Music For Programming

A series of mixes intended for listening while programming to aid concentration and increase productivity (also compatible with other activities).

Here comes the pretentious bit:

Through years of trial and error - skipping around internet radio stations, playing our entire music collections on shuffle, or just hammering single albums on repeat, we have found that the most effective music to aid prolonged periods of intense concentration tends to have a mixture of the following qualities:

Drones

Noise

Fuzz

Field recordings

Vague memories (Hypnagogia)

Textures without rhythm

Minor complex chords

Early music (Baroque, lute, harpsichord)

Very few drums or vocals

Synth arpeggios

Awesome

Walls of reverb

Music possessing these qualities can often provide just the right amount of interest to occupy the parts of your brain that would otherwise be left free to wander and lead to distraction during your work.