* Do Make Say Think (recent album I think)
* Alice Coltrane "Journey in Satchidananda"
* Various - "Putamayo World Lounge"
* Hybrid - Live DJ set from Moscow, 2004
In general while hacking, anything ambient, repetitive (electronica) or without vocals (jazz/classical), or vocals in a language I mostly don't understand (tropicalia, death metal, stereolab) is a great soundtrack.
While designing though, no sounds at all! Maybe something really ambient to shut out environmental noise, like Stars of the Lid.
Stars of the Lid is great, thanks for the recommendation. I tend to listen to ambient stuff when coding. Shpongle, Bonobo, Boards of Canada, Andrew Coleman, Bill Laswell, Birdy Nam Nam (definitely not ambient), Broken Social Scene are all good.
I've got to second Boards of Canada.
Also, Four Tet, Alan Sparhawk's solo guitar (his band, Low, is some of my favorite music for when I'm not hacking), Sigur Ros, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Mouse on Mars, Do Make Say Think, Squarepusher, Dirty Three, Six Organs of Admittance, and Labradford
While designing though, no sounds at all! Maybe something really ambient to shut out environmental noise, like Stars of the Lid.