6 ms·
Ask HN: What music alters your state of consciousness?
When you are feeling unproductive/unfocused what one piece of music alters your mind state and helps you refocus?
For me it's Carl Craig "At Les" http://bit.ly/3KfNRh
interested to know what yours is...
- tptacek 17y agohttp://searchyc.com/submissions/ask+hn+music http://searchyc.com/submissions/ask+hn+music
- unalone 17y agoThis one I think is an interestingly specific question. I'm not upvoting it, but I'm not flagging it, either: It might lead to interesting answers. Steve Reich's Music For 18 Musicians does it for me. It's a beautiful, pulsating piece, with every movement focusing on a single chord, with no progressions for minutes at a time. It's one of the most unique classical pieces I've ever heard, and it gets my mind in a relaxed mood almost instantly.
- davepeck 17y agoYou might find some other Reich tunes equally powerful, then. Among the best I've found for programming: Electric Counterpoint, Tehillim [Original ECM recording], You Are (Variations), Eight Lines (the re-instrumented version of Octet), and Music For A Large Ensemble. (Reich has also written some wonderful music that I find harder to listen to in a programming context, including the landmark Different Trains [try the recording that also has Electric Counterpoint], City Life, and the Desert Music [try the San Francisco Symphony recording])
- unalone 17y agoI'm a huge Reich fan. City Life is incredible.
- rms 17y agoAlso check out Terry Reiley...
- m0th87 17y agoApparat's Walls album. If there is a way to hack consciousness, Walls does it: http://www.lala.com/#album/1513490949824332234/Apparat/Walls http://www.lala.com/#album/1513490949824332234/Apparat/Walls Try Fractals part 1 and 2. It really does feel like the audible equivalent of a fractal!
- davepeck 17y agoLove the album. As an aside, if you're an Ableton Live 8 user, you can go download Fractales (both parts) as an Ableton Live Set -- part of their 10th anniversary celebration. It is fun to tease apart the track and figure out what makes it tick. http://www.ableton.com/able10-artist-packs http://www.ableton.com/able10-artist-packs (see Apparat)
- zen53 17y agoFractals part1 and 2 now on my playlist - thank you!
- Alex3917 17y agoIt depends what state of consciousness I'm currently in and what state I'm trying to get into. I think though that the best way to hack your state of conscious is by selectively engaging or disengaging all of the senses at once. There is actually a machine that was at least patented to do this for you, although I'm not sure if it ever actually went into production or not: http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&RefSrch=yes&Query=PN%2F5725472 http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1&Sec...
- fogus 17y agoThe music that alters my state tends to be the kind of music that creates an atmosphere: * Anything by Gas (but mostly Zauberberg and Königsforst) * Eno and Fripp * Burial * Montauk
- lowe 17y agoI'm with you. These two are great too: * pole * biosphere
- nvn1 17y agoThe Bladerunner soundtrack has worked wonders for focusing my mind since about the age of 15. Gastr del Sol's Camoufleur LP also performed admirably during my arduous PhD write-up.
- davepeck 17y agoSongite link: http://www.songite.com/#e0eecb http://www.songite.com/#e0eecb -- Glenn Gould playing Bach. London Elektricity's Syncopated City Most pieces by Steve Reich The Koyaanisqatsi soundtrack by Philip Glass. Burial's Untrue. Fujiya & Miyagi's Transparent Things. Apparat's Walls Miles Davis' In A Silent Way DNTEL's Life Is Full Of Possibilities The Weather Report's Heavy Weather & Black Market ... I'm not sure what the linking thread is here. For example, elevator-cheesy Heavy Weather is worlds apart from just about everything else on the list. But it all works, at least to get me into the zone.
- taifun 17y agoI never heard about Apparat, sounds great!
- h2odysee 17y agoJean Michel Jarre Shpongle
- auston 17y agoAnything electro/techno: - Justice - Boyz Noise - MSTR KRFT - DeadMau5 - Erick Morillo - (sometimes) A-Trak This almost the only way I can get work done, otherwise I am reciting lyrics & enjoying guitar riffs.
- kidsat 17y agoI've found these mixtapes by Moneypenny quite enjoyable: http://www.urchicago.com/spandexxxmixtape http://www.urchicago.com/spandexxxmixtape
- fuzzmeister 17y agoSahib Teri Bandi by The Derek Trucks Band: http://www.songite.com/#c30f63 http://www.songite.com/#c30f63 (Disclosure: I built Songite a few weekends ago)
- fallintothis 17y agoWow, I'm really liking Songite. Great work keeping it simple -- not enough of that these days. Edit: Just noticed something playing around with it. Is there a way to correct its results if it doesn't happen to get them right? For example, I searched for All That You Are by Mudvayne, and the only result that gets queued is an 8-second intro. I like the "I'm Feeling Lucky" simplicity, but there should probably be a way to fix the choice -- e.g., a button on the song for "not the right one" that expands a list of search results.
- fuzzmeister 17y agoThanks. I'm definitely thinking about ways to correct songs that are wrong - my current idea is a button next to each song that pops out a list of alternatives.
- n2linux 17y agoOh, nice one.
- davepeck 17y agoI just updated my original post with a songite link. It's a very nicely designed tool! (I had trouble finding a sharable version of Weather Report's Palladium. Any way you can give me choices when I want/need them?)
- kamme 17y agoOT: some feedback, I'm on a 1200x800 screen and there is a scrollbar that serves no purpose. I changed the margin of #container to margin:50px auto auto; and the scrollbar is gone. Or you could make the top margin like 5% to behave better on bigger screens. Not much else to say except nicely done!
- kamme 17y agoLately I've become a big fan of AIR, they make great instrumental tracks, as well as songs with lyrics. I tend to listen to the soundtrack of the virgin suicides quite a lot. Many people don't like the atmosphere of their music, but I feel as if I get their songs. I also like the soundtrack of donnie darko, the mood is quite unique, haven't discovered it anywhere else. I don't know why but that kind of music doesn't distract me at all and makes me calm and more productive.
- tdm911 17y agoTwo of my favourites as well. AIR are the perfect 'background music' and i don't get distracted by their lyrics. The Donnie Darko soundtrack is moody and atmospheric. Also, anything by Sigur Rós. Not because they are a great band, but because they don't sing in English (or Icelandic a lot of the time). I find their music isn't distracting and really enthuses me.
- Sapient 17y agoI find trance music extremely unobtrusive and yet motivating. Almost everything else is distracting. I am a sworn procrastinator, yet as soon as I turn on one of Armin van Buurens radio sessions, I can do an entire days work in two hours.
- niels 17y agovocal trance http://di.fm/vocaltrance http://di.fm/vocaltrance
- culturestate 17y agoRight there with you. DI vocal trance has ushered me through many a tight deadline.
- vyrotek 17y agohttp://di.fm/trance http://di.fm/trance is really good on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Global DJ Broadcast and Corsten's Countdown are awesome.
- niallsmart 17y agoHere's a Spotify collaborative playlist with some suggestions from the above... spotify:user:niallsmart:playlist:2Y7iDJaEoozuBDj4Npbm7L
- zen53 17y agoThanks Niall this is awesome. Syncing right now for the week ahead :)
- niallsmart 17y agoHappy hacking :) Hopefully you're more productive as a result.
- peregrine 17y agoRatatat usually gets me going.
- JMiao 17y agom83, bach, buckethead's acoustic work i.e. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJud5kqFEDU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJud5kqFEDU
- pauldelany 17y agorecommend Boards of Canada
- ronnier 17y agohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUdixQGF0w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYUdixQGF0w (Rossini La Gazza Ladra Overture Abbado Vienna 1991) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CMo_mLNz38 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CMo_mLNz38 (Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 - Mov 1, Part 1/3 (Martha Argerich, 1973)) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG2hGSL345I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG2hGSL345I (Rossini - William Tell overture (Part 1)) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E (Rostropovich plays the Prelude from Bach's Cello Suite No. 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B49N46I39Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B49N46I39Y (Holst - Jupiter) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLHj-eekdNU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLHj-eekdNU (Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, 4th mvmt) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Sx5lbVlQA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0Sx5lbVlQA (Pavarotti Last Performance "Nessun Dorma" @ Torino 2006)
- AndrewO 17y agoAnything instrumental and epic sounding. Right now my favorites are: * Explosions in the Sky * Red Sparowes * British Sea Power's Man of Aran Soundtrack I'd also recommend a band called Souvenir's Young America which sounds like the soundtrack to a zombie/western movie.
- rms 17y agoYou would like Crippled Black Phoenix -- not entirely instrumental, but similar influences. Linked is their recent double album, Night Raiders opens with their post-rockiest track. http://rapidshare.com/files/177917402/CBP_-_2009_The_Resurrectionists_by_exhalethesound.blogspot.com.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/177917402/CBP_-_2009_The_Resurre... http://rapidshare.com/files/177890387/CBP_-_2009_Night_Raiders_by_exhalethesound.blogspot.com.rar http://rapidshare.com/files/177890387/CBP_-_2009_Night_Raide...
- nuba 17y agoDo Make Say Think works wonders for me. and also Egberto Gismonti.
- ianbishop 17y agoair boards of canada burial caribou m83 memory tapes mogwai mum ratatat sigur ros
- kyro 17y agoCaribou was formerly known as Manitoba, for any of you who want to look up their older stuff. Really chill music. I'll just put my list here while I'm at it: -anything trance, mainly Tiesto -Caribou (Manitoba) -Architecture in Helsinki -Frou Frou -The Faint -world music - no artists in particular as I just listen to last.fm radio channels.
- brandonkm 17y agoBased on this list you may also like dextro http://www.dextro.co.uk/ http://www.dextro.co.uk/ also Mike Sheridan is great, I've had one particular album of his on repeat for quite some time http://www.discogs.com/Mike-Sheridan-I-Syv-Sind/release/1473587 http://www.discogs.com/Mike-Sheridan-I-Syv-Sind/release/1473...
- aristus 17y agoRachmaninoff. Also, look at "pink noise" tapes: rainforests, oceans, all that new-agey crap. It actually works.
- clawrencewenham 17y agoThe Future Sound Of London, especially their old radio sessions
- zen53 17y agoThanks for all the great answers HN...inspired by NiallSmart (see comment) I created a playlist of all the music mentioned in this post - it features one track of every artist listed in the comments. Specific track was used when referenced. spotify:user:zen53:playlist:5JtUZrhOvBV0IqySyhoDwF thanks again!
- Mr_question 17y agoI like any upbeat mowtown or stax records jams.
- adg 17y agoI really like stuff without lyrics that's fairly repetitive. Some examples: http://www.songite.com/#c1f21f http://www.songite.com/#c1f21f.
- christofd 17y agoA varied selection: Jazzanova Old Blue Note Jazz stuff Glenn Gould Goldberg Variations (1. version 1955) Bach Cello Suites (Pierre Fournier) Minimal Electronica Daft Punk/ Justice/ Etienne de Crecy (French Electro) Drum n' Bass (old Roni Size stuff - New Forms/ V Label) almost forgot: Giles Peterson's monthly podcasts
- Ixiaus 17y agoA lot of Psybient music: Shpongle, Bluetech, Entheogenic, Phutureprimitive A lot of Dubstep: XeNMaSTA, Cookie Monsta, Bassnectar, 16Bit, Logik Ambient space music: Steve Roach, (quite a few here, too lazy to look em up) Classical Guitar: Jesse Cook, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Zabuca, Linstead
- jonny_noog 17y agoLately I've been liking Analogue Bubblebath and Selected Ambient Works Volume II by Richard D. James, AKA Aphex Twin. I play the tracks softly when coding and I feel it assists my concentration.
- rms 17y agoAlcest -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaDm6n2oo1c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaDm6n2oo1c http://rapidshare.com/files/90534814/Alcest_-_Souvenirs_d_un_autre_monde.7z http://rapidshare.com/files/90534814/Alcest_-_Souvenirs_d_un...
- psawaya 17y agoThanks, I had totally forgotten about Alcest. If I remember right, they actually started out playing black metal
- rms 17y agoThe 2005 album Le Secret is more black metal in that it has some dirty vocals but purists would probably scoff at calling it black metal. I haven't listened to Alcest's 2001 demo. Alcest is a solo project of one guy from Amesoeurs. The full band Amesoeurs is darker and actually black metal, though with an interesting mix of new wave. Their recent album is good if a little inconsistent. If you know more bands that sound like Alcest, I'd love your recommendations, I haven't managed to find much with exactly that sound. Maybe some of Jesu's recent stuff.
- davidmathers 17y agoLast.fm is sometimes helpful: http://www.last.fm/music/Alcest/+similar http://www.last.fm/music/Alcest/+similar
- rms 17y agoThanks, found another member of Amesoeurs with a solo album there.
- psawaya 17y agoI don't know if they're quite the same, but if you like Alcest, I bet you'd enjoy Agalloch. The Mantle is really a beautiful album, though it has some BM vocals. I think the new Pelican album, What We All Come to Need, is also pretty relaxing, and uses distorted guitars.
- z8000 17y agoStars of the Lid
- cpach 17y agoThat's an interesting question! But please post full links rather than shortened ones.
- lg 17y agoI particularly like arch carrier, by autechre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYikLIMPHSs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYikLIMPHSs
- jrandom 17y agoThe later works of Scriabin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Scriabin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Scriabin
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- zoba 17y agoWhen I really listen to a few songs, at certain parts, I get an intense tingly feeling all over my body that feels awesome. Yes - Close to the Edge (when the organs come in) Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture (the finale) These two do it basically every time. Anyone know anything about this? Do other people get this awesome tingling sensation? I also find that harpsichord music is good for concentrating as well as music by Can. In particular, I'll often put on Can's Tago Mago when I need to get work done.
- tripngroove 17y agoI recently noticed that if I put on something extremely hard or caustic - some kind of screamy metal like Protest the Hero or Tool - and turn the volume up to the point where I can't hear anything else, I stop noticing the music altogether. It kind of feels like it puts my auditory nerve on overload and everything gets filtered out. The intense, ear-crushing metal also confers the added bonus of warding away pesky human distractions.
- adriand 17y agoAs an added benefit, you'll soon lose your hearing altogether and the annoying sound of human voices will become a distant memory!
- astine 17y agoFor me, it depends on the day. Today, I put on some 90's ska. It's not usually that.
- ulfstein 17y agoMost of the soundscapes from WildSanctuary (http://bit.ly/2IHocS http://bit.ly/2IHocS) have a pretty amazing effect on my productivity.
- raju 17y agoI just discovered NatureSpace [http://www.naturespace.com/ http://www.naturespace.com/]. They call is "Holographic Sound", and its pretty amazing. Check out their website (there is a preview on their landing page, and I strongly recommend having a pair of stereo headphones/earbuds on ;-) ) They have a free iPhone app, well if you have an iPhone, and want to try it out. [Update - Seems they have options for the Android too]
- deleted 17y ago[deleted]
- bobbyi 17y agophish grateful dead john coltrane
- darkxanthos 17y agoPrince (the old stuff) I have tons of music but that's realy the best stuff for getting me to focus and make me feel energized.
- chanux 17y agotrance, rock
- daeken 17y agoNot so much a particular piece, but many albums -- I rarely listen to single songs, just albums and full discographies. Iron & Wine, particularly Woman King Splashdown and Universal Hall Pass Porcupine Tree - Stupid Dream and The Incident Agents of Mercy The Flower Kings The Decemberists
- Keyframe 17y agoPink Floyd, Alan Parsons Project, New London consort, Slash's Snakepit... and many many many more
- cma 17y agofateh ali khan (p.s. unless you need to meet a text message minimum, don't use url shorteners)
- taifun 17y agoI love Bygdin, esp the Setesdal track.
- nedwin 17y agoRatatat Kelley Polar Bon Iver The Knife