From the moment I bought my first album, I’ve been a fan of making mixtapes. I’ve made them for myself, I’ve made them for friends, I’ve made them for girls that would never reciprocate my feelings. At some point I started making annual mixtapes, a sort of “best of the year”… but not quite. Why?
Here are the principals that govern my annual mix.
The song has to have been purchased within the specified year but not necessarily be from that year. So if I downloaded the GHOSTBUSTERS soundtrack this year I could have put the Ray Parker Jr. song on my 2009 mix.
I try to not include more than one song per artist but if that person has another song that falls under rule #1 and they’re working under a different name/band/project/whatever, then that’s cool. So conceivably I could have a mixtape that has Split Endz, Crowded House and Neil Finn.
I’m more interested in the mix experience than making a “great hits” of the year.
Really, that’s it.
Now a few of you might remember that I promised a mix at the end of 2008. Although I’m nine months overdue, I now present “Tony’s 2008 Mix” and as a bonus for your patience I’m throwing in “Tony’s 2009 Summer Mix (aka, The 2009 Mix, Part 1).
(I feel like a late night pitchman)
So now you’re asking “how do I get a copy?” Aside from the two people I promised copies to back in January (again, sorry), here’s what you do.
Drop a comment on my blog (not on Twitter, not on Facebook but on my Cinematic Arias blog) asking for the mix CD. I’ll email you for your mailing address.
The CD will arrive with no track names. This is purposeful. I believe a good mix has a narrative composed from the collected tracks. Resist the urge to spoil the surprise of “what comes next”. Jump in the car and listen to the whole thing at least once before you pull up Shazam on your iPhone.
By accepting a mix, you agree to come back to my blog and post your thoughts on at least one of the songs. It doesn’t have to be an essay, just a few sentences will do, but you do owe me your two cents.
But act fast because I only burned 9 pairs of these guys and I’m not making more. If you’re curious about my musical tastes, check out my blog entries tagged “music“.
Tags: Mixtape, Music