1)

This album is a mix of electronica, percussion, hip-hop, instrumental and countless other genres which are all topped with a generous sprinkling of Indian influence. It remains a favourite which I sometimes listen to as a warm up for study and also as a wind down album just before I fall asleep. Put Karsh Kale in your ipod, Mac or PC and have everyone give you glances of approval as they walk past.

Highlights: ‘Innocence and Power’ ‘Dancing at Sunset’ ‘Hole in the Sky’

2)

This two man group has been around for just over a decade and still holds the title as one of the top downtempo or chillout artists out there. I saw them live once… wow! This album is great to listen to because it keeps you relaxed but not to slow that you end up falling asleep at the desk. The album borrows from several genres and this gives the album its universal appeal.

Highlights: ‘Revolution Solution’ ‘Doors of Perception’ ‘Amerimacka’

3)

Mr Mansell has been creating miserable music for years and this, for me, is the climax of all that down in the gutter business. It starts and finishes very…very… very slowly, which I am usually against but with such an amazing arrangement, how could I say no? A few tracks have more aggressive sections which sometimes change the song completely and then bring it back to square one…a pleasant square one.

The movie, for which this soundtrack was made, is a great, albeit, confusing piece of work. Borrow it sometime.

Highlights: ‘Tree of Life’ ‘Death is the Road to Awe’ ‘The Last Man’

4)

This is the fourth album from collaborative duo Kingston & Young God. They are known for their instrumental albums and this happens to be one of their best. Instrumental albums are great to use for studying because they do not contain many, if any, distracting vocals. Just listen to the album and you will get it – Top Stuff.

Highlights: ‘Ghosts Among Men’ ‘The Era When We Sang’ ‘My Work Will Be Done’

5)

This final album for the day goes to Tricky and his subliminal debut album Maxinquaye. Yes, I know it is another Trip-Hop album, but if you are not a fan of the genre (especially from the 90s) then little can be said for your tastes in music. Tricky makes multi-faceted albums and as such this one takes you from his Jamaican roots, gritty English upbringing to radical America. If you are new to Trip-Hop give it a few listens before you make up your mind.

Highlights: ‘Overcome’ ‘Pumpkin’ ‘Feed Me’

Also see:

Top 5 Albums to Study With

Unlike most medical students, I rarely listen to classical music while studying. It’s not that I hate it or anything, but because I always seem to fall asleep or get to revved up on a cello solo. I prefer trip-hop and chill out albums instead. Here are a few a listen to almost all the time, study or no study:

#1 DJ Shadow – Endtroducing…

DJ Shadow - Endtroducing

Genre: Instrumental hip hop

One of my all time favourite albums from DJ Shadow (and any other artist for that matter). This album was made almost entirely from samples of old LPs, movies and random sound sources. Good to study with as well as being a great album to chill to.

Buy: Amazon.com

#2 Bonobo – Days To Come

Bonobo - Days To Come

Genre: Electronic

The electronic music genre has come a long way and it seems to becoming more and more sophisticated as it goes. A few people think that it is dead,  but that’s mostly because all everyone listens to these days is Top 40.

This album by Bonobo was released in 2006 and remains he best to date, the album is so cohesive that you probably might ruin it if you played it on shuffle. From the hypnotising “Days To Come” (feat. Bajka) to the more uptempo finale “Recurring,” this album will be playing in your ipod forever…seriously.

Buy: Amazon.com

#3 Massive Attack – Blue Lines

Massive Attack - Blue Lines

Genre: Trip-Hop

This has been said, by some, to be birth of Trip-Hop. This album was produced by Massive Attack in 1991, back when they were collaboration of DJs and MCs called the The Wild Bunch. The album may be placed under the Trip-Hop hood, but it encompasses influences from various fields such ass reggae, soul, electronic music and dub, just to name a few. Highlights include the forever mentioned “Unfinished Sympathy,” “Five Man Army” and “Safe From Harm.”

This album is brilliant… just brilliant!

Buy: Amazon.com

#4 Aaron Parks – Invisible Cinema

Aaron Parks - Invisble Cinema

Genre: Jazz

Despite thinking I am a different kind of medical student, I still fall into some of the trappings of the cliched medical student. I listen to jazz. Yes, I said it and for the most part there is nothing wrong with that except when you meet up with people who never listen to Jazz and the suddenly believe that you are pretentious. Sigh.

Aaron Parks is a jazz pianist and I do believe that I have swapped almost all of classical music tastes for jazz. The 25 year old, New-York based artist has managed to create a music master piece that shows that contemporary jazz is not a a passing fad but also the real deal. My highlights are “Nemesis,” “Peaceful Warrior” and “Harvesting Dance.”

Enjoy.

Buy: Amazon.com

#5 Miles Davis – Kind of Blue

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Genre: Jazz

I doubt this choice would surprise many of you as almost everyone everywhere has mentioned this Miles Davis masterpiece over the last 50 years that it has been out. It may be composed of only tracks, but with most reaaching just over the 9 minute mark it manages to reach an impressive 45 minutes non-stop. Enough time to have study a topic and  then head of for a walk.

I won’t waste your time with what other reviewers will have said, it is a great jazz album (maybe the greatest?) and as such it should find it’s way into your collection – even if you don’t like jazz.

Highlights: ALL OF THEM.

Buy: Amazon.com