Ask HN: What are the top 5 albums you listen to while hacking?

Well, here's all of BBC's Radio 1's Essential Mixes since 1993: http://soundcloud.com/das-boy/sets/essential-mix/

Pretty huge. As far as hacking goes, you can't really beat a 1-2 hour long seamless mix.

Infected Mushroom - Converting Vegetarians

Anything by DJ Decryption, he does intellectual rap that's interesting to listen to.

Pink Floyd, specifically the Gilmour stuff.

The Field - From Here We Go To Sublime

Minimal electronic album that places you into a rhythmic trance, yet doesn't distract your attention away from the task at hand.

It All Falls Apart - The Sight Below.

Skulltaste - Mux Mool.

World Class Listening Problem - Don Caballero.

Hitman soundtracks by Jasper Kyd.

I came across The Sight Below and Mux Mool from the excellent ISO50 blog. Browsing for music through the site can be a real time-sink but you'll definitely find something new. http://blog.iso50.com/category/music/

I'll throw in some soundtracks: Deus Ex (thanks @_danilo), Machinarium, and The Social Network (and Reznor/Ross's new tunes for Girl With The Dragon Tattoo...and Ghosts).

and for some other instrumentals: Andrew Bird's Useless Creatures, any non-vocal track by Broken Social Scene, Nosaj Thing (anything he makes, really), and James Blake.

"Give Up - The Postal Service"

Lord of the Rings and Last of the Mohicans soundtracks and almost anything from Apocalyptica.

H.u.v.a. Network - distances. Think space ambient music with an imaginative beat.

Trent Reznor's "The Social Network" from the movie.