Wind down Friday - What are you listening to? 🎶

Over It Friday GIF by TLC Europe

TGIF! Let’s discuss something non-testing-related for a change!

I am always curious about what you guys (or gals) listen to when you test or write code?

Do you have a playlist that you automatically put on to help you get “in the zone” when you are working? Or exercising? Or cooking? Are you the type of person who need to have something going on in the background in order to concentrate or boost your productivity?

If music is not your thing, then maybe podcasts or audiobooks?

Share with us below your favorite songs, tunes, podcasts, and more below! :point_down:

I’ll start first.

So, if I am working (or writing an essay back in my university days), then I prefer to listen to games or movie soundtracks, or (this maybe a bit cringy) those lo-fi, “beats to study/sleep/work” to playlist on YouTube. Basically, anything that is not fast tempo, maybe a little bit repetitive in terms of melodies/beats, and no lyrics (I found songs with lyrics rather distracting).

Below are some of the stuff that I regularly listen to while working:


For podcast, if you have read our Geek Pride Day thread, then you would know that I like the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast which take a look at the stories behind some of the world’s most recognizable sounds.

Another podcast that I quite like is Modern Love based on the weekly New York Times column, which features reader-submitted essays about the love lives of real people, all the ups-and-downs and the in-betweens.

Below is a particularly well-read, and well-written episode that hooked me in :point_down:


And here is the album that I have been listening to lately…

1 Like

I am curious… Do you believe that your music listening experiences will be enhanced with the right gears i.e. headphones, amplifiers, even the right file format like lossless FLAC? :headphones:

Just read a rather interesting article about how our taste in music change as we age, diverging further and further from the mainstream/popular music and approaching “maturity” as we are pushing 30s …

Got to say, I kinda think that this article is legit as I do not find myself listening to Taylor Swift nor any of the Billboard Hot 100 artists that much anymore. And I also find myself listening to songs that I have already heard before more often :thinking:

A song from one of my favorite games, “Arigami”. It just sounds so epic! :video_game:

1 Like

So for some reason the video below got recommended to me on YouTube …

Well, I could not complain about the rhythms, the vocal, the choreography, and especially the hunk at the end (around the 2:57 minute mark) :yum:

Somehow, I usually go back to good ole deep house for when I am working or just browsing the internet in general.


Do you prefer to listen to music whilst working/cooking/working out/reading/ [insert activity name here]?
  • Music for me, cannot stand the silence, I need something to fill the void
  • I thrive in the tranquility of silence
0 voters

Listening to the soundtrack of one of my favorite games today…

So cool to see the behind the scene of one of my favorite music videos :heart_eyes:

To be honest, it didn’t look that impressive when viewing from the top, but the final result was :chefs_kiss:

Been blasting this on repeat ever since it became available on Spotify (I will admit that my music taste can be basic at times :face_with_peeking_eye:, but the beat is just so addicting). It has also been confirmed that Ariana interpolate Madonna’s Vogue in this song, hence the similarity in melodies.

Found another favorite to listen to whilst working :musical_note: :headphones: