Some like it loud, others need some steady beats to stay focused, others calm tunes. A while ago we asked on Twitter and Facebook what music the web community is listening to when coding and designing.
The answers were as diverse as the community itself and certainly too good to live an existence only in a Twitter discussion. That’s why we’ve compiled those hand-crafted spotify playlists, favorite artists, and loved soundtracks in this article to see which tunes fuel the web.
And, well, first and foremost, to provide you with some new ear candy to get you through lengthy coding and design sessions, of course. Get your headphones ready!
Further Reading on SmashingMag:
- How To Increase Workflow And Reduce Stress With Nature Sounds
- You Are Not A Machine. You Are Not Alone.
- Feeling Stuck? Design What You Don’t Know
- Breaking Out Of The Box: Design Inspiration
Get Into The Flow
Positive psychology describes flow as the mental state when you get fully immersed in what you’re doing, feeling energized, focused, and involved. These playlists will tickle your brain to help you reach that much sought-after state.
Design Vibes
Curated by Sherzod Max | 564 songs | 58h 37min | Listen on Spotify
No words to distract you, only steady vibes.
Hardstyle Playlist
Curated by Jesse Stoots | 755 songs | 56h 56min | Listen on Spotify
Q-Base, Defqon, and Qlimax. Beats that help you get into the flow.
Brain Food
Curated by Spotify | 139 songs | 9h 39min | Listen on Spotify
Low-key electronic to stimulate your brain.
Soundtrack to the Film Blade Runner
Artist: Vangelis | 12 songs | 57min | Listen on Spotify
Classical compositions meet synthesizers. Melodic.
Soundtrack to the Film Drive
Curated by Servaas Vehmeijer | 31 songs | 2h 30min | Listen on Spotify
A small but fine list. Get into the flow with some electronic beats, work your way through and get to the epic, musical-like finale.
Design & Build
Curated by Manik Rathee | 225 songs | 16h 06min | Listen on Spotify
This one won’t get boring. Sometimes full of energy, sometimes calm.
Coding And Crushing It
Curated by Noel Tock | 127 songs | 8h 38min | Listen on Spotify
Orchestra meets film music.
Soundtrack to the Film TRON: Legacy
Artist: Daft Punk | 22 songs | 58min | Listen on Spotify
A mix of electronic music and 70s-inspired sci-fi sounds.
Soundtrack to the Film The Big Short
Artist: Nicholas Britell | 23 songs | 38min | Listen on Spotify
A surprising mix — sometimes energetic and upbeat with a bit of 70’s funk, sometimes darker and moody.
Hyperspatial Detours
Artist: Café Del Mar | 7 songs | 21min | Listen on Spotify
Chillout music from the famous Café Del Mar.
Stay Focused
Staying focused over a long period of time can be hard. The following playlists cater for some background music without being too obtrusive.
Futurebeats
Curated by Kyle Hovey | 2,908 songs | 207h 11min | Listen on Spotify
Experimental and electronic beat music.
Deep Focus
Curated by Spotify | 112 songs | 8h 29min | Listen on Spotify
Atmospheric rock to stay calm and concentrated.
Reading Soundtrack
Curated by Spotify Sweden | 66 songs | 4h 09min | Listen on Spotify
Instrumental film music.
4AM Comedown
Curated by Spotify UK | 50 songs | 3h 43min | Listen on Spotify
Chilled out dance.
Bring Me To Sleep
Curated by Quoc Nguyen | 10 songs | 31min | Listen on Soundcloud
Well, it shouldn’t bring you to sleep, but sometimes peaceful sounds from piano, violins, and guitar might be just what you need.
Soundtrack For Study
Curated by Filtr Canada | 76 songs | 3h 36min | Listen on Spotify
Movie hits to help you focus and concentrate.
Acoustic Covers
Curated by Spotify | 118 songs | 7h 01min | Listen on Spotify
Words can be distracting when you need to focus on a task. So how about some acoustic covers?
Soundtrack to the Film Interstellar
Artist: Hans Zimmer | 16 songs | 1h 11min | Listen on Spotify
Stress-Free Classicals
Curated by Can Artuc | 49 songs | 3h 36min | Listen on Spotify
Classic, calm piano and orchestra pieces. Satie, Händel, Chopin, Schubert, and more.
Chill Out Music
Curated by Spotify | 90 songs | 6h 35min | Listen on Spotify
Relaxing tunes.
Spa Treatment
Curated by Spotify | 84 songs | 6h 10min | Listen on Spotify
Pleasant background music that doesn’t distract.
Intense Studying
Curated by Spotify | 100 songs | 13h 46min | Listen on Spotify
Mostly classical music to help you concentrate.
Boost Your Energy
The day has already been long and you need a little energy booster? How about one of these?
Liquid Drum & Bass
Curated by Björn Zuithoff | 8,959 songs | 847h 52min | Listen on Spotify
A huge Liquid Drum & Bass playlist to keep you fueled with energy.
Coding & Designing 0.3
Curated by Ross Dalaire | 27 songs | 1h 59min | Listen on Spotify
Electronic beats to push you forward. If you like the playlist, also make sure to check out Coding & Designing 0.2 and Coding & Designing 0.1.
Soundtrack to the Film Pacific Rim
Artist: Ramin Djawadi | 26 songs | 1h 1min | Listen on Spotify
You’re on a quest to conquer this weird browser bug? This is your march music.
Rock Hard
Curated by Spotify | 101 songs | 6h 19min | Listen on Spotify
The title says it all. If you like it loud, this one’s for you.
Punk Essentials
Curated by Spotify France | 77 songs | 4h 03min | Listen on Spotify
The best of punk rock.
Starred
Curated by Julian Norton | 29 songs | 1h 58min | Listen on Spotify
A good mix to re-load your battery.
Walking Like A Badass
Curated by Spotify UK | 60 songs | 2h 56min | Listen on Spotify
Rocking riffs and pounding drums.
Kesä2016
Curated by Annukka Leppänen | 43 songs | 2h 26min | Listen on Spotify
“Kesä” means summer in Finish, and this playlist certainly brings you in a good mood with dancehall, hip hop, and reggae.
What do you usually listen to when doing coding and design work? Let us know in the comments below!