What the MR PORTER team listens to to avoid listening to each other.

If Green Day are to be taken at their word, September is a month musicians can afford to sleep through. No such luck for us regular schmucks with rent/a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed. In fact, it’s a time of the year to get your head down and do some work. And music can play its part.

The impact of music on the brain has been studied since the 1950s, and the consensus seems to be that it can reduce stress and aid concentration. This depends, of course, on the choice of music and the job you’re doing. Lyrics have been shown to help you get through repetitive tasks, but could prove off-putting if your work requires more thought.

A 2014 Dutch study found that the brain prefers music with a medium level of syncopation in order to concentrate, ie, music that isn’t monotonous, but isn’t so funky that it makes you want to get up and dance. The sweet spot, then, falls somewhere between the predictable and the chaotic, and what constitutes that is down to personal preference. Unsurprisingly, listening to music we like has been shown to be more motivational. So, whether it’s classical, videogame soundtracks or drill music, best stick to what you know.

So what gets the MR PORTER team humming? Here, seven team members reveal what goes on in their headphones when they want to shut each other out. (Spoiler alert: it isn’t Green Day.)

Recommended by Mr Tom M Ford, Editor, The Daily

Together with bittersweet tracks such as “Lichen”, lovely minimal techno (“Tha”), and the gentle beauty of, say, “Avril 14th”, Aphex Twin – the mad, mischievous man who is Mr Richard James – has made a lot of music that is, frankly, unlistenable. If you’ve ever wondered what throwing a toolkit into a washing machine would sound like, google “Ziggomatic 17”. This quality makes him the perfect bloke to stick on if you write or edit words for a living. Because the last thing a preposterously sincere feature about chinos needs is the second verse of “Gangsta’s Paradise” inadvertently inserted into it.

Recommended by Mr Chris Elvidge, Marketing Editor

When I need to drown out the office chatter and get things done, I listen to white noise on YouTube, which blocks out everything, including my own meandering thoughts. If my deadlines are a little less pressing and I can afford to enjoy what I’m listening to, I’ll go for something that doesn’t demand my full attention, such as Hex by Bark Psychosis. I hesitate to use the term “background music” to describe something so influential. Released in 1994, Hex is considered one of the best post-rock albums ever made. Indeed, the term “post-rock” was coined by the music writer Mr Simon Reynolds in order to describe it. But that’s what this album is to me. Perfect, relaxing background music.

Recommended by Mr Ashley Clarke, Staff Writer, The Daily

When I’m writing, it’s better if I listen to something without words, so that I don’t accidentally insert Mr Travis Scott lyrics into an article about eye cream. Very risky. If I want to get my head down, I’ll stick on one of those low-fi hip-hop mixes on YouTube and hope the words start flowing. If that doesn’t work, I’ll go for something a bit more high octane, even if it isn’t purely instrumental. I recently rediscovered International Velvet by Catatonia (thanks, six-year-old me), and Ms Cerys Matthews’ gravelly crooning and moody guitar riffs usually get me through the next few hundred words.

Recommended by Mr Samuel McWilliams, Senior Designer

The best way to drown out the noise at work? Simple. Daft Punk. Messrs Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter’s Alive concert tour was revolutionary. It was the first time a DJ had headlined a major festival. Their visually perfect set set a precedent for today’s musicians to follow. U2, Beyoncé, Mr Kanye West all reference this performance. The fact you can hear the crowd over the bangers, just when you thought a Daft Punk classic was perfect enough, they remixed it with another already perfect classic to create a super-perfect-classic-hybrid. It makes you feel like you’re right there. Probably the best DJ set by robots or humans you’ll ever listen to at your desk.

Recommended by Mr Chris Wallace, US Editor

Even if you’re not a fan of Enter The Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) – and maybe especially if you aren’t – Mr Leon Michels’ series of funky, chopped and smoothed covers in Enter The 37th Chamber, which he released in 2009 under the name El Michels Affair, are sensationally soothing and just the right amount of hypey (a little bit lava lamp and all steel-toe Tims) to get you through a tough patch of writing.

Recommended by Mr Edward Lee, Designer

I need music in my ears to keep my creative juices flowing – something engaging, but not distracting. Enter Mr Nils Frahm. I was introduced to the German composer from the score he created for the film Victoria (you might make the connection). The album All Melody, released in January this year, takes your mind to a state of pure tranquillity, making those 346 post-holiday emails feel frivolous.

Recommended by Mr Jim Merrett, Chief Sub-Editor

It takes time to get really comfortable with an album, and while this debut only came out this summer, it has all the hallmarks of a record to turn to when you want to get stuff done. Backed by Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label, it delves heavily into the ambient, techno and electronica archives, with Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada and Mr Brian Eno glaring influences. There are also snatches of dream-like Mr David Lynch-style conversations, Blade Runner-nodding 8-bit bleeps and synth bass lines seemingly lifted straight out of Stranger Things. It’s busy in sections, but never overwhelmingly so; just interesting enough to keep your mind ticking over as you clear out your inbox. The best thing Mr David Schwimmer never did.

Keep up to date with The Daily by signing up for our weekly email roundup. Click here to update your email preferences.