By now, iTunes is suggesting a lot of stuff to me that I really like. But if you’re starting from zero:
- Find something you like on iTunes, Spotify, whatever.
- Use the ‘start a radio station based on this song’ feature.
- When that plays something you also like, add it to your library. Keep playing it.
- If it’s a single track on an album, just add the album. The wonderful thing about modern streaming services is that you can speculatively add stuff and, if you don’t like it, just remove it. It doesn’t cost you anything! (That’s amazing, by the way.)
- iTunes learns. Keep doing this.
- By now, the Friday morning ‘for you’ playlist also has good stuff. Give that a chance. ‘Love’ the stuff you love. Add the albums with tracks you liked. iTunes keeps learning.
That’s all, really. Just listen to stuff and let the bots figure out what else you might like.
Edit: also find friends or co-workers with similar tastes. Share stuff with them. I get a lot of gold from my mate up in Cairns, just whenever we hear things we send each other the link.
I recommended it before, but I maintain a playlist that focuses on very quiet, soothing ambient, moody soundscapes and slightly experimental music that, in my opinion, works as well for sleeping as it does for being productive and focused:
Alternatively and if you prefer a more eclectic, diversive selection that covers a wide range of moods and genres, but should still serve as a soundtrack to a relaxing sunday out in the sun or on the couch, there's this little mix series I work on - I think these particular episodes might be a good starting point:
That's always been the type of music I've put on while I work, but a week or two ago I shuffled the entire Judas Priest catalog on Google Music. I've never been a fan of Judas Priest, I don't particularly like to listen to their music, but it's been great for me to work to. Ambient noises and quiet conversations are masked, the tempo is fast, and the dynamic range isn't huge.
last.fm Doomed channel. Halloween dark industrial ambient. No beats, just some quiet screaming and throat singing. Sadly, it's taking a break "until October". I certainly hope it comes back!
Late Night Tales Presents Sasha: Scene Delete [0]
Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk: Passage [1]
Jon Hopkins: Opalescent [2]
HVOB & Winston Marshall: Silk [3]
Anything at all by HVOB. HVOB is the golden stuff.
All of Tycho's albums
Any of Tycho's Burning Man mixes on SoundCloud [8]
Kiasmos: Blurred [4]
Vermont: II [5]
Bonobo: Migration [6] (or any other Bonobo)
Tosca: No Hassle [7] (or any other Tosca)
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[0]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/late-night-tales-presents-...
[1]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/passage/1177124625
[2]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/opalescent/305037953
[3]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/hvob/564007861
[4]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/blurred/1266258851
[5]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/ii/1174877374
[6]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/migration/1172028049
[7]: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/no-hassle-bonus-track-vers...
[8]: https://soundcloud.com/tycho/ingress-burning-man-sunrise-set...