NOTES

Note: not like generating music from your brain but like, music to write to.

I call these "shuffle mixes:" Sometimes I put my entire library on shuffle and then add songs that keep me writing at a good pace. Sometimes I listen to this playlist while I'm writing and then refine it depending on what is distracting or not. What I end up with is a solid set of songs that I can write to without distraction. As the playlist grows, the time I spend writing grows too.

Incidentally, this is also a great little snapshot of my music library. I started this on Bandcamp then moved it to Plex in 2025 so the first 20 tracks are a summary of my Bandcamp library at the time.

I like that there's very little coherence in genre (spanning across hardcore, indie pop, darkwave, hip-hop, folk, and more) and yet across the board, all of them support the high cognitive work involved in being creative and writing.

In an attempt to analyze the song list, here's what I came up with:

• These songs create motion, but don't demand your attention. There's a tendency towards strong rhythms, limited dynamics, and slow evolution. The music pushes you forward; it doesn't demand that you stop and listen.
• Emotionally, most of these songs are intense, and they don't bring closure. These aren't the songs I'm listening to after a breakup trying to feel cathartic, they're songs that emit waves of complex emotions.
• Not a surprise, but worth mentioning: They are vocally/lyrically non-invasive. I don't feel like I'm being interrupted by someone who is trying to tell me something that I must listen to. Instead, we're vibing together: I'm writing, they're performing music, like a creative handshake.
• Overall, the playlist moves my body, not my mind. It holds me in a moment where I can focus on whatever I want (not just writing) and use my own creative thoughts/ideas instead of interweaving theirs.

Other mixes I've made that support writing

I will probably make posts about these some day, but these other playlists I have made also make for good writing music! Including them to complete the overall thought for this post, even though my dear reader has no idea what's included in any of these.

• evenings with music (ongoing, started late 2025): low key mood music for staying at home and having nice music in the background
• move jazz (ongoing, started in late 2025): high energy jazz music (I started this at the same time as 'evenings with music', it's an interesting contrast)