Sometimes you need music to block out background noise, motivate you, or make mundane tasks more fun.
Certain kinds of music have even been proven to boost your productivity. Here are my favorite genres and artists to listen to while studying.
Deep // KAASI
KAASI is the king of study music. His music has fueled my work sessions throughout the whole semester last year. At more than 400 plays in my iTunes library, "Work With Me" (below) is one of my favorites, although "Caroline Street" is the first KAASI song I discovered. His simple, deep and nocturnal sounds accompanied by chilled beats is what inspired 'nocturnal,' one of my 8tracks study playlists.
Great For: Staying focused through late nights and early mornings.
Top Tunes: "Tell Me," "Lisse," "Lucy Stone"
Download his music for free here.
Trap // M3H
I like trap as a "study genre" overall, since the artists tend to repeat certain riffs in songs, which keeps me from getting distracted. Trap music also tends to come with minimal or chopped-up lyrics along with beats that will keep you engaged in whatever you're working on. I chose M3H as my favorite chill-trap artist for productivity since he has a long list of awesome remixes of songs by some of my favorite artists like Tove Lo, Purity Ring and Flume.
Hucci is a close runner-up.
Great For: Keeping yourself motivated, even through mundane or repetitive tasks.
Top Tunes: "What U Do," "Ginger & The Ghost," "Obedear"
Listen to this "study beats" playlist on SoundCloud to hear my favorite picks from M3H, Hucci and more.
House // deadmau5
While deadmau5 may not seem like he could boost your productivity as a progressive-house music producer, his repetitive house beats are pleasant to the ear, which makes it easier for me to concentrate. "There Might Be Coffee" (below) could not be a more fitting song title.
Great For: Getting your creative juices flowing while writing an essay.
Top Tunes: "Closer," "Strobe," "The Veldt"
Listen to more in my Spotify playlist.
Ambient // Evenings
Evenings' music is incredibly calming. I first heard "Babe" (below) from this very artistic video on Vimeo about making beet cake while browsing the Explore section. His music inspired this 8tracks playlist called 'the elements' because of his unparalleled minimalistic and nature-y sound.
Great For: When you feel stressed or overwhelmed with work.
Top Tunes: "Babe (Shigeto Remix)," "Goodbye Forever," "Chesapeake"
Listen to his album Yore on Spotify here.
Electronic // ODESZA
ODESZA produces awesome uplifting and motivating electronic music that's not so in-your-face. Since they mainly use choppy vocal samples, making most of the lyrics incomprehensible, you won't lose track of whatever you're working on when listening to their experimental sounds.
Great For: Uplifting, hopeful and motivating tunes when you're in the zone.
Top Tunes: "IPlayYouListen," "Cover Bombs [Odesza Edit]," "Always This Late"
Listen to ODESZA on Spotify here.
Jazz // Tom Misch
Check out Tom Misch's jazzy/hip-hop/chilled-out instrumental songs if you have a hard time getting work done with lyrics involved. Because of its soothing jazz undertones, Tom Misch's music is as therapeutic as it is conducive to studying. I'm glad to have discovered his music during finals week.
Great For: Background music, or studying on a rainy day.
Top Tunes: "In The Middle Of The Night," "Dilla Love," "Climbing"
Read my full post on Tom Misch here.