What do you listen to while you work?
We have a few different playlists, ranging from the likes of Duke Ellington and Neil Young to Bikini Kill and Vivian Girls. Different playlists are selected based on the mood of the studio and the weather outside.

How do you listen?
Drew Hamlet DJs through a sound system connected to his iMac. He’s got impeccable music taste and lets Kate listen to Beyonce on special occasions.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers?
We generally use Spotify, unless we’re listening to podcasts on iTunes.

Does music influence your work?
Probably not directly, but it definitely helps set the mood. We wouldn’t listen to Slayer while we’re working on branding for baby food. But I guess listening to good music is part of a healthy inspiration diet.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste?
We stay up to date with Pitchfork and reviews from local news outlets like The Stranger. A lot of the real gems get played on local station KEXP or suggested by friends, but just checking out what employees at local record shops suggest can be the most fruitful.

What song or artist best represents the work you create?
If our work was a song it’d probably be the cover of Hot Boyz by Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. Even though we like to make things fun and interesting we’re also very serious about our work being good. RIP Aaliyah.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist:
A walnut and black Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman. Classic and comfortable pairs perfectly with any song on an eclectic playlist.

Hum Creative’s Playlist:
1. Choir Vandals, American Analog Set
2. Pretender, Black Marble
3. Drive On, La Sera
4. Nancy From Now On, Father John Misty
5. Believer, John Maus
6. Yékérmo Séw, Multatu Astatke
7. Longanisse, The Limiñanas
8. Suburbs, Mr Little Jeans
9. The Flower Lane, Ducktails
10. Desire Be Desire Go, Tame Impala

Photos: first and last photos, Chris & Sarah Rhoads of We Are The Rhoads.

What do you listen to while you work? I enjoy some variety, but most of what I like to hear when working would qualify as indie rock. Occasionally some blues or upbeat jazz. Rarely classical. Never any classic rock. I tend toward music that is relatively new (at least to me) vs. old favorites.

How do you listen? I work mainly from two locations – my home office, and my workshop.  At home, since I’m usually the only one there, I listen aloud – and loud – through the Tivoli radio in my office, or the stereo in the living room, or sometimes both simultaneously for a wall of sound throughout the house. The workshop is challenging because of the noise of the machines and the ear protection I wear. When the machines are running, I have to crank the stereo waaaaaaay up to hear anything at all. Even then, all I really hear is the beat or a bit of the melody. But if it’s a song I know, that’s enough.

Do you have any favorite music websites/providers? When I’m not listening to KEXP, I use Rdio, a streaming music service. I have also tried Rhapsody and MOG but I prefer the Rdio user interface.  Actually, “prefer” may be the wrong word. It’s just the least bad of the three.

Does music influence your work? Simply put, for me, music is energy. It keeps me going throughout the day. Without it, I would get a lot less done.

Where do you find music recommendations? Who influences your musical taste? Here in Seattle, we are fortunate to have the greatest radio station on the planet: KEXP. KEXP is a local, independent, listener-supported station that plays a huge variety of music dictated by the DJs themselves (and listener requests). Pretty much all the new music I discover is through KEXP. Some of it is new to me, but much of it is truly new, truly fantastic, and not getting airtime anywhere else. Without KEXP, my life would be pretty dull.

What song or artist best represents the work you create? I aspire to be just like a really great DJ at club, who reads the audience and finds a mix of music that gets the house rocking. With Ample, design-wise, I’m not necessarily trying to do something totally new. I’m trying to give people what they want, to make modernism accessible, to use a variety of influences to create something infectious, irresistible.

Ideal place to sit and listen to your playlist: The Eames Soft Pad Management Chair with a white frame and Pearl MCL leather. It is critical to have a base that rolls and spins because this music will get you dancing in your chair.

ANDY’S PLAYLIST:

1. Clear Eye Clouded Mind, Nada Surf
2. Doors Unlocked and Open, Death Cab for Cutie
3. Mama Said Knock You Out, LL Cool J
4. Mountains Sound, Of Monsters and Men
5. Show Me, Mint Royale
6. Kids, MGMT
7. Strange Overtones, David Byrne & Brian Eno
8. Daft Punk is Playing at My House, LCD Soundsystem
9. Midnight City, M83
10. Houdini, Foster the People
11. Lisztomania (Alex Metric Remix), Phoenix

Photos: Andy Johnson, AmpleFurniture.com