Selected Ambient Works

Grindcore

Instrumental heavy metal.

Techno, house, trance, or nintendo music.

Depends on the kind of concentration. If I'm programming or doing some kind of math, I want fury. I'm reaching for Slayer or Megadeth or the Doom sound track. Nothing like Angel of Death to plow through something.

If it's more contemplative, power ballads. Something I can sing without focusing on it. I Want to Know What Love Is. Keeps pace, but it's more emotional. Keeps me in that thoughtful place.

Cooking, woodworking, cleaning. Something active but not on the whole fast. Heavy metal, southern rock, or blues. Kiss, CCR, Lynyrd Skynyrd, BB King. Something even tempo that can pick up and come back down. Freebird followed by Fortunate Son is a good example.

LoFi

When I really need to concentrate I put on music in a foreign language. Mainly German because I've found a lot of German bands I like. Some of my favorites that sing mainly in German:

• Wizo
• Die Ärzte
• Die Toten Hosen
• We Butter Out Bread With Butter

I've been listening to breakcore lately. Gets me in the mood for serious work, it's like a microdose of adhd meds

The first Sims game soundtrack

Krautrock

Either ambient instrumental music (lots of Brian Eno) or any music that I know all the words to (so that my brain doesn't have to actively process the lyrics).

Lofi covers of video game music. Mostly Zelda, because I am a dork.

When I was in the office, always metal. At home I'm more likely to listen to classical, but still metal if I need to be totally focused.

buckethead. i cant focus with lyrics and i found his work perfect.

Drum'n'Bass

None. Otherwise, I'm listening to music instead of concentrating on whatever I should be.

Gaming LoFi, Gaming Metal, Gaming Jazz, Space Folk

Years ago I got a disc called Sounds of Slashdot. It was at a con, I think.

Anyway it's got some "gamemaster" "lost tribe" thing among some musical tracks on the CD. I have No Idea what it is, but I put it on and the sounds fucks with distractions and I can enter the Flow more easily for work. It's a great trigger.

I need to find more of that.

Usually none, sometimes classical music, Viennese Classic especially

I have an ambient playlist with artists like Carbon Based Lifeforms, Sync24, 36, Cell, and some tracks from video game soundtracks.

video game music is designed to pump you up without breaking your concentration.

almost anything with lyrics in it is a no go for me if my goal is to have background music to relax/study to. also lofi.

Always Emancipator. Safe In The Steep Cliffs is excellent.

There's a channel on Youtube called My Analogue Journey, I usually chuck that on.

Anything without vocals so that it doesn't force me to actually think about it, just vibe.

Lately Chikoi The Maid (maidcore rock) or Gnome (the Father Of Time album, just-riffs-rock?) to some dnb/techno stuff, depends on the mood and how hard I need to focus - faster is better then.

Honestly, I cant listen to anything while trying to concentrate. Music distracts me when I'm trying to focus on a mental task. Now if I'm doing physical labor or whatever, much easier. 80s music for sure. New Wave, synthpop. Good stuff.

Techno and heavy metal.

It's really hard to time it just right but the theme to Jeopardy 👍

Get it wrong and it'll really surprise you!

House music. Nearly everyday while I code. Mostly Chris Luno sets.

Chillstep or lofi for focus.

Sublime and the like for cleaning.

Minecraft soundtrack

Been on the lofi Chopin and similar songs lately.

https://open.spotify.com/track/52gMaGkqtK2GIjWaIgwIW8?si=D8GI6SeVQe6BQGM4OWYVHg

Deep House

Random playlist from spotify with low-fi, vocal house or vocal lounge.

trance and sextrance
like everyday actually

breakcore (dnb), maidcore (progressive instrumental metal) or jazz fusion

"Elevated Jam Tracks" on youtube (mostly chords and no distracting words/vocals).

I like Blue Turtle's playlists, especially the Ithya ones. They're mostly folkish intrumentals and some gentle chillstep

I have the ADHD and unless it's a mindless task, I can't listen to music or it makes it much harder for me to concentrate. For anyone else with the disorder, I'd encourage you to at least give it a shot working WITHOUT music and see if it improves your concentration.