Tuesday, April 12, 2005

The summer before sixth grade I lived in a farmhouse sitting on eight acres of land. Quite a bit of it was populated by trees, and all of it had to be mowed. Being the eldest of three siblings, it was my job to do the mowing. Sure I complained and pouted, but in retrospect I really didn't mind the chore. First of all, I got to drive the riding lawn mower, and any red-blooded boy in America who is still too young to drive anything that goes above 10 mph can get a thrill from the riding mower. Second, I was new to the town and didn't have any friends in the area aside from several cousins, so other than playing baseball I didn't have a whole lot to do with myself. Last, I had a Walkman (this was a device that would play "audio cassettes", which were small, rectangular thingamajigs that contained music. Class dismissed.), blank tapes, and a radio with all the great "today's hit music" a young cabbage still to develop taste could desire. So I would spend a couple hours dubbing songs, and then I would go out and mow and listen to them over and over again. I once hit a tree because Alanis Morissette's "Ironic" ended prematurely and I had to switch to the other side. My grandfather didn't think it was much of an excuse.

Several years and a lot of brewing teen angst later I discovered Napster (way before Lars Ulrich did), and that Christmas we got a CD burner. I was in pre nu-metal heaven I tell you. You mean, I can have KoRn's 'Twist' on the same CD as The Deftones' 'Bored'? Max Cavalerra's wails, sign me up!

As time and my tastes evolved I began to develop a science to mix CDs. I would make them for my friends in an effort to get them to like what I considered superior music. I began to think of my cover band's set-lists like mixtapes, and form them that way, full of ups and downs at just the right times, making our performances feel like riding a wave to our audience. I'm certain I'm the only one who thought of it that way. At this time I wasn't aware of the "rules" Nick Hornby writes about in High Fidelity, but chalk one up for universal consciousness, because I eventually started following the same formula with my comps, and still do to this day. See, any joker with a burner and a supply of 3 Doors Down songs can make a mix. It takes a purpose and some skill to make a comp worth giving to someone. There's an art to it.

1. Like any successful artist, you have to know your audience. What they're in to, what they can't stand, and what they already own. You don't want to be forcing something on someone who's either going to hate it or not respond to it in any way, and since the whole point is to introduce them to something they haven't heard and therefore don't own, get to know your listener's collection. If they're in to the early years of Raffi they're probably not going to care about this Ted Leo song that says exactly what you want to say.
2. Have a purpose in making the mix. Do you just want to give somebody something to play on a long commute, or do you want them to have a nostalgic collection of songs to remind them of that night in July you spent together underneath the stars? Do they listen to really horrible pop-punk and you want to turn them on to the good side of catchy, aggressive music, or did they just break your heart and you want them to know how you feel because you can't express it like these songs can? (note: they probably won't ever listen to this mix, and chances are you shouldn't be making it. You'll thank me later.) Whether you want to turn a friend on to new bands or you're out to prove a point, have a goal in mind and follow through on it.
3. When selecting songs, keep in mind that the Iron Butterfly song with the 13 minute guitar solo might not get that many spins and will take up valuable time on a standard 80 minute CD that could be used for more songs. So unless you're making a comp for that wicked doobie cruise you were planning after last period, better stick to the short players. Other than that just keep the song selection true to your ultimate purpose and you'll be fine. Hell, throw in a movie clip if it's appropriate.
4. If intention is the heart of the mixtape, and the songs are the blood, then sequencing is the skin and bones holding the whole thing together. As stated in the quote above, you can't draw the listener in with a slow song and then "bash their head off" with your crazy Icelandic metal (unless the mix in question happens to be dedicated to the late Dimebag Darrell). First, if there's an overall theme, try to make the lyrical subject matter as linear as possible. Begin at a good tempo, something upbeat and close enough to the subject's taste to get them interested. Then give them something similar in mood for the next track, but make sure you're not anywhere near repeating yourself. You're safe to throw in a somewhat down-tempo song around track 4, but I don't recommend slowing all the way down, as you've got a long way still to go. Keep a consistent tempo pattern from song to song, but don't be afraid to throw in a few downers next to eachother near track 14. An uplifting song towards the end is always an easy trick for success. And try to stay away from irony. It's rarely funny.
   

If you're having trouble finishing song selection and need some suggestions, or are just looking for some new music to check out, go to The Art of The Mix (Dot Org). And I guess that's that.

Oh, one more thing. Can't believe I almost forgot. Ahem... Joanna Newsom's voice gets to a lot of people. She may be the best new lyricist this side of James Mercer, but I've seen people go in to shock when she goes for the high notes. Exercise caution when including. Or learn the hard way.

Accused Indie-Yuppie,
DG

[Rogue 2020 ] | 5:51 PM

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