Boiler Room’s for Background Noise

For when lo-fi study beats aren’t cutting it 

By Kylie Grebinar 

Graphic by Katie King

The benefits of listening to music while working on school assignments have been studied for years, and results have shown that putting a playlist on can help reduce stress, encourage better flow of thinking and improve concentration. Researchers believe that the genre of music that is beneficial varies from student to student. For example, Phyllis Medina, PhD, program director of psychology at University of Maryland notes that “traditional classical is not for everyone,” according to a University of Maryland article. So if classical music isn’t for you, Boiler Room sets — and other continuous DJ mixes — might be the perfect alternative.  

First started in 2010, the Boiler Room brand began as a gateway to London’s underground music scene. Over a decade later, Boiler Room continues to put on shows to share artists’ projects, putting emphasis on their creativity, dedication to musical innovation and importance of the music community. The accessibility of these sets, primarily on YouTube and the Boiler Room website, is what’s made them so popular. Fans can experience a “live” music experience from their own homes — making them a great background option for long focus sessions. These sets are ideal for studying because you’ll never have to look up; just press play and you won’t get a repeated song or have to skip an ad. Most sets are over an hour long, keeping you focused on one assignment for the duration of the set and helping you stay in a consistent workflow. 

With so many artists and genres featured on Boiler Room, finding a set that matches your music taste becomes easy and part of the fun. Whether you need something upbeat to keep you energized (Charli XCX), something more mellow to stay focused (Solomun) or something fast and loud to keep you distracted (I Hate Models), there’s a wide range of performances that can suit your taste. There are even sets for listeners who don’t love house or EDM music; Boiler Room has shows from a range of artists that also come from pop and rap backgrounds. Check out these popular sets the next time you’re in need of a good study-sesh:

I Hate Models: Boiler Room x Teletech Festival 2024 (available on YouTube)

Charli XCX: Boiler Room & Charli xcx presents: PARTYGIRL Ibiza (available on YouTube) 

KETTAMA: Boiler Room London (available on YouTube) 

Chris Stussy: Boiler Room Edinburgh (available on YouTube) 

Solomun: Boiler Room Tulum (available on YouTube) 

Fred Again: Boiler Room London (available on YouTube) 

Disclosure: Boiler Room Shanghai DJ Set (available on YouTube)