My anecdote. When I was deep in programming I tended not to listen to music I really liked but ones with a fairly steady volume & pace and also quite rhythmic.

My anecdote. When I was deep in programming I tended not to listen to music I really liked but ones with a fairly steady volume & pace and also quite rhythmic. Dance music such as The Shamen worked well. I wouldn't be actively listening and enjoying the music but if I needed a little mental break I could mentally drop into the music without the risk of losing my thought train. When concentrating I often listen to classical piano now, composers such as Erik Satie. I found the modern music was great for coding but if I was writing the classical was better, I suppose the vocals muddled my language train for writing.