In a study published in the journal of Neuroscience of Behavior and Physiology, it was found that a person’s ability to recognize images, letters, and numbers was faster when rock or classical music was playing in the background compared to when there was no music.

A similar effect was noted when workers on an assembly line listened to music. The workers who listened to music were more happy and efficient and made fewer errors.

So whatever type of music you like, as long as you’re listening to something, you’ll enjoy repetitive or boring tasks more and get them done faster.

It’s the whole “whistle while you work” mentality and I’ve used it at work and at home. I’ve decided to put together a list of the best mixes to listen to while you work. Some are old, some new. Some aren’t even mixes, they’re entire albums! Enjoy.

Best Mixes to Listen to While You Work

1. Claude VonStroke – VONSTROKE 2013 ESSENTIAL MIX – UNCUT & NO RADIO TAGS!

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I love this mix  because a) it’s Claude VonStroke b) it’s got that continuous four-on-the-floor beat with some occasional breaks when you need them c) it doesn’t have those annoying “BBC RADIO 1!” interruptions.

This mix is perfect for: doing some relaxed blogging at home.

2.  Deadmau5 – Random Album Title

By far and away my favorite Deadmau5 album, Random Album Title is another four-on-the-floor heavy album that plays like a continuous mix — as long as you don’t have it on shuffle (who does that anyway?).

This mix is perfect for: studying for a final or reading a book.

3. Wolfgang Gartner – Live at The Palladium

Download Wolfgang Gartner – Live at The Palladium right here. 

Wolfgang has always been and will always be one of my favorite producers and live performers, and whenever I’m missing the ol’ guy I’ll throw this mix on. It might be a little old but the set is timeless in my mind.

This mix is perfect for: cleaning your entire house while cracked out on Red Bull

4. KID KAMILLION – Never Sleep Mixtape 2K14

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Download KID KAMILLION – Never Sleep Mixtape 2K14 right here

Just when I thought KID KAMILLION was out of the game he comes back and slaps me in the face with this incredible mixtape that is still my favorite of the year thus far.  Featuring a number of killer remixes and throwbacks, the Never Sleep Mixtape 2K14 is a must have for any trap head.

This mix is perfect for: a road trip to Southern California

5. Anna Lunoe – 100% DANCE MUSIK JUNE ’13

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Download Anna Lunoe – 100% DANCE MUSIK JUNE ’13 right here. 

For whatever reason, Anna Lunoe still remains one of the most talented unearthed talents in dance music. But with deep house/garage on the up and up, I’m sure that will all soon be changing. This mix is exactly what the title suggests: pure, sweaty, sexy dance music.

This mix is perfect for: having a dance party.

Didn’t see your favorite mix make the list? Tell us! We’ll definitely be doing this again so we want to hear from you!

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The multi Academy Award nominee and one time Golden Globe winner for Best Actor, Joaquin Phoenix put his acting roots aside in 2010 in hopes of becoming multi-platinum. As a infamous villain “Commodus” in the award winning movie “Gladiator” and later a perfect portrayal of Johnny Cash in “Walk the Line”, it was clear to Phoenix acting was going to well and should take the back burner to his new endeavor…rapping.

Awkwardly enough, 2010 brought about a documentary of Joaquin and his transition from acting to rapping in the unfortunate movie titled “I’m Still Here”. Famous rap names such as P. Diddy and Mos Def make appearances throughout the film along with big screen actors Ben Stiller and Jamie Foxx.

Indulging people and press with his new found love of rapping, Phoenix began small tours and live performances along with a nationally televised appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. Unlike his “serious” comments on his “serious” transition on live television, both Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix himself admitted his attempt at “tomfoolery” after the movie was released. Regardless of truth or hoax, Joaquin say’s the experience “liberated” him and eventually saved his career. Equally regardless of his explanation, his rapping was as disappointing as his facial hair.

2. Ron Artest aka Metta World Peace

Call him what you want, Ron or Metta, the dude is one technical foul away from a potential homicide and one rap album away from staying at home and coloring. Famously known for his boxing skills in the 2004 Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons battle royal, it was clear then as it is now World Peace is not on Artest’s mind. However, among practicing his jump shots and right hooks, Metta takes time to practice his rap skills.

2006 brought about the NBA player’s album “My World” in which we were the unfortunate prisoners of when he attempted to rap. Even more upsetting, was that rapper P. Diddy, Juvenile and Mike Jones willingly participated on a few tracks.

Don’t worry, there is hope in case you missed the first one, Metta just recently released his new album to hotnewhiphop.com that spells the same disaster as his last album and mostly likely his future life choices.

3. Tom Green

Indeed it is the “Tom Green Show” and not the “Green Tom Show” but the wacky Canadian can’t just get away with trying to rap as he pleases. Infamous from his MTV show for his vulgarity, Tom went on to be cast in major films like “Freddy Got Fingered”, “Road Trip”, “Stealing Harvard” and “Charlies Angels”.

Though not many know Tom’s career was an eventual biproduct of his early rap career in the 1990’s with his rap group, “Organized Rhyme”. As alias MC Bones, Tom and the group provided hit single “Check the O.R.” in 1992 that won MuchVibe Best Rap Video and in 1993 was nominated for a Juno Award.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc-INN_BC74

Later stints in rapping followed his rising MTV fame as he released his album “Not the Green Tom Show” in 1998 under the alias MC Face. Appropriately foul mouthed and edgy, MC Face’s main objective was to poke fun at Tom Green and his show which coincidentally, the viewers plenty of already.

4. 1990’s NBA

The 90’s brought the world ground breaking rappers, ones perhaps that shaped and molded the industry to what it is today and then there are those who did nothing at all. Fortunately, a few of these rappers didn’t depend on their lyrics for income and focused primarily on their dunking and defense. Unless your an avid NBA fan since the 90’s you might not know who Dana Barros is or what he accomplished in the league over his career.

What you might know even less about is the fact that among being a former NBA All-Star, he was the ring leader for an NBA side show that ended in a player collaboration album titled, “B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret”. Released in 1994, the secret was; NBA players aren’t rhyme masters.

A plethora of NBA Hall of Fame names and All-Stars that appeared on the album include, Shaquille O’Neal (not shocked), Cedric Ceballos, Brian Shaw, Jason Kidd, Chris Mills, J.R. Rider and Gary Payton. An equally impressive cast of hip hop artists like Diamond D and Warren G spit some expertise on the record but subsequently weren’t magicians or priests and allowed the album to be released with all its glory.

5. Mickey Rourke

No you didn’t misread the name, Mickey Rourke, the now fossilized actor who has had a long illustrious career on the big screen purposefully strung words and phrases together in attempts to rap. Fortunately Rourke knows better than to release an entire album of his villainous voice but provided it briefly in the 2009 Video Game “Rogue Warrior”.

Mickey was originally cast to provide the main character’s voice during game play and the game makers at Bethesda squeezed out a little more than they bargained for. Upon finishing the campaign mode, gamers get the unique experience of listening to Mickey Rourke blurt out every profanity and tough guy line he can think of.

While 99% of the ramblings don’t remotely rhyme with each other, the attempt at lyricism combined with snippets of in-game audio clips is most entertaining. “Rogue Warrior” was torn apart by game reviews for mediocre game play and frequent glitches through out, provoking the possibility that perhaps the five minutes of Mickey Rourke yelling “m***er f***er” over the end credits was the game’s high point.

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DJ collaborations on a single track is one thing, but when they begin to create albums and EP’s and start to tour under the same name, they give the idea of a supergroup an awesome, electronic revival. We’ve compiled a list of what we think are the five top DJ supergroups, in no particular order…

Top 5 DJ Supergroups:

1. Duck Sauce

Comprised of two of the biggest disco house artists in the world, Arman Van Helden and A-Trak, Duck Sauce is one of Fool’s Gold Records biggest artists. In 2009 the two released their Greatest Hits EP with tracks “aNYway” and “You’re Nasty.” The EP did alright, and it wasn’t until their 2010 release of “Barbra Streisand” that Duck Sauce was a household name. The track also got the group a nomination for Best Break-Through Artist and an award for Best Underground Dance Track at the International Dance Music Awards. The two have been touring around the world and can be seen headlining the first night of HARD Summer this year.

2. Major Lazer

In the summer of 2009, DJs Diplo and Switch released their first collaborative album, Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do with the smash single “Pon De Floor.” Major Lazer then began touring the country and became known for their incredible live performances which included hype man Skerrit Bwoy and a crew of intense break dancers and aerial acrobats who jump from ladders and hump each other upon landing. Major Lazer has worked with artists like No Doubt, La Roux, Beyonce and Snoop Dogg. In 2011, Switch left the group because of “creative differences” according to Diplo who continues Major Lazer as a side project that collaborates with other trending artists. So, yes, technically this is no longer a “supergroup” but instead just a SUPER group.

3. Dog Blood

What happens when you combine two of the biggest names in EDM? You get a big ol’ mess of Dog Blood. Skrillex, who took the Dubstep scene by complete storm (some have said he’s even killed the genre entirely), and Boys Noize, who has been the poster boy for German techno for the past decade, released their first two tracks “New Order” and “Middle Finger” in August of 2012 and had their first live performance at HARD’s New Year’s Eve that same year. Since then, the two have been dominating the live circuit at festivals like Ultra, Coachella, and (you guessed it) HARD Summer. The most interesting thing is how close the two artists have gotten and how well they work together. Given the genre’s they each come from, no one would have thought that Skrillex and Boys Noize would create such a monster of EDM.

4. Swedish House Mafia

By far the most popular and successful supergroup on this list, Swedish House Mafia has been one of the biggest reasons that electronic dance music has broken through into the main scene over the past 5 years. Made up of producers Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso, the group formed in 2008 and have continued to take the entire world by storm. With countless top 10 tracks in the UK and US, Swedish House Mafia has been breaking records everywhere they go, including being the first EDM artist to perform in and sell out Madison Square Garden. Their so-called final tour named “One Last Tour” started in November 2012 and ended with their “last” performance together at Ultra Music Festival on March 24th 2013.

5. Destroid

The newest of the supergroups on this list, Destroid, is a last-ditch effort to save Dubstep — and they’re actually doing a pretty good job. Producers Excision, Downlink, and former Pendulum drummer KJ Sawka formed Destroid in 2009 and have been working for the past 3 years to build up tracks and hype up their first live performance which took place on May 31, 2013 in San Francisco. Their sound is something like Nu-Metal meets Dubstep and is actually not that terrible. As the hardcore EDM genres appear to be coming to a close, it will be exciting to see where the group can go — and for how long.

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This year the sub-genre flowing through every speaker at the most popular raves and festivals is without a doubt Trap. Less dance oriented than traditional house, Trap combines the elements of hip-hop, hardstyle, and dubstep to create a slow paced bass heavy experience that has crowds going nuts. Here is a list of the 5 best up-and-coming Trap producers.

Baauer

After releasing a free EP on Diplo’s prolific label Mad Decent Baauer has become the face of the Trap movement performing at Hard Day of the Dead, and currently embarking on his first headlining tour. Baauer’s combination of hip-hop vocal samples and incredibly clean production makes him an instant hit at any festival. Here is his bass heavy standard “The Harlem Shake”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk1_DbbzSdY

Bro Safari

Rising to fame through his work with Moombahton wunderkind Dillon Francis. Bro Safari has found his own niche producing some the most soul crushing Trap music since the genre began showing up at festivals in the beginning of 2012.  Here he is at his best sampling Notorious B.I.G’s “Suicidal Thoughts” in “Scumbag”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl8nCfALygw

Flosstradamus

Next up is Chicago based duo Flosstradamus whose remix of Major Lazer’s Original Don arguably marks the beginning of Trap genre entirely. The biggest name on this list, Flosstradamus has performed at Coachella, Lollapalooza, and South by Southwest. Having temporarily ditched their standard hard house roots here is the track that started it all, and got everybody shouting “RUN THE TRAP!”

UZ

Releasing two mixes in the past year affectionately titled Trap Shit I and Trap Shit II. UZ is the  one producer on this list to really keep you’re eyes open for. While he has yet to gain a large following in the US. UZ’s brand of rap heavy Trap has garnered him much success across the pond. Here is his remix of Foreign Beggars Goon Bags.

Kid Kamillion

Finally, we have Kid Kamillion perhaps the least exposed producer on this list. Now, while most festival and EDM fans have probably never heard this guys name. They have without question heard his rework of A-track’s remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Heads Will Roll.” At this year Hard Haunted: Day of The Dead this track was a standard for every Trap DJ. Having only officially released 4 tracks it will be interesting to see what this Kid can do in the future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn2KgeUf_mI

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