56 Comments

Lambent Rag - Clark

Tacken - Modeselector

Tigran Hamasyan is also great for deep working.

YAN's rendition of Philip Glass are also always great, especially for coding or writing.

Nils Frahm's "Tripping with Nils Frahm" is great too.

Pulsing by Bryce Dessner (or Bryce Dessner in general)

If I want to get in a really deep work state, then I put on Jon Hopkin's Singularity and Immunity, but you recently featured that already.

Arvo Pärt has great deep work pieces (Tabula Rasa I. Ludus, Spiegel im Spiegel, Fratres)

John Adam's Harmonielehre or Shaker Loops are great for working.

In general Minimalism is what is getting me in a flow state – I got a whole playlist of "Pure" Minimalism.

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Share it, please!

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Listening to Tigran Hamasyan - pace is good but almost 'too emotional/lush' for work listening. Thanks for sharing recommendation.

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Yea, I get that – depends on what you are working on! For me, repetitive tasks work really great with Tigran. Sometimes though, I get distracted by his tunes, as they are pretty heavy sometimes and I just want to vibe to it, haha.

Otherwise, his earlier albums are more calm and better suited to deep work, especially Atmosphères and Mockroot.

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Have been listening to Hania Rani and Nils Frahm a lot lately!

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Those are great ones! ⭐ Do you have something similar to recommend? 😊

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Not really. I am not in the phase to look for new music. I can listen to the same playlist for months!

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I wish I had that ability...

Nonetheless, if you are looking for something similar, you might want to check out Dobrawa Czocher (she and Hania frequently collaborate, so you might know her already), especially her Dreamscapes Album!

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I listened to Dobrawa Czocher live with Hania on YouTube recently. So yes! She is on my radar. Thank you for recommending her Dreamscapes album. Would definitely check that out :)

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Marty Hicks has been pretty much on repeat recently for me! Especially his release with Michiru Aoyama--A Summer, Archived and also his solo release The Effortless Quiet. Both gorgeous records.

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Hey, just listened to it. Just wanted to say that those are really great picks, thanks for putting them here!

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If you like active working music:

Todd Terje's album: "It's Album Time"

Lindstrom's album: "Smalhans"

Both artists hail from Norway.

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Just listened to "It's Album Time", soooo good! Thank you for the rec!

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Fred Again...with Brian Eno is some very good ambient floating music, some light vocals.

Bowery Electric is a band that ended in the early 90s but made some really compelling electronic soundscapes. Definitely a Friday listening pick. Though I was into this type of music back then, I didn't discover them until last year. Damn!

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Everything from that musicaholic dude from Japan, Michiru Aoyama.

In case you don't know him: https://michiruaoyama.bandcamp.com/

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I have been loving a track from Will Gardner - https://willgrdnr.bandcamp.com/album/blossom

an ambient artist/pianist who writes beautiful, textured, glitchy tracks ( kinda like Burial meets Oliver Coates?)

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Jeff Parker 'Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy' if I'm at home. It's LP-only, perfect for 20-ish minute chunks of focus. Eno' 'Thursday Afternoon' is my quintessential work album – constantly but subtly changing throughout. The Necks 'Open' and William Basinski 'Vivian & Ondine' are a couple others.

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• Dolphin by Greg Foat and Gigi Masin (particularly the track “Sabena”)

• Recreational Kraut by Moufang + Czamanski (particularly the opening track, but the whole album is incredible)

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For many years now I've been returning to an album by Ara Dinkjian called An Armenian in America, released in 2006. His style on the oud is very calming, ancient and modern sounding, melancholic and uplifting at the same time. Really a must-listen.

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Love this. Thank you. New to me

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I keep coming back to Nora Brown’s stuff, multiple times a week. Theres some vocals but its largely instrumental! Also fellow Chicagoan Bill Mackay 💕

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Bob Dylan, White Stripes, Taylor Swift

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Kaleidoscope just did an 8 hour mix of Sleeping at Last’s Space album. It’s fantastic. https://fanlink.to/SpaceForSleep

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I recently made this playlist and love it for working! Especially when I am writing <3

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0tIJYFkgxzpaSaLFGuffBC?si=ef217bd5464145c1

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https://music.apple.com/us/album/amber-of-memory/1700748547

Tommy Guerrerro new album, “Amber of Memory”

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I really like Steve Reich and Philip Glass right now.

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Richard Houghten - Three Seeds

Masayoshi Takanaka - Rainbow Goblins, AN INSATIABLE HIGH

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Thievery Corporation

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I keep coming back to The Olympians and sometimes I can find something similar in Khruangbin.

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I’ve been listening to Hermanos Gutiérrez on repeat since hearing them do an amazing set at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Anyone who likes Spanish-style guitar will love this: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/72aLnoyBOhLiSrtuBrS2nA?si=fLyD_ZxSQtudCDRDzLr_ew

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We got to see them live last year. Such an amazing duo!

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Barry Can't Swim

Purelink

Chaos in the CBD

Toro Y Moi (instrumentals)

Leon Vynehall

DJ Boring

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Hey, Thanks Cat. Chaos and Boring are already on high rotation on my list, but I can now add Barry and Leon. Thanks heaps :-)

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I listen to a lot of Brian Grainger (Milieu).

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Kosmicher Laufer

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I've been listening to Bell Witch's "Future's Shadow, Part 1: The Clandestine Gate" in anticipation of their NYC concert this weekend. 83 minutes of instrumental funeral doom metal which, like Sunn O))), can make for excellent background music.

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Carlo Costa. I made a playlist that combines two of his EPs - Message To The Past and Shades of Blue. Good texture, but not invasive. Great for writing.

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Jeremy Soule - Skyrim soundtrack on repeat. Find the YouTube mix with the snow and campfire sound effects then you will be on my level of pathetic

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Flow State introduced me to a lot of music I listen to for work - I also listen to music that doesn't fit your format (a lot of shoegaze, for example). Separating out discoveries from Flow State, bad choices and music that doesn't quite fit your format - recently been listening to older cuts from Languis - some of their pieces might fit Flow State format (look at Unithematic) and Monoland (from Cooning). Rediscovered liking for guitarist Jack Rose. More generally, a mix of ambient using physical instruments, classical/neoclassical, jazz, early music, neopsychedelia, klezmer, old-time fiddle and 'acoustic' guitar instrumental.

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And sometimes reminded of nice and autumnal instrumental cuts on recordings (e.g. 'blue rain soda' on Helium's "Magic City")

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Lately, Colin Stetson's "Chimæra I", Brian Eno's collaborations with Harold Budd ("Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirrors" and "The Pearl"), and Biosphere's "Microgravity". I loved your Green-house recommendation so have been playing that, too.

This one is with words (Spanish) but one I keep coming back to while I'm working is "Prisma Tropical" by Balún.

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lately it's been

Green-House - A Host for All Kinds of Life

Earthtones - Meditations for Synthesiser

Marc Miller + Se Jong Cho - Matisse Bath

and today I'm diving into the new LP from Robohands - Palms

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Mostly to stuff you guys have recommended actually! :-) Listening to Tommy Guerrero right now.

But also -- Polyphia!

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Enfant Sauvage

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A lot of Perry Frank lately. And Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS.

There’s a lot of good recommendations here.

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* Daniel Villarreal, "Lados B"

* Jlin, "Perspective"

* Methods Body, "Plural Not Possessive"

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I am loving this Villarreal album. Ty for the rec!!!!!!

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This mornings Flowc State selection, Walter Wsnderley, has vocals. Why the departure from the no vocals rule?

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I would venture that Walter isn't a "Flow State selection" per se, it's just what they've been playing a lot of. The format of the post doesn't match the official "selection" posts. (Which on Friday would usually begin "It's Friday so we're listening to something a little more upbeat..." :-))

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Made in Wood. Smooth Copenhagen Jazz duo+guests.

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Joachim Heinrich ... I love him ...

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