/41OKIznqMCg https://youtu.be/IKbadsY2MSs
Mix https://youtu.be/LYgNN8lDQ5s
You're thinking, "but it all sounds the same!" That's the point. It keeps you moving forward without breaking your stride.
For longer, less mentally demanding tasks this kind of stuff works great, too: https://youtu.be/VNP0-Tb9big
Most common genres that I listen to are electronic, trip hop, trance, techno, drum & bass, ambient and post-rock. Some of my favorite artists include Bonobo, Emancipator, Tycho, Gramatik, The American Dollar and DJ Shadow.
Here are some interesting Spotify playlists that you might enjoy during coding:
https://open.spotify.com/user/chillhopmusic/playlist/74sUjcv... Or find more like this on chillhop.com
Here's a few from me:
Post-rock / instrumental rock https://open.spotify.com/user/116691196/playlist/78eqGh29jt0...
Chill House music https://open.spotify.com/user/116691196/playlist/6DalghuQizi...
So a lot of OST (movies or games), jazz, neo rock, electronic music, etc..
SimpleHabit Focus Player (beta) [0] and Focus@Will [1] both play instrumental-y type sound, not really music per se. These two require a subscription but are inexpensive relative to the productivity boost they provide. Then SimplyNoise [2] and Zero Noise [3] for playing just colored noise in a noisy environment. The former uses Flash, so the latter is a bash script I made that's similar. I use the Spotify Focus playlists like Deep Focus sometimes, but they're more general and not as good as the dedicated services.
I find these are especially good for combatting interruptions, conversations, and variable noises like conference calls. Sometimes I'll use something upbeat and EDM-y to get into flow when working on simple things.
Another recent HN thread where I listed a few more related suggestions is https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14886317#14888870.
[0]: https://www.simplehabit.com/beta/focus
Prog Rock Instrumentals: https://open.spotify.com/user/frogblast/playlist/1RqHAhrFCEI...
Calexico Instrumentals: https://open.spotify.com/user/frogblast/playlist/6KDPLvi4akh...
Can't recommend Ramin Djawadi enough(he wrote soundtracks for Game of Thrones and Westworld). Here's a great example of his music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS-gbqbVd8c&t=0s&list=PLTT-X...
Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are also great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxabLA7UQ9k&list=PLyVPkvhD7G...
And I love halo soundtracks, here's my collection:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTT-Xb7kSZWWp4MXXUtny...
Surfpop / Shoegaze mixes, this is one of my faves! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiwd4yCrws0&t=2515s
Artists such as Mogwai
Sometimes skate punk or metal (weirdly first thing in the day to get my brain going!)
Liquid/Intelligent Drum 'n Bass mixes (again good for motivation) This Netsky mix is a classic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwTU4IVHlEg
NewRetroWave https://www.youtube.com/user/NewRetroWave /playlists
some classic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcpM0yN7p0c&list=PL7Tph50TCR...
and sometimes the Free Music Archive: http://freemusicarchive.org/
I have found my ability to focus is increased when listening to their "Focus" music.
https://open.spotify.com/user/josemenor/playlist/2g37r5uAPEi...
I'm only kinda joking but otherwise seriously check this out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqOVpiXfq0o
Otherwise, I put on my trusty 3M Peltor X5A with -37 dB rating, so most of Wework's office noises and sticky pop background tune down to a barely audible droning.
Coding music has little overlap with what I’d pick if I actually wanted to “listen to music”.
That stuff works for me, but, uh...I doubt a lot of people share my taste in programming music.
I get bored of coding so I like looking at the pretty pictures while I vim away on the other screen.
Helped me work through many a days.
Otherwise anything ambient that I find on youtube :)
I'm not writing viruses but when writing simple bash scripts with white text on a black background terminal it can be very enjoyable
https://open.spotify.com/user/1231314189/playlist/0uw5wl2Ne7...
listener-supported internet radio. Lots of different channels, mostly ambient electronic music.
Tycho. Also no vocals.
I've seen that songs I know already provide way less distraction than new music.
It has a similar effect to white noise while providing high energy rhythm.
Recently most played:
* Norma Jean
* Devil Wears Prada
* Blessthefall
* The Anchor
Medieval and Renaissance music too, sometimes.
