Music Is My Drug

I avoid actual drugs, apart from prescription drugs, and alcohol.  Obviously I don't mean together, and the former I mean when they are actually prescribed for you.  Beyond that however I avoid drugs because I like to let my body deal with things on its own.  I don't like pumping myself full of remedies when sick, the most I ever take is a headache tablet if the pain is too much, but beyond that I would much rather sleep it off.  There are a few things that have an affect on me the same way drugs do for other people.  Music has always been something of a drug for me.  There are various genres I listen to which evoke different emotions.

Trance Music has always helped me concentrate.  While some people find it monotonous, and repetitive, even slow or boring; I find it helps me focus and concentrate on what I need to do.  I am a programmer.  I first learned to programme at a very young age in BASIC when most other kids were playing football, I had my head buried in books about code and about computers.  I loved technology from a young age, it fascinated me.  I took many things apart as a kid, sometimes to my parent's dismay.  When I first discovered BASIC, the sense of accomplishment it gave me when I took the time to write out the programs and run them, seeing the results made me smile.  When I got older I branched off into many other languages and learned how to develop complete applications, games, utility programs I wrote to do the things I wanted them to do.  Any time I had a repetitive task to complete I would often look to create a program that would do it for me.  During my years at College and University I discovered Trance Music and the affect it had on me when I listened to it as I programmed.  We often speak about being "in the zone" where the creative juices start to flow and you get into full swing.  I did many pieces of coursework in one sitting listening to Music when I achieved that level of focus.

In my spare time I liked Dance music as a form of background Music.  Over the years as the EDM - Electronic Dance Music - genre matured I explored it deeply and many gems from this are still the most played in my library.  As for the argument that you need silence to concentrate, that never worked for me really.  I was always a multi-tasker, to the point where I can ignore what is going on around me to be able to focus on what I am doing.  From being able to sleep on Planes and Trains, to being able to work in busy environments without being distracted, but still aware of, what is going on around me, this definitely has had its advantages over the years.  It has also had a few moments that would probably horrify others, like falling asleep in the middle of Hyde Park, or falling asleep on the tube - thankfully that was on the Circle line so an inconvenience more than anything. 

Music can be a source of energy, I know many have playlists for their workout at the gym which they listen to in order to get them pumped.  There's a track I have been listening to lately which is actually from a game called Undertale called Megalovania.  I've linked it below.  This is something which has given me energy when I need to keep going, and given me determination [brownie points if you get the reference].

My question of the day is how much does Music affect your mood?