> However if I'm listening to electronica (no vocals, e.g. progressive trance), I can listen to it while working. Entirely agree, I’m listening to a Hernan Cat

> However if I'm listening to electronica (no vocals, e.g. progressive trance), I can listen to it while working. Entirely agree, I’m listening to a Hernan Cattaneo mix rn, which is more prog house (tho I’ve read about the impassioned debates between the two sides that used to take place over something like which got to claim Sasha’s Xpander lol) and I cannot listen to anything else while working. > The way I reason this, is it's like my river of thoughts is moving faster. I’ve long wondered the same and it just occurred to me now that that specific bpm range could be analogous to a pace car. It has enough tempo to get u, and keep u, in “the zone” while not being too up-tempo to be overwhelming. Additionally, the consistent bpm and lack of vocals accomplishes the above for me while still not being distracting. And to your idea of a “river” or “stream” I think that’s y I find pronounced breakdowns jarring in this context because it’s basically an interruption. However if I’m doing abstract thinking and exploring my thoughts in depth, that idea of a pace car is detrimental so I prefer silence for that