Eight years ago, musician Nick Pittsinger made Justin Bieber's "U Smile" sound like ambient pop band Sigur Rós by slowing it down 800%. Bieber haters celebrated this beautiful edit, and ever since then people have been slowing down songs by 800%, 1000%, or more, and uploading them to YouTube and SoundCloud.

The genre's smooth sounds and lack of discernible lyrics makes it great background music for creative work, so we've collected some of the best in a YouTube playlist, "All Music Sounds Good at 1/10 the Speed."

For a while, I had a bit of an obsession with buying vinyl. My mum had let me have the large cabinet record player that lived in our living room during my childhood, and once I got the 225kg thing into my house I was determined to listen to it as much as possible.

Spotify's top playlists feature way more men than women. Not just in the algorithmic playlists, which reproduce inequalities in the music industry at large, but also in the curated ones, according to a thorough, stat-filled feature article on The Baffler. For example, Spotify's top curated playlist of 2017 was RapCaviar, a rotating 50-track playlist with nine million followers. Over the entire month that The Baffler tracked, it included one woman-led song. One.

Whether you like to draw, paint, write, choreograph, or play music, you're probably familiar with the creative block, where you just can't seem to do anything despite your motivation. To escape that rut, try doing what you do best, only terribly.

In the Pomodoro Technique for productivity, you work for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break, and repeat. (After two hours, you take a longer break.) You can use a kitchen timer, your phone, or a specialised app.

In the Popodoro technique, instead of a timer, you use music - like the new Spotify playlist from Popjustice.

Seven-time Grammy-winning pianist Emanuel Ax still practices his instrument four hours a day - when you play Carnegie Hall, you don't just wing it. And sometimes, he admits, "it's kind of a slog," especially to practice a new piece: Something written specifically for him, or something he's never heard. "You get the music, and you try to learn it note by note." In an interview with Lifehacker, Ax recommends several ways to make practising an instrument more fun and productive.

In the music video for Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson and four backup dancers used cables and harnesses to lean a full 45 degrees, a move that's physically impossible for an unsupported human body. But somehow, Jackson also performed this dance move live on stage without any visible support. It turns out that in addition to developing impressive core strength, Michael Jackson nailed his shoes to the floor.

Ready to buy a guitar, but unsure where to start? The worst thing you could do is purchase the wrong instrument and fall out of love with it before you get a chance to dive in. That's where we come in. Here's exactly how to find the right six-string for you.

YouTube has announced a major shakeup in its premium subscription and music streaming services, ditching the YouTube Red brand and making a push to offer both paid and ad-supported versions of its offerings across the board. And it's all happening today. Here are the details.

Spotify just revamped its free tier, which means you get more than ever before without actually having to pay anything — (some) on-demand playlists on mobile, unlimited skips (on a few playlists) and personalised recommendations to more accurately reflect your tastes. So does it make Spotify Premium a waste of money?

Do you have a pair of vocal folds that can produce sound? Can you tell the difference between a higher note and a lower note? Good news! You and about 98.5% of the population absolutely can be taught how to sing.

Spotify might be the default choice for many when it comes to streaming music, but it doesn't hurt to try out other options, especially if you can do so without spending a cent. If you want to give Deezer a go, you can get three whole months of premium access free right now.

Over its 62-year history, the Eurovision Song Contest has delivered some truly eclectic music in almost every genre imaginable. With over 40 countries belting out original tunes this year, there's a huge amount of variety on display. Consider this your complete guide to the musical styles of Eurovision; from Scandi-Pop to Schlager.

iOS: Some people become karaoke gods the minute they pick up a microphone, leaving us mere mortals to wonder how they managed to summon Freddie Mercury from an astral plane. Others... need a little practice. While there isn't one app that will make you the next Australian Idol overnight, Tone (iOS, free) is a great app for practising basic note recognition and tricky intervals.

Before we begin, Windows users, let's start the affirmation: We use Windows. We all agree that iTunes has a terrible design. We will throw a party if Apple ever modernises its app, but we hate that iTunes is the best possible option for synchronising content with our iPhones and iPads. 

The Afrobeat music of superstar Fela Kuti - or just Fela - is powerful, political, and so influential that Fela's sound is baked into the last forty-odd years of pop, rock, and hip-hop. It's also great music to work to.

Last week a nerdier segment of the music world was abuzz with the news that an Austrian company Rebeat had taken a $US4.8 million ($6 million) dollar investment to help bring its "HD vinyl" records to market by mid 2019. Huh? HD vinyl? How does one make the last analogue music storage format (that people still care about) high-definition?

It screamed pure marketing buzzwordship to us, but we consulted with some experts and surprise, it seems there's reason to be cautiously optimistic.

If you want to find some jams that were popular in Canada in the 1950s to kick off your weekend - or just want a random assortment of trending songs by era and location - the website Radiooooo is a great interactive trip.

Vinyl sales have seen an exponential increase over the last 12 years -- 2017 marking a record high (pun intended). According to Nielsen Music, vinyl made up 14% of all physical album sales, up from 2016's 11%. Vinyl's back, baby! It has been for a while, and if you want to get in on the game (or update your turntable. I see you, non-novices) then allow us to help. Here's how to find the perfect record player for you.