Like many developers I often put my headphones on when coding. It helps me get in the zone, block out other distractions and get into that flow state.
Not all types of music helps me though. I find what works for me best is listening to instrumental albums, particularly progressive rock/metal. The tracks feel structured and often flow nicely.
And the flow is not just on a track-by-track basis. The whole album just flows and, as a result, so do my thoughts. So I don't play these on shuffle (who plays albums on shuffle?). I also occasionally play them at the gym too!
Below is a list of my favourite instrumental albums to listen to while coding. And here's a Spotify playlist containing them all.
Oldest comments (109)
Same re: instrumentals only, but I'm more into electronica / downtempo / triphop to listen while coding. I keep an entire bookmark directory on Spotify for "Work Music"! The directory contains individual albums and playlists as well as this #Workmate playlist which contains assortment of random songs I enjoy listening while working.
Yeah the lack of lyrics is definitely a plus! I don't exclusively listen to progressive rock/metal instrumentals to focus, but it seems to be my go-to in general.
I listen to a huge assortment of melodic death metal and deathcore but also throw in some ambient / epic instrumentals too.
I have a private Youtube playlist with around 500 songs but I'm afraid to make it public because it'll be visible on my channel which is where I post videos on software development topics.
I can't just have people browsing around Docker and Flask videos and then they're suddenly hit with a song like this without any context youtube.com/watch?v=BCcdZPpPZRU -- and that's a pretty tame one.
Hahaha I love it
I think you can make playlists "unlisted" now so you can share it, but it won't be listed if someone visits your channel.
Anything by the Cocteau Twins is good, particularly the early stuff. Because Liz Fraser's lyrics were famously incomprehensible, and the guitars were swamped in effects to create a very unusual sound, it doesn't command attention in the same way something with comprehensible lyrics might.
Just checked a few of their songs; I'm digging it!
First three albums are the best, Garlands, Head over Heels and Treasure. The later stuff where Liz Fraser's voice becomes more comprehensible isn't as good IMHO.
I like to listen to some of Monte Booker instrumentals while coding. Search for 'montea' on SoundCloud.
I almost exclusively listen to albums by Aphex Twin while coding. It's electronic music but very diverse genre-wise, spanning from ambient all the way to acid house. Also try Boards of Canada, Autechre, Venetian Snares, Squarepusher, all great artists.
There's no lyrics, I can't learn or code with any music that has words in it.
Thanks for the suggestions. While I'm not usually into electronic music, these seem good!
Actually, I'm really a rap/metal guy, usually very extreme metal, including the above mentioned ISIS, one of my fav bands since I heard Oceanic first time.
But for 'productive' purposes such as coding I strongly prefer simpler, minimalistic music. Helps me focus on the work and not the lyrics.
I certainly can second the Venetian Snares suggestion in this - i think the best album to start off with would be - Rossz Csillag Alatt Született.
On the progressive-rock/metal leaning by the OP i tend to err that way too. My go-to 'rotation' would be, the California band - ISIS (unfortunately their name has been a tad appropriated now...), Red Sparowes, And So I Watch You From Afar, Bossk and Explosions In The Sky.
Otherwise i tend to feel if i am on too much of a playlist consisting of electro-glitch type music that I feel like I am pretending to be in Swordfish...
Great taste. Some of the best electronic music out there! Here are some others:
Reso - Ricochet
Trifonic - Ninth Wave
Submotion Orchestra - The Finest Hour
Carbon Based Lifeforms - Interloper
Or some Prog metal/rock/jazz fusion:
Plini - Sweet Nothing
Animals As Leaders - The Madness of Many
Exivious - Liminal
Our Oceans - Self-titled
Leprous - Malina
Agent Fresco - Destrier
Cynic - Carbon Based Anatomy
The Contortionist - Language
Yasss! Try odium last century. I play it on a loop.
I totally agree with music that contains no words. I got inspired by the Minecraft Soundtrack and ended creating my own Spotify playlist here open.spotify.com/user/gilcreque/pl...
I also started listening to ChilledCow over the summer and got hooked. I now have an iPad in my office that plays it all day long for me and my coworkers.
Shuffle around this: deezer.com/pt/playlist/3347334106
Recently it's definitely Queen. And King Arthur soundtrack.
Dj s3rl if I am programming fast or really fast techno/nightcore. If I feel like relaxing lofi jazz.
For heavy concentration I listen to C418-One, Jim Guthrie and similar indie-game-soundtracks. For regular work I listen to nothing in particular, usually Ryan Adams or Rockstah. For no-brainer-work like HTML/CSS or while cycling I prefer podcasts.