Internet radio that's great for a intense work project

November 19, 2009 2:44 PM

I'd like some suggestions for Internet radio that are slightly mainstream and also go back to the 70s/80s/90s.

Right now I am going some very intensive research/writing work, hours and hours a day. There is some absolutely fantastic stuff in this thread but I have some problems with many of the recommendations. Those sites either (1) get into very avant-garde or experimental areas either give me too little stimulation or too much, or (2) have too much talk, chitchat, and drift.

More importantly I love the music of the late 60s/70s/80s/90s and it is imperative for me to hear some of it.... some odd song I haven't heard in years can trigger memories and keep me going for another hour. The problem there is that (1) there is often an affinity for the Top 10 of the era (god, if I have to hear Heart And Soul one more time) and (2) a lot of slow stuff is thrown in that really slows me down (Loving You, etc), which doesn't go well with an intense workflow.

What has worked for me so far? Radio Nigel is simply awesome for British new wave; lots of energy but it's a pretty narrow spectrum of 80s rock and The Smiths seem to come on every 20 minutes. I love Radio Paradise for the incredible quality and variety, but sometimes the selections get so slow-paced that I have to go to some other site. WeFunk is good but it gets into tons of hip-hop and rhyming, which because of the heavy verbal content distracts my concentration (beats, bass, and brass are better). I also know about Soma FM but that doesn't seem to go into the 60s/70s/80s/90s (or maybe I'm not on the right channels). I've also played with last.fm but the selections are too narrow and it plays a whole litany of slow stuff and overplayed hits from that band and related ones.

My intent here is not to be too picky, as I'll give anything a fair try, but I'm just trying to express myself clearly and maybe find other MeFites who use music the same way I do. Perhaps I'm looking for a kind of Jack FM on the Internet that's run by people who love what they do.

posted by crapmatic to media & arts (8 answers total)

Typo: Right now I am going == Right now I am doing
posted by crapmatic at 2:45 PM on November 19, 2009

There might be some stuff for you at SKY.fm.
posted by zer0render at 2:56 PM on November 19, 2009

Have you tried Pandora? It's almost cliché to suggest it these days, but it offers the sort of control it sounds like you're looking for.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 3:04 PM on November 19, 2009

Slacker.
posted by bearwife at 3:21 PM on November 19, 2009 [1 favorite]

I like listen to RadioHab when I need to put a ton of hours in on the PC.
posted by white_devil at 4:02 PM on November 19, 2009

A little too swanky for me sometimes, but other times just right: KCRW.
posted by zinfandel at 4:06 PM on November 19, 2009

every thursday morning at 0700 seattle time, KNHC has a show called "save the wave" that is a couple of hours of *fabulous* 80's new wave mix. I think they've got a 90's show as well, and their basic format is dance music.
posted by rmd1023 at 4:50 PM on November 19, 2009

I listen to a lot of Absolute Radio, because they'll throw really great 70s and 80s songs in with current stuff.
posted by shopefowler at 8:40 PM on November 19, 2009