A good mixtape…anyone can make a crappy one
It was a simpler time. A time where creating a mixtape for someone you liked involved math, good musical taste, AND knowledge of the best brand of cassette that the corner Walgreen’s had. Then, when your unique masterpiece was all done, you had to hand it to them in some kind of face-to-face situation.
Yep. A simpler ti…..wait. No. f**k that.
That shit was crazy difficult. All of that.
NOW is a simpler time. You choose a few songs (unless you go the super lazy route and have Pandora or Spotify do it for you), then you click on a share link and bingo-bango — the desired person has it.
That’s all it takes. For real. As a matter of fact, why haven’t YOU made ME a mixtape yet? Yes…you.
I bought the good cassettes
Sony or the Maxell 90 ones. The more minutes the better. Yeah, I had a few go-to songs for all of them, but you had to because you didn’t want too much space at the end of each side. Van Halen’s 316 was a nice little ditty that was super short. I also like Neil Peart’s The Rhythm Method drum solo.
Other than that, you had to really think about it. It took a while to make and people understood that when someone gave one to you, they have probably been crushing on you pretty hard for a few months now. It was a big deal.
I recently came across a box of old cassettes in my parents’ basement storage room — also known as The Magic Room — and the art of making a mixtape came flooding back.
There’s a lot making a good mixtape can teach you
About life, about starting a business, about relationships, and about the courage of putting yourself out there.
6 things making a good mixtape can teach you:
- If you’re going to do it, take your time, don’t rush, and do it right. Once you hand it over, there’s no way to ask for it back so you can fix something.
- Know where the line is and don’t feel the need to overdo it. Some space at the end of the sides is ok. Be tasteful.
- It’s ok to have go-to songs, but try to be unique each time. Know your audience or recipient and cater to them as much as you can. Personalization doesn’t just go a long way, it IS the way.
- Tell the story. Music is abstract, which can be both tricky and an advantage. The order of the songs is everything — not just because of song length and how many minutes you have left on the side, but it should take the listener on a ride and tell your story. If there’s another mixtape out there with the exact same songs on it but in a different order, it’s a TOTALLY different thing.
- They say that it’s not good to judge a book by its cover, but that saying does NOT apply to mixtapes. Once they hit play, the art on the outside should reflect the story and meaning within.
- A mixtape is NOT a compilation of many things…a mixtape is one, singular thing. Take the time to respect this fact and when you’re dubbing from one tape to your mixtape, mind the recording level, ok? I liked keeping it all around 7. This way, all the songs are around the same relative volume and it moves from one tune to the next smoothly.
A good mixtape is everything
You heard (read?) me. E v e r y t h i n g.
The key word there is, of course, good. I mean, c’mon, anyone can make a shitty one. The good ones take time, patience, creativity, knowledge, care, and, yeah for real…math.
Whether you’re thinking about a relationship, being a parent, starting a business, trying something new, or whatever…read the 6 things above again because it’s all relevant (or should be).
Finding those old cassettes was hitting a goldmine. Some of them are in rough shape, though, and are coming unraveled.
Anyone got a #2 pencil?
#bewhatyoumake
