The Art of the Mix Tape

Ever since I was a kid in Junior High, I have been fascinated with the art of making the perfect mixtape. One of my first series of mix tapes was called the G.W. Collection. I got the name G.W. from an imaginary friend me and Donnie Carsner had in 1st grade. For the record, we made him up to fool his little brother... Then we'd laugh at him (his brother, not G.W.)

I made a series of G.W. Collections all the way through high school. Then I went to college. Thus the creation of the Clueless Wonder mix tapes evolved. These mix tapes did not leave my 1990 Plymouth Sundance (nicknamed Epstein). They were sun-faded and spectacular. The other day, I had to borrow my dad's truck. It has a tape deck in it. I pulled out Clueless Wonder vol. 4. It was majestic. I had a moment of clarity. My final mix tape (before the evolution of the external CD recorder/player) was the Genesis Project and no, it had nothing to do with the band Genesis. Once I purchased my Phillips CD recorder in 1999, the mixtape became the mix compact disc.

My first official mix CD (or as usually call them, The Compilation CD) was titled Dry Bones One. It was a hybrid of an older mix tape I once made, which featured (at the time) my top ten favorite songs of all time, with some other gems there also. One of my favorite CD mixes of all time just happens to be Dry Bones Two. (I am a firm believer that all good mix tapes come in threes. More on that later).

Here is a track listing of Dry Bones Two:
1. Also Sparch Zarathustra (theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey)
2. Bullet the Blue Sky - P.O.D.
3. Mia - Chevelle
4. Take a Picture - Filter
5. Where the Streets have no Name - U2
6. Grylliade - The Prayer Chain
7. 58 - The Prayer Chain
8. Let Down - Radiohead
9. Solomon the Mystic - Sixpence None the Richer (great instrumental from Tickets for a Prayer Wheel EP)
10. Road to Zion - Sixpence None the Richer (cover version of the Petra classic)
11. No New Kind of Story - Starflyer 59
12. The Man who Sold the World - Nirvana (unplugged in NY)
13. Still Remains - Stone Temple Pilots
14. PK - Johnny Q. Public
15. White, discussion - Live

I love the idea of the mix tape. They can evoke so many memories of experiences past. It reminds you of a time that was. I remember hearing an interview with DJ Shadow, the famed turntable specialist. He was talking about about how he has made a mix tape for each month, dating back to high school. How incredible is that? The mix tape is almost like a yearbook, without the pictures. That is what makes the art of mix taping so special. Every compilation I make has a little piece of me in it. My heart and soul are poured out through someone else's poetry, prose and instrumentation. It is my way of showing my creativity to any and all, even though I'm usually the only one who listens to them.

Often times, my mix CD's can not be narrowed down to just one disc. You've either got 74 or 80 minutes of room on a recordable CD. That is why the mix tape trilogy is the what I would consider a necessity. The trilogy allows for every song to find it's proper place. The song placement is essential. Plus, you've got to have fillers; snipets of songs, brief instrumentals or sound bytes that help with the ebb and flow of the CD. Also, the CD must be smooth. Each song should blend into the next. This was accomplished a lot easier on the old cassette deck. I used to run two CD players into my stereo and would cross fade each song so that you never noticed the transition. It was considered pure bliss if a listener did not notice the transition.

Some of my CD compilation Trilogy titles are:
Dry Bones One, Two, Three
The Genesis Project
The Upside of Down series
Indifferent, Unaware,
Endeavour, Sweet Bovine
The Apathy of Reason (5 disc set)
Random Musings

Finally, the mix tape is not perfect without CD art. The CD cover and jewel case design is a top priority. It gives the mix CD an identity. It gives it validity. It gives it a genuineness not recognized by the music alone. The presentation is everything. I usually serf the net for cool pictures or obscure graphics or photos that might make for perfect fit to that CD mix. Trying to find a photo that matches the music is also key. For example, the Endeavour comp. CD featured a picture taken from the Space Shuttle in orbit. This fit with the CD mix perfectly, as the music was a compilation of spacey electronica instrumentals.

My final thoughts are this: the mix tape is an expression of my soul, for all to see and hear. It is a part of me and tells the stories of my life. It is a history book, a record book, so to speak, that embraces all that is good and noble and pure in the world. Music is universal. The mix tape is the unity we all desire.

for further reading... MIX TAPE ARTICLE
http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/2004/10/13/Lifestyle/The-Lost.Art.Of.Meaningful.Mixtapes-751374.shtml