Dear mixtape, it’s been 30 years
Finally, I get to compile and give someone a mixtape again! I feel as excited about it as I did when I was a teenager some 30 years ago. I want it to be absolutely perfect. Not as easy as you might think.
My coworker Michelle gave up digital music for a week and only used a Walkman. This was my chance to compile a homemade mixtape. It’s a project that keeps on failing because hardly anyone has a functioning tape player these days.
The making of a good compilation tape is a very subtle art, claims record store owner Rob Gordon in the movie High Fidelity. Admittedly, the guy takes himself and his taste in music way too seriously. But it’s true that nothing should be left to chance when you’re putting together a carefully crafted mixtape. It’s a time-consuming task. But it’s a labour of love, so I can only recommend it.
Two playlists
Ironically, digitisation really comes in handy when you’re making a compilation tape. I put together two playlists. One for side A and one for side B. I use Spotify for this, but other services will work fine, too. Or an audio player, if you stored your music files yourself.
What’s key is to be familiar with the total length of your playlists. Why? Because it must correspond with the playing time of your tape. You don’t want the last song to be cut off, but also want to avoid white noise that goes on for minutes. Note: on a 90-minute cassette, one side is not precisely 45 minutes long, but goes on for one or two minutes longer. So if you’re aiming for perfection, time your playlist beforehand – or go for a final track that’s suitable for fading out.
To get the music onto tape, I connected an iPad to my amplifier and play back the playlists from there. Via the amp, the songs are then sent to the tape deck I’ve hooked up. You could also connect the iPad straight to the tape deck using a cable. Recording music cassettes is a topic in its own right, so I’ll be posting a separate article about that shortly.
Selecting the songs
The most important thing to keep in mind is that it’s not about your taste in music but about the taste of the person receiving the gift. I asked Michelle about hers. Her reply: «80s rock and the like. AC/DC, The Rolling Stones but also The Beatles, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Elvis and Johnny Cash.»
If there are overlaps with your own taste in music, that definitely makes things easier and more fun. Thankfully, this is the case for me. The first four bands are also among my favourites.
The second most important thing is to go for songs that work well together, but also offer some variety. Kind of like you would for an album. Here, the basic mood is 80s rock, but that doesn’t mean every track has to be a rock tune from that era. They just need to roughly convey that atmosphere.
Usually, I go for songs the recipient probably isn’t familiar with yet. But in this case, I’m happy to work with famous tracks. Why? Because without the tapes, Michelle wouldn’t be able to listen to her favourite music during her tape week. So I really have zero qualms about throwing in Start Me Up by the Stones, even though I’m sure she knows the song. I do, however, sneak in a lesser-known track that doesn’t quite fit the era – Jeff Lynne’s version of She. It reminds me of The Beatles, which Michelle listed as one of her favourites. Does she like or even know Jeff Lynne? I don’t know. But that’s the appeal. Mixtapes always involve quite a bit of guesswork.
The tracks should have different lengths. This shakes things up a bit and will make it easier to get the timing right for the end of side A and B. Having two or three short tracks in there can prove particularly useful for this.
The order
Just as it is at a concert or a DJ set, the order of the songs on your mixtape is vital. After all, there’s no shuffle mode that will let you skip to the next song in one click. In that sense, a mixtape only consists of two massive tracks. The A-side and the B-side.
Your first song should pack a punch. A rock tape needs an opening banger you’ll recognise in the first three seconds. What’s more, the first track also sets the stage for the rest of the tape. I go for Jump by Van Halen. The intro is the epitome of 80s music.
Make sure the second song doesn’t fall flat. You’re going to need a worthy successor. I Love Rock and Roll by Joan Jett should do the trick.
After that, you can tone things down a bit. This is where I go with intuition over rules. When it comes to the sequence, I’m paying attention to the transitions. Sometimes, it’s worth sleeping on your choice. If it still works the following day, it’s probably a good fit.
I avoided less accessible tracks on this mixtape. But if I had included songs that are on the impenetrable side, I wouldn’t put one right after the other, but space them out a bit. Moodwise, I dotted the tape with softer tunes, so the listener can catch her breath. You can work with progressions ranging from up-tempo to slow, from happy to melancholy and with a buffer track in between. Or you can leave a longer pause between two songs. For example, if a very loud track is followed by a soft one.
Towards the middle or end of each side is where you want to showcase songs with hidden qualities. Growers you only start to appreciate after the second or third listen.
The last track on an album is often one of the best if not THE best. So feel free to add a true highlight at the end of your tape. Ideally, it should be longer, slower and quieter than your opening track. I put the only melancholy songs at the end of side A and B.
Unfortunately, when I started recording, I was still unaware that a 45-minute side is actually about 47 minutes long. To fill that long pause at the very end, after the last song,I add an excerpt from a long, monotonous track by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It has the advantage that it can be faded out at any point. This makes my playlist the exact same length as the space on the tape.
The cassette
A gift should also be visually appealing. I’m pretty sure Michelle would’ve gone all out when creating the cover for the cassette. I take the easy way out by telling myself that old Maxell cassettes look good by design and need no further enhancing. I was even too lazy to put the names of the song on the cover – Michelle added them later on. But I have a good excuse for that. The first listen is meant to be a surprise.
Source: Michelle Brändle
At least I went for a good-quality, type II cassette. They hiss less than regular type I cassettes. Sadly, they’re no longer produced. But re-recording an old cassette usually works like a charm. If the sound isn’t great, it’s probably down to your recorder.
After writing all this about mixtapes, I’ve got the itch to compile another one. What about you?
Header image: Michelle Brändle
My interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.