
Ask HN: What music do you like to listen to while you program? - daviddavis
I'm interested in what people listen to while they program or do work. Any related thoughts on how music impacts your work are welcome too.
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orblivion
Sometimes Dubstep. Sometimes Opeth (progressive/melodic death metal, probably
not for everyone). But my real silver bullet is the Symbols album by KMFDM.

Edit: And when I need to chill out more and concentrate, Indian classical
music, particularly tabla stuff since I like percussion, is fantastic. I've
also recently found that Herbie Hancock had a similar effect, (an album where
he sounds more like conventional jazz.)

~~~
forsaken
Agreed on the classical. I really enjoy listening to Bela Fleck, and this NPR
video has him (banjo), a bass fiddle player, and another playing with a Tabla.
Highly recommended.

[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1286522...](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128652297)

~~~
kmiyer
That's quite a lovely album (and also one of my favorites to listen to while
working). You might also like Yo-Yo Ma's recent album which has a surprisingly
similar feel even though it features different performers --
[http://www.npr.org/event/music/142242654/yo-yo-ma-edgar-
meye...](http://www.npr.org/event/music/142242654/yo-yo-ma-edgar-meyer-chris-
thile-and-stuart-duncan-tiny-desk-concert).

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benwerd
Although I don't listen to it elsewhere, I've found that trance music works
really well for me. I curate a short Spotify playlist that reliably gets my
brain going for me:
[http://open.spotify.com/user/benwerd/playlist/2srQ17pp4T1CNs...](http://open.spotify.com/user/benwerd/playlist/2srQ17pp4T1CNsxEUcfdtm)

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ohashi
house music. things without words or where the words really don't mean/add
much is easier for me to have in the background. Classical works well too.

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perspective
I'm a big fan of electronic music and used to DJ, so all kinds of electronica,
dubstep, garage/2-step, a bit of house/electro/tech house, drum & bass, and
recently a lot of techno. Pretty much anything fast with a steady beat.

I find techno to be good music for coding to because it is very subtle and has
long build ups whilst maintaining a decent pace. I'm still new to techno but
I'd recommend both the CLR.net and Drumcode.se podcasts, but get yourself a
decent pair of headphones :)

Dubstep can be fantastic for coding but I prefer the darker more underground
tunes as opposed to Skrillex and the poppy sound which gets played a lot
recently. Keep an eye out for tunes by Mala, Kode9, SP:MC, Distance, Lynx,
Skream, Loefah. I listen to Youngsta's shows on Rinse.FM which you can
download from their site on Tuesday mornings GMT.

Also some downtempo/chilled stuff is good for more relaxed coding. I've
enjoyed Emancipator's albums over the last couple of months and would
recommend them to pretty much anyone.

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FreebytesSector
To be honest, music often distracts me, but even distractions can be good
sometimes. They get your mind off the issue at hand so you can work on things
subconsciously. You might jump to a new issue and find the solution to the old
one.

I listen to a large variety of music, but for programming, I normally listen
to heavy metal and recently I have been listening to dubstep. It is my
favorites of what I would normally listen to, though. I find it best to keep
the playlist short, though. After hearing the same thing repeatedly, it
becomes background noise and only pulls me out of focus periodically. Like I
said, that can also be a good thing.

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SanjayUttam
I actually have a pretty hard time coding without music, maybe I'm used to it.
I usually listen to electronic but nothing too fast. Generally anything that
is at the bob-your-head tempo. PhuturePrimitive (lately: Kinetik), Max Melvin,
Eastern Sun, Sounds From The Ground. Oh, and sometimes I just _need_ to listen
to Underworld, DubNobassWithMyHeadMan. If I don't want to think about putting
creating a playlist or selecting an album, I'm listening to GrooveSalad on
Somafm.com.

FWIW, my spotify username sanjayU. I would be interested in learning other HN
spotify usernames, especially if you like downtempo/triphop/world/etc.

edit: Added phutureprimitive.

~~~
wkdown
spotify:user:122311263

Haven't discovered how to give myself an actual name yet

~~~
SanjayUttam
Interesting...if I add you to friends it shows your name

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JS_startup
As silly as it sounds, dubstep and other fast-paced, energetic music. I find
my pace of coding often matches my internal energy so that I start to slow
down and get less done when listening to relaxing, meditative music.

~~~
orblivion
The sort of Dubstep you often hear on Dubstep.fm I think is the ideal sort.
It's usually not constantly blaring funny noises at you the way it is when you
see it live (bro-step, you might say.) It is usually somewhat upbeat but laid
back and groovy at the same time.

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mattvot
Daft Punk - Tron Legacy soundtrack

Makes me feel epic and I feel like I am fighting a war with code

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TylerE
Super extreme metal. Messuggah, Vried, Vektor, stuff like that. Tech/prog
death mainly. Have to start it a bit gentler in the morning, usually some old
school doomer/stoner (St. Vitus, Slough Feg, Candlemass, etc)

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daledavies
Usually d&b, jungle, house/trance. As long as there are no lyrics, I find that
the words in music draw my attention away.

Edit: I have a friend who listens to podcasts while he codes, I really
couldn't do that!!

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michaelcampbell
Varies, but it's not much different that what I listen to when I'm not
programming. My tastes bounce around from day to day, but I tend to classical
(mostly chamber music), old metal (original Sabbath era), "classic" jazz
(coltrane era), celtic, "old time" banjo, and recently dubstep (Skrillex).

Mostly though... nothing. When I listen to music, I really listen to it, so
when I'm concentrating on coding, I usually have it as silent as I can make
it.

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msbmsb
Anything that I already know very well (and like, of course). What that is
will depend on the day/mood.

The main thing is that I find I work better with music already known over
silence or new music. My brain can kind of just go along with it without any
extra work since the patterns are familiar and it seems to help thought flow.

There are times when I prefer no music though, if it's involved research or
something I really need to think over or internally debate.

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joshstrange
Dubstep, I listen to techno/dubstep/trace music because usually there are
little to no words/lyrics which tend to distract me. Also I make sure to
listen to LARGE playlists so that I rarely hear a repeat in the span of a few
days which keeps my mind from memorizing the beats/music so I don't get caught
up in the music I just let it play. Check out Rusko and Skrillex those are the
top 2 I listen to when programming

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cuu508
Here are few Spotify playlists I've found on sharemyplaylists.com and have
kept around:

A Soundtrack For Coding
spotify:user:joannabutler:playlist:5DWd75wM11HGHF2rBgikAQ

Coding music spotify:user:vesanieminen:playlist:2BJneVq6neamXAi7MfYtZJ

Perfect for Coding spotify:user:tbibb:playlist:0gaXIS4Ucs3G6YNBJ8m29b

Coding Paradise spotify:user:scottix2:playlist:62oWivdtZmmTdMdUFh7ALt

For me, anything works that I'd normally listen to, but trance really gets me
immersed and focused.

~~~
wkdown
Here is my own, if you'd like to add it to the list

spotify:user:122311263:playlist:3Fh1B8D32GUrshQhuQdJVf

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miles_matthias
I listen to pretty much anything on Pandora when I'm having trouble focusing
or I'm not in a quiet place. Music with words doesn't bother me. I've been
listening to holiday music lately. My favorite groups to listen to are
Coldplay and The White Panda. (White Panda music is all free on their website.
They make money from concerts.)

TV is too distracting for me oddly enough.

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greenie
I find that house, trance, dance, drum and bass are energetic enough to
motivate me without proving to be too much of a distraction.

Here's my Spotify playlist for coding:
[http://open.spotify.com/user/gr33nie/playlist/5Yamm2Pj3ZNywr...](http://open.spotify.com/user/gr33nie/playlist/5Yamm2Pj3ZNywrtEbOJbfZ)

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sreitshamer
Any upbeat music that I've heard a million times (so that I'm not paying
attention to the lyrics instead of my work).

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wenbert
Mostly, Somafm. Secret Agent / Groovesalad. (If you are not familiar, then you
should definitely check it out: <http://somafm.com/>)

In a noisy environment (coffeeshop, etc.), I listen to Nightwish or Tool with
my cheap earphones.

Also, once in a while I pop in the Diablo II soundtracks.

~~~
solidgumby
Awesome, Groovesalad ! I had forgotten this one since a while, definitely
tuning in right now !

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cadooo
I mostly like to listen to electronic music while I code. The BBC's essential
mix has served me well over the last ten years. BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra
have some decent shows with no commercials.

Like some have said sometimes I need silence. Mostly on complex sections of
code or when I need to think a lot.

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bprieto
I use music (with headphones) when there is noise in the background. I have a
list in iTunes named "work" just for this.

It's a mix of progressive rock from the seventies (Pink Floyd, Yes, King
Crimson, Mike Oldfield) and new age (Enya, Madredeus)

I'm afraid it shows my age...

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j0ney3
During design phase I like something mellow, Waylon, Willie, Alabama, Charlie
Daniels, etc. When I'm actually writing code I like to get angry as fuck with
some Opeth, Killswitch, Machine Head, Goat Whore or Charred Walls of the
Damned

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damoncali
Nothing. My brain can't process music while I'm coding. I literally don't hear
it, or at most, it's just a increase in background noise. I wish that weren't
true, but I just can't think and listen to music at the same time.

~~~
pavel_lishin
Background noise sounds good to me. When I'm listening to music while I code,
I'm not actively "listening" to it, either - if you ask me what the last three
songs that played were, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you.

~~~
hltbra
Is is proven that any music/noisy sound distracts your attention and you get
not realizing some details that you would if not listening to music. The book
"Clean Coder" has a section about it...

edit: it is true for most people.

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Forrest7778
I listen to some House music and electronica stuff most of the time. Other
times some good rap or classical stuff can get my thought juices flowing. I
find that listening to music that is too loud distracts me.

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evanw
Anything instrumental/classical, The Social Network soundtrack, Daft Punk's
Tron Legacy soundtrack, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack, and NIN's
Ghosts I-IV.

There's quite a bit of Trent Reznor in this list.

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Banzai10
1) With little or moderate background noise I don't listen to nothing

2) Otherwise I like Flamenco music(instrumental) and also some slow musics
like Current Swell and other Surf Music stuff

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ajdecon
Anything that I've heard at least a few times before, and has a strong drum
beat. I'm pretty good at tuning lyrics, etc. out, but I need that strong
rhythm.

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steventruong
No music at all. I zone out and don't really hear anything after awhile so its
pointless to even have music on for me, or rather, it makes no difference.

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ddw
The first Crystal Castles album is perfect: kind of droney so it doesn't force
you pay to a lot of attention but it's got a good beat throughout.

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jswinghammer
The band "Cults" debut album is pretty good. The fast paced tempo is good for
getting me to get started working instead of reading logs or email.

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hsmyers
WFMT from iTunes Classical Radio. Or cycle through my favorites list on my
iPod, it is about 3.2 days long so the repeat factor is not annoying.

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wkdown
Mostly post-rock and downtempo. Like ohashi mentioned, few or no words is
ideal.

For those on Spotify spotify:user:122311263:playlist:3Fh1B8D32GUrshQhuQdJVf

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twl06
I came here to find good work music, and people are apparently into everything
that ruins productivity, I've found.

I just fire up console.fm while working

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madd_o
Soundtracks - mainly instrumental ones.

Trainspotting, Reservoir Dogs, Snatch, Run Lola Run.

They're moving, the backdrops to quickly developed stories, builds momentum :)

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dicroce
I've noticed 2 things.

1) I'm better without music. 2) If I do listen to music, anything instrumental
distracts less than anything with lyrics.

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dangrossman
During the day, I work best in silence. No music. At night, I work best with a
TV on in the background at low volume.

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achoukah
Heavy metal, preferably melodic death metal. Drum n bass or drum-heavy
electronica. A good rhythm is vital.

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Achshar
I am 18 and pop is my game. I would rather not disclose the artists but pop
should suffice. (No! Justin Bieber is not on the list, if that is what you
were thinking)

Although strange but I have found that putting a single track on loop is
better than playing a playlist, dont know why. So i usually have a single
track on loop for the night.

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DanielShir
ITunes radio. Lots of stations, you're bound to find something you can work
along with.

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mcorrientes
Depends on the time and my mood.

I certainly wake up and stop hesitating after I turned on a fast track.

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seanky
GYBE (godspeed you! black emperor), Opeth or Porcupine Tree are my goto trio

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ulisesrmzroche
White noise, for sure. I'm not smart enough to think of two things at once.

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jrmski
rainymood.com -- I've been listening to this 30 minute loop of thunderstorms
continuously for over a year. Music with words breaks my train of thought, so
this is perfect.

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motxilo
Drum & Bass, mainly. It keeps me awake, no need for coffee.

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logicalmike
I usually stream AH.FM. Lots of live progressive/trance sets.

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p-friedman
internet radio - WCBN, WWOZ, TSF, WFMU, KCRW, etc.

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vlorch
anything by Tim Hecker

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berntb
For energy and good mood, something fast and heavy. Death metal (Meshuggah,
Nile) is the main genre. But right now, Kvelertak is the favorite. (-: I'm to
wimpy for real black metal. :-)

Otherwise, it can be quite different. Modern jazz, singer songwriters, diverse
folk/world music, etc.

If it is complex music I need to know the album well to be able to be in the
zone.

My guilty favorites now are Lykke Li and Jamie N Commons.

Edit: Also, thanks for this HN question. I hope to mine interesting stuff
outside my comfort zone.

