Zach Adams Web Developer and Programmer

Music to Listen to while Coding

May 30, 2014

Click here for Part 2!

Link to my Spotify Playlist!

A lot of people listen to music while coding, including me. The trick is which music will help to create an environment that encourages calm and productive code. Here’s a list of the music I listen to whilst coding:

Tycho-DiveTycho – Extremely calm and mellow. Used for right when I get into the office in the morning.  Personally I think his best album is Dive but he’s also coming out with more soon!

 

Blackmill 02112013_blackmill_miracle– I’ve heard it described as “melodic dubstep”, great for late-night coding or if Tycho is too slow for you. I highly encourage you to check out his full album Miracle for his best work.

 

Boards of Canada BOC– If you’re not into the electric or dubstep kinda music then this is for you. Technically electronic but more ambient rock. My favorite album of theirs is Trans-Canada Highway.

 

God is an AstronautGod_Is_An_Astronaut_ST_Cover – Instrumental rock or “space rock”. Great if you need to get through a lot of boring work.

 

explosions-in-the-sky-take-care-take-care-take-care-2011Explosions in the Sky – A lot like Boards of Canada mixed with God is an Astronaut. Suggested by /u/-entropy.

 

JohnButlerTrio-LiveAtRedRocks-CoverHiResJohn Butler Trio – Really only just one song, but holy hell is it fantastic.

 

bdd73d38Nujabes – I can stress how awesome nujabes is. Jazz/Hip-hop mix, most of it instrumental. Big shoutout to /r/Nujabes.

 

1235369707_00-vibrasphere_-_selected_downbeats_vol.2-webVibrasphere – Unfortunately retired band but they left behind a great collection of chill music.

 

 

a0503235282_10Solar Fields – I love the Solar Fields because there is almost no “rhythm” to their music, making it difficult for my brain to distract me from coding.

 

Emancipator a3339901167_2– Defined as trip hop and down tempo I love this music because it’s calm and very easy on the ears.

 

collected-1304245811Massive Attack – Trip hop and experimental rock, suggested by /u/autra1

 

 

EDIT281113edIT – Member of the Glitch Mob but also has some smooth “glitch” music.

 

 

SN_IT_1-SHT_FRND_1The Social Network Soundtrack – Suggested by /u/murdocsvan

 

 

1351008661_juno-reactor-gods-and-monsters-2008Juno Reactor – A lot like Solar Fields but a little quicker. Suggested by /u/thesolitaire

 

 

dj-shadow-reconstructedDJ Shadow – A little like Nujabes except more hip-hop

 

 

1325859501_57617e296005b3d1d511f915ea24f58fLittle People – Downbeat electronic. Extremely chill.

 

 

homepage_large.eac1d3bcBurial – Dubstep, trip hop. I love his music mostly because it’s perfect “rain” music.

 

 

the-brookes-brothers-513142cc95e68Brookes Brothers – Drum and Bass, a whole lot quicker and really upbeat!

 

 

1_pretty-lightsPretty Lights – Trip hop electronic.

 

 

Chillstep Mixes – there are tons of them out there on Youtube, most are more than an hour long, and they’re fantastic!

musicForProgramming(); – A site dedicated to long playlists of music to aid concentraction. Suggested by /u/TheCoryKid

 /r/MusicforConcentration – A subreddit dedicated to this kind of music

 

I only included my top two to three of each artist, however I highly encourage you to explore each artists music.

Click here for Part 2!

Comments

Mut says:
May 30th 2014 at 12:00am
Try: The American Dollar, Music for Focus and Creativity
Mel says:
May 30th 2014 at 12:00am
It would be great if you had a spotify to follow. I took some of your postings here and created a playlist
littleguy says:
May 30th 2014 at 12:00am
Try Emancipator - Safe In The Steep Cliffs! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsCNkr14JUo&list=PL91A4F8A58012259D
Eric McNiece says:
May 30th 2014 at 12:00am
Protip: Add all of these artists as variety to a single station in Pandora, you won't be disappointed. Thanks for the list!
Branson Werner says:
May 30th 2014 at 12:00am
I put together a Spotify list a couple years with similar music that I use when coding everyday. 10+ hours thus far... http://open.spotify.com/user/aerotwist/playlist/17wLfa5r1UqZUHbrxG3coP
Gudthing says:
May 31st 2014 at 12:00am
Made a quick youtube playlist with all the tracks above, feel free to use it :) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLpuq9O67HD9Kl_ZNEkUe4lvKGX3YZUyrt
Lucas says:
June 3rd 2014 at 12:00am
It's scary how much this matches my Spotify code music. Little People are great! PS Keith Kenniff / Helios & Bonobo :D
Rafael says:
June 3rd 2014 at 12:00am
If you like videogames, try: OverClocker ReMix. http://ocremix.org/ Thousands of free soundtracks and increasing. Literally days of music. This has been my favorite soundtrack for years. Styles vary: rock, blues, jazz, dubstep, techno, 8-bit, etc. Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcnDez14_Nk
Rob Abby says:
June 3rd 2014 at 12:00am
Awesome suggestions! Some of these are really great. I would also suggest Groove Armada, Zero 7, Air, and All India Radio. All are great chill options to listen to while coding. Admittedly Groove Armada can be all over the place with their songs, but they have some gems that I listen to religiously when coding.
Cloud says:
June 4th 2014 at 12:00am
Great list! Thanks! I'd also recommend Arms and Sleepers, Jon Hopkins (particularly his album Insides), BT's album This Binary Universe, Epic45, Goldmund (anything of Keith Kenniff's work actually), Manual, and Telefon Tel Aviv.
Anil Wadghule says:
June 4th 2014 at 12:00am
I have created Rdio playlist using your Spotify playlist Here is link http://rd.io/x/QMOuL9BcdQ/
Leonard Huebner says:
June 10th 2014 at 12:00am
I would suggest Phaeleh and Synkro, seem to be quite similar to the styles you have listed above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCbHWihLVSI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dNht9Zr0CE Although I personally prefere to listen to 200bpm psytrance, while coding
Zaaaaphod says:
July 4th 2014 at 12:00am
Google Play playlist. Some tracks missing, but noted in the comments. https://play.google.com/music/playlist/AMaBXykASZpWYV8YOWslxrUGrB3-g-qHV6LeQGuSMUM137VgqTfmqAKoZ0VtEEsH5NxKxFfTrm9k4ax5de_8XYGT93TCkBykVw== Cheers man!
Sukasa says:
February 8th 2015 at 12:00am
I've been listening to the Work & School playlist a lot. Have you ever listened to the 'Frozen Synapse' OST on spotify? A couple of the tracks on it mech nigh-perfectly with the other tracks in your playlist.
BarneyC says:
May 21st 2015 at 12:00am
Yo, really nice list. As a fellow programmer / music fan, I knew and liked several of these groups, and the ones I didn't have turned out to be really rewarding. Also, I second littleguy re. Emancipator- extremely chill and kinda uplifting despite predominately minor key signatures...

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