Sometimes you need music to block out background noise, motivate you, or make mundane tasks more fun.

Certain kinds of music have even been proven to boost your productivity. Here are my favorite genres and artists to listen to while studying.

Deep // KAASI

KAASI is the king of study music. His music has fueled my work sessions throughout the whole semester last year. At more than 400 plays in my iTunes library, "Work With Me" (below) is one of my favorites, although "Caroline Street" is the first KAASI song I discovered. His simple, deep and nocturnal sounds accompanied by chilled beats is what inspired 'nocturnal,' one of my 8tracks study playlists.

Great For: Staying focused through late nights and early mornings.
Top Tunes: "Tell Me," "Lisse," "Lucy Stone"

Download his music for free here.

Trap // M3H

I like trap as a "study genre" overall, since the artists tend to repeat certain riffs in songs, which keeps me from getting distracted. Trap music also tends to come with minimal or chopped-up lyrics along with beats that will keep you engaged in whatever you're working on. I chose M3H as my favorite chill-trap artist for productivity since he has a long list of awesome remixes of songs by some of my favorite artists like Tove Lo, Purity Ring and Flume.

Hucci is a close runner-up.

Great For: Keeping yourself motivated, even through mundane or repetitive tasks.
Top Tunes: "What U Do," "Ginger & The Ghost," "Obedear"

Listen to this "study beats" playlist on SoundCloud to hear my favorite picks from M3H, Hucci and more.

House // deadmau5

While deadmau5 may not seem like he could boost your productivity as a progressive-house music producer, his repetitive house beats are pleasant to the ear, which makes it easier for me to concentrate. "There Might Be Coffee" (below) could not be a more fitting song title.

Great For: Getting your creative juices flowing while writing an essay.
Top Tunes: "Closer," "Strobe," "The Veldt"

Listen to more in my Spotify playlist.

Ambient // Evenings

Evenings' music is incredibly calming. I first heard "Babe" (below) from this very artistic video on Vimeo about making beet cake while browsing the Explore section. His music inspired this 8tracks playlist called 'the elements' because of his unparalleled minimalistic and nature-y sound.

Great For: When you feel stressed or overwhelmed with work.
Top Tunes: "Babe (Shigeto Remix)," "Goodbye Forever," "Chesapeake"

Listen to his album Yore on Spotify here.

Electronic // ODESZA

ODESZA produces awesome uplifting and motivating electronic music that's not so in-your-face. Since they mainly use choppy vocal samples, making most of the lyrics incomprehensible, you won't lose track of whatever you're working on when listening to their experimental sounds.

Great For: Uplifting, hopeful and motivating tunes when you're in the zone.
Top Tunes: "IPlayYouListen," "Cover Bombs [Odesza Edit]," "Always This Late"

Listen to ODESZA on Spotify here.

Jazz // Tom Misch

Check out Tom Misch's jazzy/hip-hop/chilled-out instrumental songs if you have a hard time getting work done with lyrics involved. Because of its soothing jazz undertones, Tom Misch's music is as therapeutic as it is conducive to studying. I'm glad to have discovered his music during finals week.

Great For: Background music, or studying on a rainy day.
Top Tunes: "In The Middle Of The Night," "Dilla Love," "Climbing"

Read my full post on Tom Misch here.

Want more? Check out my 'study sounds' playlist here, or for a more condensed version, my 'best of: study sounds' playlist here on Spotify.

On rainy days I'm not typically the cheeriest person, but right now, sitting in a café in NYC with an almond latte and croissant, listening to Tom Misch, I'm really content.

Even before I started this blog, I knew I wanted to write about Tom Misch, a 19-year-old composer/songwriter/guitarist/singer/violinist from London, but I never knew in what context. Today -- a rainy day -- seems like the perfect way.

When I first heard "On My Mind" via Hype Machine (an awesome place to find new music, by the way), I was pretty much enthralled by his music. While the song seems simple at first listen, I think that's the very magic of his music: it's seemingly simple, but with layers of beats, instrumentals, and soul-soothing goodness underneath.

"On My Mind" is a great example of how Tom Misch manages to balance easy vocals, hip-hop inspired beats, and a bit of the blues -- a combination of sounds I've never heard before. Not to mention it's incredibly charming as well.

He plays ultra smooth guitar riffs, produces J Dilla-inspired beats (which he talks about here), and sings lyrics of his own. Although he is currently a one-man show, he recently collaborated with Carmody in their joint EP entitled Out To Sea. While the EP is not as "jazzy," I love it for its acoustic, emotional and beautifully pure quality.

I'd describe Tom Misch's music with these words: bluesy, experimental, soulful, cool and very chilled; in other words, perfect to cure those rainy day blues. Since much of his music is instrumental, it's also great for getting a bit of work done.

And, music aside, I admire him for pursuing music for the artistry itself, rather than for the side effects that come with being a musician.

I'm a strong believer in not focusing on an image particularly, but letting the music be the sole reason people like you as an artist.

Tom Misch is one of my favorite 'artists to watch' in 2015, and I cannot wait to hear what he releases next.

Top Rainy Day Picks: "On My Mind," "Try Again," "Soul Sessions x4," "Can't Explain It," "Man Like You"
Out To Sea Favorites: "So Close," "Outro," "Release You," "Atmosphere"

P.S. Speaking of rainy days, I also made this 8tracks 'rainy day' playlist a while back, if you're interested in hearing my rainy day "classics."