The instrumental/background music thread

[Ayo]

Looking for music (preferably, but not limited to entire albums) that can be played in the background while working. Some words are okay, but I'm looking for primarily instrumental stuff. If in doubt, just post it anyway.

I am not looking for "easy listening" or "mood music" in particular...that stuff can be good too, but that stuff can end up being more distracting to the thought process than lyrical music.

Any genre.

[howyadoin]

Do you have the Blade Runner soundtrack?

Or in a different vein, you might look into some of Ry Cooder's soundtrack work.

[FallenAngels]

Looking for music (preferably, but not limited to entire albums) that can be played in the background while working. Some words are okay, but I'm looking for primarily instrumental stuff. If in doubt, just post it anyway.
I am not looking for "easy listening" or "mood music" in particular...that stuff can be good too, but that stuff can end up being more distracting to the thought process than lyrical music.
Yeah this is the problem a bit - some of the most emotive LPs are ones with minimal lyrics. I'd say ambient and most post-rock bands (Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky, Boards of Cananda etc.) are a bit too intense not to be 'distracting'....

Why not browse those chillout collections - there is the classical one which is guaranteed to have no lyrics whatsoever.

There is Susumu Yokota and Craig Armstrong although their stuff may be a bit too trippy for background music. Hows about stuff like:

Air - "Moon Safari"
Zero 7 - "Simple Things"
Moby - "Play", "18"
Thievery Corporation - "Mirror Conspiracy" (perhaps only this TC album tho imo)

[bodie_3_7_ci5]

Try listening to any album by 'Tangerine Dream'

[Sanagi]

Try listening to any album by 'Tangerine Dream'
Except Zeit, which sounds like pure despair oozing out of hell.

[TinMan]

Pretty much anything by Joe Satriani RULES, as well as Steve Vai.

[nonhosonno]

Except Zeit, which sounds like pure despair oozing out of hell.

Or Electronic Meditation (the debut) which is gritty dope-influenced Krautrock.

[Buried Alien]

Get yourself some Ventures and Dick Dale collections.

Booker T and the M.G.'s are good too.

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[cactusmaac]

Explosions In The Sky

[Eliot Johnson]

Booker T and the M.G.'s are good too.


2nd

I also reccommend (Radiohead's) Jonny Greenwood's album, Bodysong. I think that a couple of Icelandic bands, Mum and Sigur Ros, might fit what you're looking for. If you want something really weird (very very avant-garde), there is always AMM. And I'd go get Bitches Brew by Miles Davis RIGHT NOW if you don't already have it.

Can's Future Days and This Heat's Deceit might not be bad choices either. Some of Brian Eno's stuff might work, as would Aphex Twin. Oren Ambarchi would be excellent. 4 Gentlemen of the Guitar would be good too.

[DubipR]

Talvin Singh's Butterfly CD is really good. Lots of instrumentals