
Music for Programming - galfarragem
http://musicforprogramming.net/
======
mangeletti
I've listened to Brain.fm since this past February, and it is truly amazing.

They have Focus, Relax, and Sleep, but I've only ever listened to Focus. It's
like this steady stream of some kind of electronically generated music that
changes each 30 minutes. I set it to 2 hours, and then I usually take a small
break when it ends. I'll turn it on and literally get into the zone
immediately; writing line after line of code without even realizing how
quickly I'm working. It's like getting on a train to the Matrix or something.

Link: [http://brain.fm/](http://brain.fm/)

~~~
jkalmadi
Co-founder of brain.fm here. Thanks for the love!

Here's an exclusive deal on the lifetime membership for the next 24 hours.

It's a $29 deal (or 80% off) for the lifetime membership. Our best offer :)

Link: [http://brain.fm/HN](http://brain.fm/HN)

~~~
gremlinsinc
Hey you coming out w/ an android app any time soon? Would love to try the
relax while I sleep. Just bought the pro deal.

~~~
jkalmadi
Yup! 80% done, sprinting to release it.

~~~
inanutshellus
Whenever I hear a programmer say "80% done" I think of the contractor's
version: "two weeks", from the old '80s movie Money Pit:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70xGgWIw5tU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70xGgWIw5tU)

~~~
oriel
The joke at my old work was 'basically done'. Meaning they spent a weekend
equivalent on a prototype. Management heard 'done' the rest of us heard 'not
production ready'.

~~~
HeavyStorm
Here is, 'done, just needs testing'.

------
3chelon
Does anyone know of any actual conclusive studies in this area? Like most
here, I have my own rules and preferences. The main rule seems to be it must
be familiar, in fact it's best if I've heard it a thousand times already. But
there are only three kinds of music that work for me:-

1\. Music I first got into during my teenage years when I was sitting up all
night coding assembler (OK, I admit it, Pink Floyd) works well because I think
my mind is conditioned in an almost Pavlovian way to go into programming mode
when I hear it;

2\. Ambient EDM works well because it is very repetitive and doesn't have any
strong lyrical structure - my trouble is, as an old fart, I find only a very
small subset of the vast range of EDM that I actually like.

3\. A certain kind of loud, wall-of-sound rock music which is very heavy on
distortion with subdued vocals works well _but only at night_.

Received opinion says classical music is good for cognitive tasks, and I've
tried over the years but never good great results.

~~~
closed
I can only speak from the angle of memory/attention research, but a couple
lines of study struck me.

1\. Irrelevant speech / sounds tends to reduce memory capacity for the task at
hand[a].

2\. People with ADHD self-stimulate by, e.g, squirming. Music can help them
with attentional tasks by providing stimulation [b].

Overall, I'm not that familiar with studies specifically on music, but I'd
guess that it's a trade-off between arousal (e.g. rock music or something to
pump you up) and dividing attention. Music could also set a context (e.g. put
you in programming "mode"), which tends to have a small positive effect on
performance on a number of cognitive tasks.

[a]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrelevant_speech_effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irrelevant_speech_effect)

[b]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_arousal_theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_arousal_theory)

~~~
Klathmon
I have ADHD, and it's really difficult to describe to people how the "self
stimulation" works.

It's almost like I need to keep part of my brain busy so the other "quieter"
part can work.

Music, driving, pacing around, and to a lesser extent fidgeting or tapping can
all "placate" that part of my brain so the other can actually do work. I'll
even do things like play music while listening to a talk or presentation while
working, because without the music keeping me "busy" I just can't focus on the
topic of the talk.

~~~
yesiamyourdad
I think that explains my taste in "focus" music. Most of the "focus" playlists
are ambient or classical. The ambient stuff is just there; it doesn't really
engage my brain. It's like traffic noise. Classical is... I don't know, too
structural? I find it distracting. My brain switches on when I'm listening to
stuff that's challenging - dissonant, rhythmically odd, fast paced, changing
tempos. But I've thought the same thing, that kind of music engages some part
of my brain so the part that's more linear-thinking can get on with business
uninterrupted.

So my "focus" playlist is post-bop Jazz with things like Chick Corea
(especially Three Quartets), Steps Ahead, Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio
stuff, early Wynton Marsalis. Some Coltrane, but not so much his meditative
stuff - things like Giant Steps make my brain engage.

I can't multitask like that though - I can't have two auditory sources. When
I'm talking to people, I have trouble picking out voices when surrounded by a
crowd, or with several people talking at once. It's like I'm trying to make
sense of all the background noise and can't pick up what's being said directly
to me.

~~~
Klathmon
It's very similar for me. My music is EDM like many other coders, but it's
more live performances, as they just don't end. Generally i'll grab a playlist
of like 3 or 4 live shows from the same producer and i'll play them back to
back.

But the multitasking thing is a bit different for me, it's more one-sense-at-
a-time for me. My wife has laughed at me before because she'll come home and
i'll be watching a youtube talk on one screen, playing music over the
speakers, and programming something mundane all at the same time, but if 2
people are talking at the same time I have trouble hearing anything.

~~~
awongh
this. I find stuff like brain.fm too minimal, and not engaging enough,
personally.

Interesting how everyone has a personal threshold of not engaging enough / too
engaging.

I wish there was some reliable resource I could go to to find 3-5 hour blocks
of edm type music.

~~~
udkl
ww.mixcloud.com/discover/edm/featured/

------
Inversechi
For me I find SomaFM good for working

\- [http://somafm.com/player/#/now-
playing/missioncontrol](http://somafm.com/player/#/now-playing/missioncontrol)

\- [http://somafm.com/player/#/now-
playing/defcon](http://somafm.com/player/#/now-playing/defcon)

\- [http://somafm.com/player/#/now-
playing/cliqhop](http://somafm.com/player/#/now-playing/cliqhop)

~~~
kylebgorman
Or:

    
    
        alias dronezone='mplayer http://somafm.com/dronezone130.pls'
        alias groovesalad='mplayer http://somafm.com/groovesalad130.pls'
    

(etc.)

~~~
jarvist
Requires an explicit '-playlist' tag on recent (?) mplayers, otherwise it
aborts due to potential security issues.

    
    
        alias dronezone='mplayer -playlist http://somafm.com/dronezone130.pls'
        alias groovesalad='mplayer -playlist http://somafm.com/groovesalad130.pls'

------
rads
I recently discovered the work of Laurie Spiegel, whom I now have great
respect for. My personal favorite song by her is the opener from her only
album "The Expanding Universe":

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN3uYELX8iQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN3uYELX8iQ)

Regardless of whether you fall in love with the music, it's worth knowing
about her as a pioneer of computing. And yes, she also happens to be a woman.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Spiegel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurie_Spiegel)

> Best known for her use of interactive and algorithmic logic as part of the
> compositional process, Spiegel worked with Buchla and Electronic Music
> Laboratories synthesizers and subsequently many early, often experimental
> and prototype-level music and image generation systems, including GROOVE
> system (1973–1978), Alles Machine (1977) and Max Mathews's RTSked and John
> R. Pierce tunings (1984, later known as the Bohlen–Pierce scale) at Bell
> Labs, the alphaSyntauri for the Apple II (1978–1981), the McLeyvier
> (1981–1985).

~~~
stuartmalcolm
Wow! Excellent. Thanks

------
flanbiscuit
A few other redditors and I maintain a playlist of Downtempo (mostly) non-
vocal electronic music specifically targeted towards developers. It's an open
playlist so feel free to contribute!

[https://open.spotify.com/user/fgutz/playlist/3dBiKJSoAQ6msoY...](https://open.spotify.com/user/fgutz/playlist/3dBiKJSoAQ6msoYzl99wp2)

spotify:user:fgutz:playlist:3dBiKJSoAQ6msoYzl99wp2

~~~
gdrulia
is there a way to see the list without logging in to spotify? Non-vocal
electronic seems like my cup of tea for when I'm working.

~~~
mnx
CSV of all the tracks:
[https://fzak.pl/FILEZ/codersplaylist.csv](https://fzak.pl/FILEZ/codersplaylist.csv)

Youtube playlist of some of the tracks:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOEg5uEc0bD0wwIEEKTNc...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOEg5uEc0bD0wwIEEKTNcoii-
II_zG0Et)

~~~
flanbiscuit
This is awesome! thanks for doing this!

Also I should note that because it's an open playlist sometimes some music
gets in that I personally don't agree should be on there but I can see why
maybe someone else would put it there. I don't aggressively police it the list
but once in a while I'll remove something that obviously doesn't fit

------
eswat
I have two rules when I’m listening to music while programming:

1\. My favourite genres are K-Pop and Industrial – it helps that they are also
very energetic genres — and my rule is that I can only listen to them while
programming. Helps to really put me in the “you’re working now” space (thanks
to Julian Shapiro for this tip)

2\. I pick one song and repeat it for the entire day, sometimes for several
days in a row. I’ve listened songs in the above genres so much that the lyrics
don’t become much of a distraction, including new ones.

~~~
merrvk
Number 2 sounds like hell

~~~
bshimmin
You can give it a try with the amazing Infinite Jukebox! Here's a perennial
favourite, "Call Me Maybe":
[http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/index.html?trid=TRORQWV137...](http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/index.html?trid=TRORQWV13762CDDF4C)

(I will not be held accountable for your resulting lapse into total insanity
after 20 minutes or so.)

~~~
darfs
Omfg is that awesome! °-° Can i also Upload or use my own Files? Or is this
somewhere Open sourced?

~~~
bshimmin
Looks like they removed the "upload" button:
[http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/faq.html](http://labs.echonest.com/Uploader/faq.html)

And it doesn't appear to be open source, sadly.

------
zos
This is run by a friend of mine, John Datassette (not real name). He's a bomb
game dev, squirty electro peacock and all round Little Lord. Check out his
fiendishly hard game "Space Rubbish":

[https://datassette.bandcamp.com/album/space-rubbish-game-
ost](https://datassette.bandcamp.com/album/space-rubbish-game-ost)

I made one of those mixes. Guess which one and i'll fax you some handmade
congratulations.

~~~
makmanalp
Wow! The Datassette album is one of my favourites - Minus Fourteen is the
first song on one of my favourite work playlists.

~~~
mind_heist
I have bumped into his name so many times , but never once though it was a
made up name ! Is he a game dev himself ? Can I ask for the list of games he
made , would love to check them out .

~~~
zos
Yeah, he puts all his game stuff out here
[http://slakinov.com/](http://slakinov.com/). But I think his server is still
down after Hacker News crushed it, ha.

------
greydius
I have my own "playlist" for programming and studying. I've found the key to
not being distracted by the music is to avoid anything with singing and stick
with stuff that's already familiar. My choices include a lot of ambient
electronic and classical music. Oddly, metal also seems to work when the
lyrics are completely indecipherable growls and screams.

~~~
dancek
Music in a foreign language works for me almost as well as instrumental music.
If I hear Finnish, I somehow must listen to the words, but even though I'm
proficient in English, I can just let the words go by without thinking about
them.

I'm sure this phenomenon has a name, but I don't know it. Another aspect is
that I can read English (focusing on that) and listen to Finnish at the same
time, and I'll remember both what I heard and what I read. Doesn't work the
other way around, or if both are the same language.

------
bit-shifter
I've been a long time fan of the music produced by autechre.

When I really need to isolate myself from the outside world to concentrate on
a difficult problem, the go-to choice is Incunabula.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incunabula_(album)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incunabula_\(album\))

I'm not sure whether it's my absolute familiarity with the album, or that fact
that it bears listening to on repeat.

~~~
pimeys
Have you listened to Warp Records more than just the Autechre releases (which
are of course superb)?

Every single album in the Artificial Intelligence series (including the first
Autechre) are genre-defining classics.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_Intelligence_(serie...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_Intelligence_\(series\))

~~~
bit-shifter
Yes, Warp have influenced my music tastes a great deal. ae, BOC, plaid, aphex
twin (and his many guises), squarepusher and µ-ziq are all staples.

Another album I listen to a great deal whilst working:

[https://warp.net/releases/blech-ii-
blechsdottir/](https://warp.net/releases/blech-ii-blechsdottir/)

That said, I have varied taste, grind-core, industrial and doom all feature in
the mix.

edit: added plaid - can't believe I missed them out, as they're one of my
favourite artists.

~~~
pimeys
Plaid's new album The Digging Remedy worked for me pretty well, even though it
had a bit of mixed reviews.

------
Raphmedia
I really, really recommend [https://mynoise.net/](https://mynoise.net/)
instead of music. They repertoire of sounds is amazing. You can even customize
every soundscape to your liking.

One of my coworker has a real bassy voice that overlaps over music in my
headphones. With that website I can easily create a soundscape that cover his
voice and all the surrounding noises.

It's free too!

~~~
travmatt
Calling musicforprogramming music in the sense that you're probably imaging
isn't quite accurate. It's much more of a soundscape.

------
Philipp__
I really like to listen to dub techno while programming. It is repetitive, no
vocals, long songs (8-10min), relaxed vibe with not a lot of going on, yet
very nice and ambiental.

~~~
reitanqild
I'll try that I guess.

For now I use trance, anything that is happy or energetic, harmonic and wih no
words.

I have a long playlist that someone created on Spotify with this kind of
trance.

~~~
damson
For trance (or a lot of other electronic music genres),
[di.fm]([http://www.di.fm/trance/](http://www.di.fm/trance/)) is nice for when
you can't be bothered to select a playlist etc.

Edit: [ah.fm]([http://ah.fm/player/](http://ah.fm/player/)) is also good for
trance.

------
guessmyname
After years of visiting this website to listen to good remixes while I write
code I feared the day when someone would link it to HN because I knew before
hand that it would make it inaccessible. Go damn it people! Y U Do Dis ಠ_ಠ

~~~
krylon
I think it was posted on HN before. I think I recall that was how I first
found it.

~~~
4ndr3vv
Just a few times:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=musicforprogramming.n...](https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=musicforprogramming.net)

------
wiredearp
I have favorited about a month worth of continuous listening on Soundcloud [1]
but I hardly ever listen to it because there's something new presented in my
Stream every day. The trick to Soundcloud as a steady source for programming
music is to follow other users (for programming music you'll want mixes
instead of tracks, so follow DJs instead of musicians), but it does take some
time to build your Following list and it also takes some commitment to scan
through the music every day. When that becomes a distraction, I just turn on
SomaFM as mentioned by others [2] where my favorite stations are Space Station
Soma, Deep Space One and Illinois Street Lounge.

[1]
[https://soundcloud.com/wiredearp/likes](https://soundcloud.com/wiredearp/likes)

[2] [http://somafm.com/](http://somafm.com/)

------
dep_b
I like to listen to stuff like minimalistic Detroit techno mixes from people
like Jeff Mills or Robert Hood. Loopy simple techno that slightly changes over
the course of minutes while blending in and out of the previous and next song
in a subtle way. Yet it's quite hard and energetic compared to most Berlin
styles of minimalistic techno.

Lately I've been picking up on retro Wave kind of music, I see Com Truise is
on the list as well. It's slightly less annoying for other people since
there's still something like a melodic component but it doesn't have too much
of a build up to a massive drop thing that most EDM has. It rather continues
all the time in rhythm.

~~~
clydethefrog
I really get inspired by the ideas of Detroit techno that they put into the
music. Especially Jeff Mills, he really is an artist in the broadest meaning.
It is curious that Detroit techno never really became popular music for the
programming scene, since it's themes are related.

>Detroit techno is also scary music, scary precisely because its unforgiving
repetition reminds us of our immersion in remorseless mechanised, computerised
systems. Detroit fetishises this relationship: take drugs, jack your body to
the rhythm of the machines

From Techno Futurism (1998) [http://www.harikunzru.com/art-and-music/jeff-
mills-techno-fu...](http://www.harikunzru.com/art-and-music/jeff-mills-techno-
futurism-1998)

~~~
pimeys
Detroit techno was extremely popular in Europe, still is. We wouldn't have
Berlin in its current cultural state without the Detroit stars. How it never
became a thing in US is another question, where I can just guess the real
reasons. Maybe dance music needed a whitewashing before it became a trend.

------
finishingmove
How great. Can't wait for "Music for tech-savvy young adults with interest in
retro games" or "Music for Asian women aged 35-45".

Before these industry-disrupting services emerge though, I guess I'll just
stick to music that I like.

~~~
tedajax
I appreciate that someone else made this comment. I've always just listened to
music I want to listen to. Any attempt to use "focus" music or whatever is
just annoying. I know people don't like the cynicism but honestly this stuff
is pseudo-science at best.

~~~
travmatt
These tracks work like a charm for me. Im the type to be easily distracted by
actual music, so the kind of ambient soundscapes this provides are much closer
to a pleasant white noise or rainfall. It's also trained my brain in a way to
flip into programming mode

------
makmanalp
I was having a conversation with someone about this yesterday. I actually have
two different modes when programming: Theres times when you're just trying to
get a bunch of shit done and there it's mostly about getting you amped up and
to stop you from getting stuck on trivial shit, and there's times when you
have to think about something in super super detail and then distraction is a
killer. And I have different music for each.

For the former, I have stuff like this:

[https://play.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/0FUJY4gSuBO...](https://play.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/0FUJY4gSuBO9S0LCDonOBl?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open)

and

[https://play.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/1SpbGdZGmno...](https://play.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/1SpbGdZGmno2qP0IqL9VKY?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open)

For the latter, I go for quiet personally, or turn the volume way down and put
on something chill that I know really well. When it's familiar my mind doesn't
get stuck on the music too much. I like Ephemeris from H.U.V.A Network, or
some Boards of Canada or some Darkjazz (like Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble or
Bohren & Der Club of Gore).

Also, counterintuitively, there is a lot of metal that goes well with this
too. Here is one example:

[https://open.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/6xHbGt1MGWa...](https://open.spotify.com/user/infralite/playlist/6xHbGt1MGWaXiqru9bD5U4)

I love music suggestions so feel free to reply with some!

~~~
IWillScoop
Here's a playlist of Chill Hop songs I've found over the year:

[https://open.spotify.com/user/iwillscoop/playlist/2kyAGCBe20...](https://open.spotify.com/user/iwillscoop/playlist/2kyAGCBe20RgmiC7Wfva1H)

~~~
makmanalp
This is awesome! Thank you! I love the vibe. I knew about Tokimonsta and Fat
Jon (Soundgirl Personal is an awesome song) but the rest is super new to me.
Also Emancipator is in there which I love and completely forgot about - not
quite hiphop though :)

Check out Sketches in Colour by Kaiori Breathe for something cool like
Emancipator-ish.

You probably know about Nujabes, but specifically check out the Samurai
Champloo soundtrack!

Also for something slightly different but close vibe to that playlist, check
out Zero Seven!

~~~
IWillScoop
Nujabes got me into the genre, along with a lot of people I know! I'll look
into Kaiori Breathe and Zero Seven.

------
veza
Man I love this subject. For me music is to code what condiments are to food.
It gives aroma. It also helps me get/stay in the zone and boost productivity.
Only listen to electronic music, but depending on the mood very different:

\- Stressed? => ambient, glitch (like Tim Hecker) calms me down

\- Unmotivated/Mind Wandering? => some old school goa trance picks me up (like
Shakta)

\- On a normal day => maybe psybient (CBL, Solar Fields...) or some modern
progressive (Frisky radio has some good stuff)

New stuff doesn't bother me, but words/verses do, hence there are almost none
in what I listen.

------
rdtsc
Anyone here remembers Philosomatika online radio station? Well it is back as a
Radionomy station.

[http://www.philosomatika.fm/](http://www.philosomatika.fm/)

That was my go to place for programming music. I was excited to find it is
back.

I got the $5/month sans-commercials subscription and am pretty happy with it.

SomaFM is great too especially Drone Zone for a quieter slower pace.

[http://somafm.com/dronezone/](http://somafm.com/dronezone/)

~~~
thrillseeker
Philosomatika is back?! Thank you!

~~~
rdtsc
It seems so. Not sure what relationship current maintainers / owner of it has
with previous ones but so far for $5 / month I've been getting pretty good
music. Worth it to me at least.

Some songs from the catalog repeat, but I am ok so far.

SomaFM is good too, but found their trance music so so.

------
tribeofone
di.fm, [http://www.di.fm](http://www.di.fm) 90 different kinds of electronic
music, current favorite for programming is:
[http://www.di.fm/melodicprogressive](http://www.di.fm/melodicprogressive)

~~~
itsmeduncan
Plus one to di.fm. They've been around forever and have great channels.

------
flavor8
I highly recommend openlab (1) as an alternative to soma.

[http://openlab.fm](http://openlab.fm)

[http://ice04.fluidstream.net/openlab.mp3](http://ice04.fluidstream.net/openlab.mp3)

(1 - Interestingly, started by Robert Miles, the producer responsible for the
90s pop-trance classic 'Children'. His musical sophistication has advanced
quite significantly since then.)

~~~
davnicwil
Thanks!

To try to repay - if you're not already aware of it - perhaps you'll enjoy
[http://www.berlincommunityradio.com/](http://www.berlincommunityradio.com/)

------
LeonM
For me, the "The social network" OST by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross always
works:
[https://open.spotify.com/album/1ijkFiMeHopKkHyvQCWxUa](https://open.spotify.com/album/1ijkFiMeHopKkHyvQCWxUa)

~~~
leftnode
Similarly, the OST to the movie Mr. Brooks is really good.

------
Nabi
Found that hypnotic/dub techno works best for deep concentration while
programming. Pulsating grooves and lush pads stimulate brain but don't
distract. [https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vejopatis-
versmes](https://coldtearrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vejopatis-versmes)
[https://soundcloud.com/rich-people-cheap-stereos/guest-
mix-5...](https://soundcloud.com/rich-people-cheap-stereos/guest-mix-57-ntogn)

[https://soundcloud.com/radiozora/onthewaytoozoraclaudioprc](https://soundcloud.com/radiozora/onthewaytoozoraclaudioprc)

------
kowdermeister
Funny nobody mentioned MixCloud. I love that service, much better than
SoundCloud.

I'm now listening to this: [https://www.mixcloud.com/mirtakinex/veek-
luxal/](https://www.mixcloud.com/mirtakinex/veek-luxal/)

I totally recommend exploring different genres for coding:

\- Ambient

\- Deep house (non vocal)

\- Dub techno (
[https://www.mixcloud.com/joaquinjimenez/](https://www.mixcloud.com/joaquinjimenez/)
)

\- Techno

\- Liquid drum and bass (or other sub genres)

Or just dig to my favorites :)
[https://www.mixcloud.com/szasz/favorites/](https://www.mixcloud.com/szasz/favorites/)

------
LoSboccacc
I'd like some mixed videogame music, like
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZPilAQ9a3X1m1fivRd6s...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZPilAQ9a3X1m1fivRd6sj1um9mA8WGON)

also 8 bit prodigy ain't bad
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUYvPBhvoPyGwG3fKELVN...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUYvPBhvoPyGwG3fKELVNfTdx5UsuN6p0)

and old chiasm albums as well. anything that 'disconnects' me from the
surrounding, as I'm extremely attentive to sounds. traditional concentration
music usually makes me focus on the music itself.

------
felideon
Brain.fm has worked wonders for me, and in a double way:

1) Their sounds waves purport to actually flip some switches in your brain
that help you focus.

2) It's an awesome trigger to get into "productive mode" if you start the
habit.

The focus loop is great and you can try different ambiences and music (EDM and
"cinematic").

------
Graham24
I find Jazz to be quite helpful. Miles Davis (Milestones, etc) or John
Coltrane (A Love Supreme, etc) works for me.

Failing that The Orb.

------
givankin
It seems that no one has mentioned this so I'll add.

There was a study back in the 1960s which has shown that listening to music
was actually detrimental to programmers' productivity. The results were kind
of popularized in the book Peopleware and by Joel Spolsky (see e.g. here:
[https://www.quora.com/How-accurate-is-Joel-Spolskys-
assertio...](https://www.quora.com/How-accurate-is-Joel-Spolskys-assertion-
that-programmers-are-limited-mentally-when-they-listen-to-music-while-
coding)).

My personal experience confirms this. While I can successfully fix things or
TDD something I already have a good reasoning about while listening to music,
more difficult programming tasks require more focus which I can get only in
silent conditions (which may be hard to find, alas).

The most important thing with music to me is that it shouldn't capture my
mind. In other words, I shouldn't be noticing it.

There is a nice tool I've successfully been using for years:
[https://www.focusatwill.com/](https://www.focusatwill.com/), it looks like no
one has mentioned it yet also. It is paid (though cheap) and it helps me
tremendously, especially in noisy environments (office). They are marketing
themselves as science-based, has a few channels, including the ones aimed
specifically for those who suffer from ADHD. Their music selection is quite
nice and they also take the idea of distractions seriously: if you find a
track is distracting you (basically, if you catch yourself actually listening
to it instead of focusing on work), you click "Next" and this track will never
be played again.

~~~
mixedCase
I would bet this study is one of the many that fall in our modern
"reproducibility crisis".

And it's precisely because of what you said. There are many coding activities
that don't require a deep level of concentration, and at least in my grand
sample of one, my brain seems to recognize these situations, create a
sensation of discomfort making me instinctively stop the music. However, I
would completely fail to accomplish the previously mentioned tedious tasks if
I didn't have something in the background preventing myself from wandering off
into the depths of the Internet (and that's with the Go Fucking Work add-on
installed).

------
louthy
When programming I need music to be something I know already, but it can be
any style - just enough to keep my overactive brain in check! I'm a DJ too
[1], so I have plenty of long sets of music (no iterruptions, no gaps), that
can really help when I need to plough through a difficult chunk of work.

Currently on rotation (and has been for a while) is the Tekkonkinkreet
soundtrack [2]. So beautiful, but also hypnotic (the film is amazing too):

[1] [https://soundcloud.com/paullouth](https://soundcloud.com/paullouth)

[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WixQfMABnFA&list=PLCE193349F...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WixQfMABnFA&list=PLCE193349FF6D00BA)

~~~
corey_moncure
Thanks so much for introducing me to this artist!

------
parthdesai
I usually listen to a set on SoundCloud. Progression of the set instead of one
song completely stopping and next song playing helps me from getting
distracted. I prefer either trance or techno These songs being instrumental
seems to keep me focused.

------
triMichael
Solar Fields, the group that made the music for the video game Mirror's Edge,
is one of my favorite groups for programming.

~~~
smtf
I've been listening to Mirror's Edge OST while programming for weeks now,
never thought to look for who created that sound track. Thanks!

~~~
triMichael
Sure! I found Solar Fields by looking for Mirror's Edge remixes and stumbled
onto whole songs. Solar Fields has several albums, it's a massive group and I
think it's just one guy.

Also recently found there is a sister group called H.U.V.A. Network that's
pretty good too but has a slower and darker feel.

~~~
makmanalp
Yes! Many early-morning lines of code were written to the Ephemeris album!
Especially Something Heavens!

------
patrickmay
John Cage's 4' 33''

Seriously, I don't like noise when I'm in the flow.

------
codeape
Nice.

Has anyone tried the tracks from Music To Code By
([http://mtcb.pwop.com/](http://mtcb.pwop.com/)) ?

I bought a few of them and IMO they are nice. The tracks are all 25 minutes in
length.

~~~
pionar
I love these. Very good for background music, and they're repetitious, which
works for me.

My wife, however, is a classical/jazz musician, so she can't use music to
focus, it causes her anxiety because she spends time analyzing the music. She
tends to listen to ambient noise playlists (rain, etc.)

------
hdkesting
Nobody mentioned [http://musictocodeby.net](http://musictocodeby.net) yet

------
trainsarefast
You all know that this is the only valid music for programming:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ds9CeG-
VY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1Ds9CeG-VY)

~~~
andy_ppp
Haha! I thought it was going to be this...

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5fM6WpC_nE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5fM6WpC_nE)

Same same.

I love this remix of the Voodoo People that's on the b-side by the chemical
brothers (who were calling themselves the dust brothers at the time...):

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5VkFnU554](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT5VkFnU554)

------
faraggi
...slightly of subject:

I love programming with classical music. Classic guitar music in particular,
but any classical will do. I rarely listen to classical other than when
driving or when coding.

~~~
thorin
Are you a fan of Paco de Lucia by any chance? I love Entre dos aguas.

~~~
faraggi
I am, and I do as well.

------
jason_slack
I listen to the "Focus" music from Brain.fm.

Works on all my devices and allows for offline content too.

~~~
Gatsky
I use this aswell. They just released an iphone app.

~~~
jason_slack
Yup, I started using it yesterday. I can't wait to have some offline content
to take with me.

------
croon
I assume the names on the compilations are the artists/people selecting the
music? I love seeing Datasette on there (multiple times in fact). Listened a
lot to him.

~~~
quarterto
It's Datasette that created the site

~~~
croon
Oh wow, cool!

------
mikegerwitz
I used to listen to various types of classical music on moderate-to-low
volume, but I found that on average, it has a negative impact on flow. My mind
gets into a cadence with the music (I'm sure there's a term; I don't know it),
and that cadence can be devastating for certain types of problems, and often
leads to deep stress or frustration and the complete inability to focus at its
worst. Even music/sounds that are good for meditation can be detrimental. My
mind is chaotic, and I find that to be extremely positive.

Perhaps it's possible that if the problems I'm dealing with are similar enough
that such cadence would be beneficial---it does trigger memories and some even
nostalgia. These days, I have too many diverse issues that it's just safe to
be in silence, though I find that the white noise of my (loud) forced air
system (heat/AC) provides a fairly positive effect. Yet white/pink noise does
not. Does anyone have any suggestions there?

------
vram22
Here is one album and artist that I like:

Music video: Sitar - Vilayat Khan - Rarely Heard Ragas:

[http://jugad2.blogspot.in/2013/10/music-video-sitar-
vilayat-...](http://jugad2.blogspot.in/2013/10/music-video-sitar-vilayat-khan-
rarely.html)

I had bought the CD quite a while ago, and like it. Very relaxing to listen to
while programming; it is quiet, melodious, almost meditative sitar music,
except for a few parts which are slightly louder, near the end, IIRC. A few
people also told me they liked it, after reading the above post.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qim2av-
SRwU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qim2av-SRwU)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitar)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilayat_Khan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilayat_Khan)

------
forgetsusername
This is great, thanks.

I'm going to plug Soma FM, since it's been my go-to music provider for
studying since University, and carried into work. They have many genres and
stations, most of which have no lyrics. No affiliation, I just love what they
do.

[https://somafm.com/](https://somafm.com/)

~~~
fapjacks
WOW! SomaFM is still around!? I used to stream SomaFM for programming way back
in 2004. That's pretty amazing.

------
p0nce
I'm listening to this same 2 hours mix for years: [https://soundcloud.com/cid-
inc/cid-inc-artist-of-the-week](https://soundcloud.com/cid-inc/cid-inc-artist-
of-the-week) It has become an anchor that always puts me in mood for deep
work.

~~~
solutionyogi
This is an unbelievable mix. Non vocal electronic music with perfect tempo and
transitions. Thank you so much. I bought my brain.fm subscription but I didn't
think I needed to. Please share if you have any other mixes like this.

~~~
p0nce
Currently in my "mixes" folder:

\- Dmitry Molosh Live @ Just Movement Recyclelounge Gallery Club 44 (Amsterdam
July 2th 2016).mp3

\- Roger Martinez - Live @ Oh Cha __ Bombay India __ 24-04-2016 Final.mp3

\- From Cid Inc again [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRk59Tn-
lCk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRk59Tn-lCk)

I can also recommend the Marcelo Vasami Inception show.

------
accraze
Awesome! I made mix #21 under the name Idol Eyes a couple years back, cool see
this site is still going strong :)

------
ScottBurson
My favorite music for programming is the ambient music of Lucette Bourdin [0]
[1]. _Horse Heaven_ , the first album listed on [0], is one of her best and a
great starting point if you're new to her music.

I like her work because it is (with only a few exceptions) undistracting, yet
has enough variety that if I do choose to tune into it for a few moments, it's
pleasant.

There's lots of other good stuff on the Earth Mantra site as well -- and the
price is right :-)

[0] [http://relaxedmachinery.com/earthmantra/artist-
detail.php?id...](http://relaxedmachinery.com/earthmantra/artist-
detail.php?id=17)

[1] [http://www.lbourdin.com/](http://www.lbourdin.com/)

~~~
dukoid
Agreed that undistracting ambient is the best coding music :)

My favorite bands / albums are

\- AES Dana: Leylines, Perimeters and Pollen

\- Astropilot: Solora Walk 2, 3

\- Carbon Based Life forms: Hydroponic Garden, Refuge, Twentythree, World of
Sleepers

\- Connect.Ohm: 9980

\- H.U.V.A. Network: Ephemeris

\- MIKTEK: Elsewhere

\- Solar Fields: Mirror's Edge, Movements, Origin #1 & 2, Random Friday, Until
we Meet the Sky

\- Stellardrone: Echoes, Invent the Universe, Light Years, A Moment of
Stillness, On a Beam of Light, Sublime

\- Zero Cult: Where Rivers Have No Name

------
_JamesA_
I really enjoy the selection at Calm Radio [1], especially the instrumental
and classical channels.

You can also mix in backgrounds and "Atmosphere" (white noise) to create the
perfect ambiance.

[1]: [https://calmradio.com/en/](https://calmradio.com/en/)

------
toomanybeersies
I used to listen to Writhem Radio when it was on Grooveshark, and then when it
moved to plug.dj, which was then shut down (and has apparently been
relaunched).

It always had great music for programming, and some great chat too. I really
miss it.

Because of Writhem Radio, I've become a big fan of Outrun/Retrowave.

------
slicktux
I checked out brain.fm and it is really good; I enjoyed it while studying but
I will not pay for it. I listen to somafm.com drone zone station and defcon
station for studying they also have a variety of stations for other occasions
and it is ad-free! if you like it donate! Cheers!

------
stomato
I really like the idea, but am unsure about execution.

For example, datassette starts off with big differences in volume:
[http://musicforprogramming.net/?three](http://musicforprogramming.net/?three)

I've been listening at work for years and what works for me is:

Dark (in minor) soundtracks (electronica and classical).

Classic rock (usually in minor) that has a mostly consistent sound.

and various types of white (and other colored) noise in
[https://mynoise.net/](https://mynoise.net/) (where I donate so there are no
limitations)

I used to listen to Pandora and other stations, but I found the transitions
and switching songs would get distracting, so now I just listen to the same
set of songs on loop.

------
shawndumas
_shameless self promotion_

I have created music specifically designed to engage/distract the 5 year-old
in my mind so that the adult in my mind can actually get work done.

The tracks introduce elements in a layered presentation that keeps the content
the same but creates emergent properties as the already introduced elements
interact with the newly introduced ones.

Almost all tracks are at 120 bpm and in the key of C using the pentatonic
scale.

I find that the result is enough variance to keep the 5 year-old's attention
but enough sameness to not engage the adult.

(and no I do not have a dissociative identity disorder; it's just a metaphor.)

[https://soundcloud.com/shawndumas/tracks](https://soundcloud.com/shawndumas/tracks)

\----

edit: I am not smart...

~~~
yeahboats
You might have meant to link to
[https://soundcloud.com/shawndumas/tracks](https://soundcloud.com/shawndumas/tracks)
, as the link you provided takes me to "my" tracks, of which I have none.
Unless the idea was that I was the creator all along.

~~~
shawndumas
lol; ty

------
dyml
Listen to the Cloud - I listen to a nice mix of Ambient music and ATC radio
chatter at [http://listentothe.cloud](http://listentothe.cloud). I built this
a couple of days ago and topped at /r/programming

~~~
georgehotelling
Thank you for making this! I found it on reddit and have been really surprised
how much the air traffic background helps me focus.

------
evo_9
I like to random these Kompakt Pop Ambient records early in the day, all
instrumental type of thing.

[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pop+ambient](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=pop+ambient)

------
mchristoff
This is cool and all, but I encourage you all to just find artists you like
and follow them on soundcloud / mixcloud / youtube. There is a ton of great
electronic music out there that aids in concentration but is actually fun to
listen to. I'm not sure how everyone settled on really slow and droney music
being great for programming. I find it pretty boring (no offense to the
author).

Try Dixon or Four Tet to start:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LU18BJunVk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LU18BJunVk)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6pjR2TLns](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca6pjR2TLns)

------
mcphilip
I rarely listen to music while programming, but when I do, it's usually
Megadeth for trivial work or Ashkenazy playing Chopin - Bercuse for complex
work. Possibly swapping Sigur Ros () for Chopin.

I search on YouTube for a URL and throw it in YouTube repeater.

------
premasagar
A little playlist:
[https://open.spotify.com/user/premasagar/playlist/23HecvNHK1...](https://open.spotify.com/user/premasagar/playlist/23HecvNHK1xggp4PMZUc6T)

------
siddharth_bhal
Surprised not to see focusmusic.fm You can listen to electronic, downtempo,
classic and rain channels. I like electronic while writing code.

Link: [https://focusmusic.fm/](https://focusmusic.fm/)

------
jwl
For me it is Nectarine Demoscene Radio at
[https://www.scenemusic.net/demovibes/](https://www.scenemusic.net/demovibes/)

Something about all the blip-blops that sets the right mindset.

------
logotype
I've been listening to autechre for the last 20 years. Great programming
music.

------
rgun
I have found spotify 'Deep Focus' playlist [0] to be quite helpful.

Sometimes I also listen to movies' and tv shows' soundtracks [1] while working
on the frontend (HTML/CSS)

[0]
[https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/2ujjMpFriZ2na...](https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/2ujjMpFriZ2nayLmrD1Jgl)

[1]
[https://open.spotify.com/user/11142792696/playlist/2UtWdCTOx...](https://open.spotify.com/user/11142792696/playlist/2UtWdCTOxQeyKuXZDVYcZT)

------
imode
[https://mynoise.net/](https://mynoise.net/) is also an interesting website.

not just for programming, but for relaxation. I use it to daydream when it's
nasty outside. quite fun!

------
Jaruzel
Classical for me. Typically Baroque i.e. Bach. If I'm not in a classical mood,
then anything electronic without lyrics - Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre,
Vangelis etc.

And, I kid ye not, Star Trek: The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

------
kubami
I have been listening to Civilization 6 soundtrack recently. It all-
instrumental.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb922Sry_DI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb922Sry_DI)

------
fapjacks
Carbon-Based Lifeforms all day every day. Solar Fields. Tycho. Aes Dana.
Loscil. Asura. Miktek. Sync24 (side project of one of the CBL dudes). HUVA
Network (side project of Solar Fields + Aes Dana). Cell.

------
solutionyogi
I am late to the party, love all the suggestions especially brain.fm.

My go to has been the Spotify playlist called 'Beats To Think To'. It's non
vocal, electronic repetitive beats. This is the only play list which worked
for me. It used to be part of the 'Focus' play list group but was removed from
there for some reason.

[https://play.spotify.com/user/spotify_germany/playlist/2nKFn...](https://play.spotify.com/user/spotify_germany/playlist/2nKFnGNFvHX9hG5Kv7Bm3G)

------
Lynolix
I'm surprised to see that the ambient artist Stars of the Lid hasn't been
mentioned.

It makes for good music to sleep, study, program and/or read a book to (most
ambient music are unless they delve into the more abstract, avant garde
realm).

I also like Hakobune and Chihei Hatakeyama. Nice warm tones.

And if I'm looking to get my blood pumping a bit, I've never gone wrong from
recommendations from here:
[http://316144.tumblr.com/](http://316144.tumblr.com/)

Dance music can be meditative too :)

------
shocks
I'm currently listening to
[https://somafm.com/defcon/](https://somafm.com/defcon/) and it's doing it for
me.

------
kzisme
I wish there was a community input based Spotify playlist - since I generally
use that for all of my music needs across devices.

I do realize many people have different tastes, but most of the time people
can find a happy medium.

Here is the closest playlist I can find to that curated by a single person:
[https://open.spotify.com/user/johanbrook/playlist/2mtlhuFVOF...](https://open.spotify.com/user/johanbrook/playlist/2mtlhuFVOFMn6Ho3JmrLc2)

------
maffydub
The website timed out on me, but...

For me, it's got to be techno - generally happy hardcore - fast, repetitive
beats and uplifting but inane (and hence not distracting) lyrics.

(I may be the only one. ;) )

~~~
taneq
Same, I've got the entirety of the PaulWay mixes
([http://mabula.net/mixes/](http://mabula.net/mixes/)) on shuffle. Been using
them for a couple of years now, not every track is good for every day but if
one's not working out I just hit 'next'.

~~~
maffydub
Thanks for the recommendation - I'll check those out.

I mainly listen to the Bonkers and Hardcore Til I Die mixes (and occasionally
older stuff like Dreamscape and Slammin Vinyl).

------
hitw
I'm a very long time programmer (job) and bedroom DJ (for fun) - these days I
mostly mix electronic tunes that I like to work to and inspire me to sink into
that space where everything lines up. Obviously this is a personal journey
that works for me, but perhaps this will appeal to some of you too.

Link: [https://mixcloud.com/williamthowe/](https://mixcloud.com/williamthowe/)

------
b3b0p
My favorites while programming are 80/90's rock, pop, hip-hop music I am
familiar with or video game music via OCRemix [1] or Rainwave [2]. I also
enjoy using Sirius XM when I can't decide what to listen to. My favorite
stations are Backspin and XMU.

[1] [http://ocremix.org](http://ocremix.org)

[2] [https://rainwave.cc](https://rainwave.cc)

------
brosky117
I'm all about Chillstep. Repetitive beats and sparse lyrics helps me focus
like a champ. I've converted several coworkers to it over the years.

~~~
ivm
Yes, chillstep is a great genre because it has quite consistent mood and
tempo.

Here's one of the best collections:
[https://www.youtube.com/user/Pulse8Music](https://www.youtube.com/user/Pulse8Music)

------
Ar-Curunir
Post-rock is wonderful for concentration: no vocals, but enough crescendos to
pump anyone up. If you want quieter post-rock, it's available too.

------
david927
RadioParadise.com has been my go-to for years.

Link: [http://radioparadise.com](http://radioparadise.com)

------
ronjouch
Shameless plug to a YouTube playlist I made a few years ago to share my
favorite pieces of "music for work" to a friend:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMnZa55isA8&list=PLf8nKJTmIH...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMnZa55isA8&list=PLf8nKJTmIHjB3II7p_ld_94FdRnKyASZt)

------
mendelsd
Here's some Chinese traditional instrumental music that has a good combination
of interest and subtlety - it's low-key and sort of emotionally oblique:
[http://www.sinicave.com/pd_an_music.cfm](http://www.sinicave.com/pd_an_music.cfm)

(I can't vouch for that vendor, having never used them.)

------
chewxy
My favourite musics are those without human voices as they tend to interfere
with my thought processes. These are my top 10 most played pieces in the past
30 days:

* Hand Covers Bruise (Social Network OST)

* 3.14 Every Night (Social Network OST)

* 3.1415... (PoI OST)

* God Mode (PoI OST)

* Watching with Ten Thousand Eyes (PoI OST)

* Listening with A Million Ears (PoI OST)

* The Red Capes are Coming (BvS OST)

* Must There Be A Superman? (BvS OST)

* This is My World (BvS OST)

* Francesca da Rimini (Tchaikovsky)

Fascinating pattern there.

------
partcoffee
What seems to work best for me is ambient electronic stuff (Hol Baumann, Solar
Fields etc.) with Rainy Mood (rain sounds) playing over it. Something about
the mix of the music and the constant background noise kicks my brain into
concentration mode.

And then I lose track of time and suddenly it's dark and I've missed a couple
of meetings.

------
fitzroy
I've been listening to Spotify's "Beats to think to" playlist for writing — so
much that it has completely skewed all of my other Spotify music
recommendations. Obviously, it doesn't completely prevent distractions, as
evidenced by reading HackerNews instead of working. ;)

Going to try Brain.fm based on this thread though.

------
johanbrook
I made a Spotify playlist with songs I like coding to a while back:
[https://open.spotify.com/user/johanbrook/playlist/2mtlhuFVOF...](https://open.spotify.com/user/johanbrook/playlist/2mtlhuFVOFMn6Ho3JmrLc2).
Seemed to have gained some traction.

------
polmuz
I've been using soundtracks from The Sims and SimCity, mostly by Jerry Martin,
it's great as background music.

[https://play.spotify.com/user/polmuz/playlist/6ehsMsq82TeDa9...](https://play.spotify.com/user/polmuz/playlist/6ehsMsq82TeDa9ylM81qTK)

~~~
Sohakes
Funny, didn't expect someone else to listen that.

------
Drisc0
This is the playlist I've been using with great success.
[https://open.spotify.com/user/128017147/playlist/45LpllYld7S...](https://open.spotify.com/user/128017147/playlist/45LpllYld7SciJQcxWkY2g)

------
jpalmer
Video game soundtracks on spotify. Specifically:

* Bastion * Fez * Assassins Creed

No vocals, just great music designed to keep you focused.

~~~
tomaspollak
Yes! Video game music also gets me in the zone.

If you're into oldschool games you might also enjoy
[http://muki.io](http://muki.io). Pure DOS and MIDI nostalgia. :)

------
Drisc0
This is the playlist I've been using
[https://open.spotify.com/user/128017147/playlist/45LpllYld7S...](https://open.spotify.com/user/128017147/playlist/45LpllYld7SciJQcxWkY2g)

~~~
IWillScoop
Emancipator, Tycho, Bonobo. Good stuff!

------
edem
You might want to look at
[focus@will]([https://www.focusatwill.com/app/pages/v3oi](https://www.focusatwill.com/app/pages/v3oi))
which worked pretty well for me in the past (and still is).

------
gcr
I love Virtual Dream Plaza for this kind of music.
[https://virtualdreamplaza.bandcamp.com/](https://virtualdreamplaza.bandcamp.com/)

Each work is 30 minutes long. The time just melts away when I put one on.

------
manishsharan
I find music,even instrumentals, too distracting. I prefer
[https://www.noisli.com/](https://www.noisli.com/) \-- ambient white noise to
shut out all distractions and noises in my workplace

------
JangleBarney
I just rock this,
[https://open.spotify.com/user/123106991/playlist/2qurSPeHRlo...](https://open.spotify.com/user/123106991/playlist/2qurSPeHRlobb3tO6XUa8C)

------
jonahrd
I'm surprised by the number of people saying they can't listen to anything
with lyrics while they program! Not that there's anything wrong with it, it's
just never a problem for me, I'll listen to just about anything

------
alexmorenodev
I listen to dozen of different guitarists. Jason Richardson and Jeff Loomis
are my favorite now. Also, check the entire discography of Vinnie Moore.

I'm into retrowave lately. Perturbator and Dance with the Dead make my fingers
start moving by their own.

------
jyriand
I'm listening mostly this playlist:
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLETGndYxbsUUM0Y_sp1VW...](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLETGndYxbsUUM0Y_sp1VWd9xuQsPnaxcz)

------
nogbit
I did at one time listen to music while programming, but the last few years
I'm more productive when I don't. When I did, any lyrics of any kind would be
too distracting. It would have to be really mellow (any genre really).

------
aaronhoffman
iTunes link [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-for-
programming/id...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/music-for-
programming/id500565620)

------
diegoloop
I built an App with similar sound effects for iOS which help me to get relaxed
and think in different solutions

[https://appsto.re/de/8PGcfb.i](https://appsto.re/de/8PGcfb.i)

------
sritrisna
I love youarelistening.to's concept:
[http://youarelistening.to/newyork](http://youarelistening.to/newyork). Keeps
me comfort during late night coding sessions.

------
vosthyr
I like the website. Nice style. Interesting music. But why did you use an if-
then-else statement and needlessly reassign task to task, where a simple if-
then would have been sufficient to initialize task if undefined?

------
OberstKrueger
Along with some of the other great suggestions here, soundtracks by Trent
Reznor and Atticus Ross have been mainstays for me. Throw in some Nine Inch
Nails' Ghosts and you have a nice dark soundtrack for working to.

~~~
uryga
that The Social Network soundtrack, oooooh yes

------
sjclemmy
Love it. But I love Enterprise mode even more. What does that say about me? ;)

~~~
akerro
That... you like Enterprise mode?

[https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/736x/68/af/48/68af48f62...](https://s-media-cache-
ak0.pinimg.com/736x/68/af/48/68af48f62685d36378196eb504fca55b.jpg)

------
BurningFrog
Programming music needs to be

1\. Wordless

2\. High energy

I know no better implementation than the Juno Reactor page on Soundcloud:
[https://soundcloud.com/juno-reactor1](https://soundcloud.com/juno-reactor1)

------
zedzedb5
[http://www.radio-paralax.de/index1.html](http://www.radio-
paralax.de/index1.html) \- old school video game remixes. Something about
these do it for me.

------
blowski
I listen to these a lot of the time, because most of them are pure electronic
music with a beat, which is the most productivity-inducing music for me. A few
have some speaking, so I don't listen to them.

------
joeberon
Just whack on some Future:
[https://open.spotify.com/album/0fUy6IdLHDpGNwavIlhEsl](https://open.spotify.com/album/0fUy6IdLHDpGNwavIlhEsl)

------
pklausler
Baroque concerti work for me: Bach, Corelli, Handel, Buxtehude, &c.

------
radiorental
I've discovered a lot of new artists, while still being able to focus on work,
from [http://oem-radio.org/](http://oem-radio.org/)

------
galaktor
I've been a happy paying user of focus@will [0] for a few years now. Works
very well for me.

[0] [https://www.focusatwill.com](https://www.focusatwill.com)

------
Dowwie
give Ludovico Einaudi a try:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ImZTkeCHgA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ImZTkeCHgA)

------
erikbye
This youtube channel has some nice stuff.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnFdFrniZSg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnFdFrniZSg)

------
pokemon-trainer
MrSuicideSheep Burning Snowflakes on infine loop

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=wGS8gYDIzPw](https://youtube.com/watch?v=wGS8gYDIzPw)

------
eth0up
[http://www.concertzender.nl/en/](http://www.concertzender.nl/en/)

One of my favs, for any task or absence of.

------
asciihacker
William Basinski "Watermusic II" is wonderful!

------
rhlala
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNtTW2sIqE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQNtTW2sIqE)
DF!

------
Klibarchu
I heart radio has local radio stations so I can listen to my favorite station
over the air or thru streaming, via my PC, mobile device or Apple TV.

------
kruhft
kruhft - Listener (2016)

iTunes:
[https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/listener/id1127677466](https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/listener/id1127677466)

BandCamp:
[http://kruhft.bandcamp.com/album/listener](http://kruhft.bandcamp.com/album/listener)

------
ansible
These days I'm listening to friskyradio.com. Lots of electronic in different
styles from around the world, including ambient.

------
bettyx1138
my 'Background muzik 4 werk' playlist on Spotify. i do ux not programming, but
it's still excellent imho.

[https://open.spotify.com/user/121178959/playlist/310BbsmKb79...](https://open.spotify.com/user/121178959/playlist/310BbsmKb79BdmvphX0qtE)

------
gtirloni
I've been listening to a band called "Ratatat" lately and it's awesome for
focusing.

------
grimmdude
Really want to see what this is but site is still unavailable? Been at the to
of HN for a while now...

------
hasbroslasher
Needs more scaleable, spent ~30s waiting for a plaintext list of mp3s to show
up on my screen

------
brianzelip
oh man, this thread is chock full of great suggestions, thanks a bunch all!

~~~
prefect42
Yes, this thread is golden, think I just expanded my consciousness ;-)

------
flinty
The music to code by series from the dotnetrocks guys is real good too

------
jonathankoren
Not enough True Black Metal. Fail.

Seriously, all these things end up as personal preferences and whatever fad is
in now. Techno? Whatev. When I was in school, it was industrial.

All this talk about how it helps "focus" or "brain" or whatever is just scam
babble.

------
Kerollmops
It remind me of the FTL OST Good for programming too !

------
theRhino
everyone programmer knows that the only track you need is Oxygène Part IV by
jean michelle jarre - no further questions your honour

------
elt0n
Are the player buttons supposed to work?

~~~
elt0n
I'm thinking there's not enough bandwidth and the files can't load.

------
Mayzie
The website is far too slow to load. :-(

~~~
galfarragem
Actually, in a normal day, it's very fast. However not all sites are prepared
to hit #1 on HN..

------
teddyh
I would suggest Void Main’s album “Deadlock” – it’s the only music I know with
a programming _theme_ as well as being mostly instrumental and made for
listening while programming. It used to be available on the old mp3.com (at
[http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/241/void_main.htm](http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/241/void_main.htm)),
but MP3.com was killed many ages ago. The artist still has the album cover and
the tracks available on his home page, though. Note especially “Escape
Sequence” which has authentic C++ programming sounds, and “Follow the GNU”
with lyrics by Richard Stallman.

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/deadlock.jpg](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/deadlock.jpg)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Another...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Another%20World.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Artific...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Artificial%20Recreation%20\(Altair%20Remix\).mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Artific...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Artificial%20Recreation.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Escape%...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Escape%20Sequence.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Follow%...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Follow%20the%20GNU%20\(feat%20R.M.Stallman\).mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Hello%2...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Hello%20World.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20I%20Too...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20I%20Took%20the%20Red%20Pill.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Interna...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Internal%20Compiler%20Error.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Kernel%...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Kernel%20Calling.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Penguin...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Penguin%20Planet%20\(Authentic%20Edit\).mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Penguin...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Penguin%20Planet.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20There%2...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20There%20Is%20No%20Spoon.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Use%20t...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/Void%20Main%20-%20Use%20the%20Source.mp3)

[http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/anotherworld_lime_remix.m...](http://www.grubblarna.com/voidmain/anotherworld_lime_remix.mp3)

~~~
dmoo
Also kind of a programming theme IBM 1401, A User's Manual Studio album by
Jóhann Jóhannsson

[https://vimeo.com/57378793](https://vimeo.com/57378793)

------
pmlnr
Dark psy.

------
guard-of-terra
Why specific music for programming? E.g. I mostly listen Caprice (the elvish
one) for programming just because I like Caprice.

~~~
dagw
Lots of people, myself included, find it difficult to program (or concentrate
on any mentally challenging task) while listening to certain types of music.

Personally I'm partial to Norwegian Black metal for programming.

~~~
kafeltz
Could you provide some youtube link showing what you like to listen?

~~~
dagw
Windir is an example of a band I think works really well for coding:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v805xBELTs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v805xBELTs)
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW6h0lhXW3Q](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW6h0lhXW3Q)

------
mikebay
I use @lecandylab radio. Its tech house mixture with smooth sound..

------
meira
I recommend "Post Rock" on youtube.

------
mikebay
Why my comments disapear???

------
snvzz
Spotted mp3, quickly closed.

Can't take it seriously if it's still using mp3 rather than opus. What a waste
of bandwidth.

~~~
joeberon
This is the saddest comment I've ever seen. please get help

