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Love + Distortion # 2: Mixtape Mayhem
By Destroyx | January 21, 2009
I’m sure many if not all of you had Walkman’s when you were younger. Mine was a bright pink Sony one and my brother had a yellow and grey version. Being the geeky antisocial nerd that I was, I couldn’t be separated from my Walkman, which probably led me to my obsession with mixtapes.
I am still a total mixtape fiend, even if I don’t use cassettes anymore. I love the way particular collections of songs can sum up your life at the moment when you put them together. Have you ever listened to a song and gone ‘wow… that definitely takes me back to high school’, or ‘this song totally reminds me of X’. Mix-tapes are more than just lists of songs, they are almost like little time capsules filled with emotions and memories. Some of the mixtapes in my collection, given to me by estranged old friends and lovers are too emotional to listen to, where as some can instantly cheer me with intense feelings of nostalgia.
I think there is a lot more value in someone receiving a mix-tape with specially selected music on it, instead of receiving thousands of songs on a harddrive. Mixtape take time, energy and love to put together and thus make fantastic low cost gifts.
MIXTAPE MAYHEM: Are you interested in getting into some mix-tape action? Here are some ideas to get you inspired. If you can’t make a tape, an MP3 playlist will do just as well.
- Make a mixtape for a friend or your lover. Make a little zine to accompany it which contains the song’s lyrics, collage and other fragments of you. Hand write the lyrics for extra effect.
- Give a mixtape to someone you’d like to get to know better. You never know, you might both like the same obscure music and it might be true love.
- Make playlists for particular activities you need to do. For example I’m making one called my “cleaning mixtape” that’s full of angry, crazy, out of control music, which I can listen to while I clean. I hate cleaning, but the music motivates me.
- Create playlists with obscure themes. You could try themes like ‘high school prom songs’, ‘movie montage songs (think Rocky),’ ’songs about love and cannibalism’. It makes you listen to your music collection in a way that isn’t confined to genre and it’s quite fun to see what connections you can make.
- Have a mix tape party. Make each of your party guests compile a mix tape with their favourite tracks to play at the party. It’s a unique conversation starter and it also means no one can complain that the music sucks because everyone gets a go.
- Make a USB mixtape. Put your favourite mix on a USB stick and give it to a friend instead of a cassette tape. Put some effort into the packaging to add that unique touch. You could use this marvelous cassette styled USB drive.
- Make a DJ mash up of your favourite tunes. For all of you music experts out there, why don’t you use a program like Ableton Live to remix and mash up your perfect mix.
LOVE + DISTORTION: A mixtape for the broken hearted by Amelia Arsenic: This mixtape which I created today for you is a collection of songs which simply make my spine tingle and my heart sing.
Side A- Storm Brewing
- Massive Attack: Angel- 6.12
- Bat for Lashes: What’s A Girl To Do- 2.59
- The Church: Under the Milky Way- 4.58
- Depeche Mode: Nothing’s Impossible- 4.21
- She Wants Revenge: Written in Blood- 5.02
- Death Cab for Cutie: We Laugh Indoors- 4.58
- The Faint: A Battle Hymn For Children- 3.55
- Radiohead: Myxomatosis- 3.53
- The Black Heart Procession: It’s a Crime I Never Told You About The Diamonds In Your Eyes- 3.29
Side B- Heart Subsides
- Hood: They Removed All Trace That Anything Had Ever Happened Here- 5.20
- Sonic Youth: Small Flowers Crack Concrete- 5.13
- Deftones: My Own Summer (Shove it)- 3.45
- Alec Empire: On Fire- 4:30
- Skinny Puppy: Tormentor- 4.33
- Nine Inch Nails: The Great Destroyer- 3.17
- Smashing Pumpkins: (Come On) Let’s Go! - 3.19
- Digitalism: Pogo- 3.46
- IAMX: Kiss & Swallow-5.42
- PJ Harvey: It’s You- 4.11
Have any of you made or received memorable mixtapes recently? If you were to make a mixtape for someone special, what would be on it?
Topics: Art, Music, love+distortion |
January 21st, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I’d make mixtapes so much more often if only the people I’d give them to appreciated their beauty.
Good to see the art is still alive and well. :)
January 21st, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’m much younger than you, but I also remember the times, when instead of iPod and discman I had the walkman. I still have it somewhere… It’s a grey Sony xD
About the mixtaping… maybe I’ll get a try? I mean, the computer playlist creating is getting a bit boring.
I already have a playlist with angry songs (maybe not just for the time I’m cleaning. Btw, I hate cleaning too), another one with music making me nostalgic… I’m also thinking about making a “dark” playlist, in a way that shows self-lost in the world, that makes you cry. I don’t know how to explain that, but I hope you understand ^^
Take care xoxo
January 21st, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I love mix tapes! On CDs and playlists, you can just press “skip”, but a tape is a very holistic experience. Very few of my friends appreciate them though, even though they all love music. I was making a mix tape of my favourite David Bowie songs a few years ago, and the cassette got jammed in there. No more mix tapes for me, so now I make mix CDs.
I made an aggressive playlist for when I go running (I hate exercise). It’s got a buttload of Angelspit on it, actually.
I didn’t receive this recently, but a few years ago, a forum I was a member of did a “CD spin”. About a dozen of us made a mix CD with specific rules and posted them out to each other. I have all these amazing, eclectic mixes from all over the world that I still listen to.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:24 pm
It’s actually a great pastime with me and my friends and guys I like to make mix CDs for each other. I like actually making CDs and putting all the effort and obsession into it, and that’s one of the things I missed when it slowly phased from CD player to iPod. My boyfriend and I made each other mix CDs a lot; I’d give him Rasputina, The Dresden Dolls, HUMANWINE, Switchblade Symphony, and Siouxsie, and he’d give me The Legendary Pink Dots, ohGr, Skinny Puppy, Portishead, Pig, etc. Unfortunately, I didn’t really start listening to music until I was 12 or so, around 1999, so I didn’t really catch the cassette-tape era.
I’ll check out your mixtape list. I’m familiar with a lot of it; we have similar taste.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Im only fifteen, i got into music at a really young age. I loveeeeed listening to my mums ABBA casettes in the car ^^’
I never leave the house without my Zen (mp3 player) its like a piece of clothing that i’d feel naked without. I make playlists for when im walking to school, i have one for each day :D
January 21st, 2009 at 8:53 pm
You’ve chosen quite a few of my favourites there :)
I was obsessed with mixtapes in my “formative years”, and later mix CDs, they really helped me to become interested in music and I discovered many bands I still love now through them.
January 21st, 2009 at 10:32 pm
I tried making a compilation CD once… er… but my friend couldnt stand my “weird taste” in music. *sigh*
January 21st, 2009 at 11:13 pm
ravxav- awww… i know how you feel.. people don’t understand how much love you put into them!
Murdercute1994- your idea sounds cool, i think i get what you mean!
Liam- I totally agree, that’s why mixtapes are awesome because you have to listen to them in the way they were recorded. Hehe… exercising to Angelspit.. awesome! Oh, that CD spin thing sounds fantastic. I should organise something like that sometime!
Lisa- It’s great to find another mixtape afficionado. It sounds like you, your boyfriend and I share a lot of musical interests! Please check out my list! It’s really good.. I promise =) I wish I could put it onto MP3 and put it up, but it’s kind of illegal!
Videokid- That’s awesome dude! ABBA… hehe.. can you believe I watched Mamma Mia the other day by going into the wrong cinema? It was hilarious.
Vixel- YAY! You must have great taste in music =) Teehee… Yeah, I discovered a lot of new bands through mixtapes. I now find them through last.fm, but it’s not as magical I think.
slivertorn- aww.. don’t let that discourage you! Make one for another friend and they might love it!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:40 pm
DestroyX- haha! I got the film for xmas, the sing along function is just amazing lol My whole family singing along is quite.. amusing lol
Did you enjoy the film? ^^
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:29 am
Aww, mixtapes, that brings back memories.
But still, I pack nice little .rar files for my friends with playlists, annotations and whatnot.
Sort of…online mixtape-ing.
Besides, your mixtape rocks, especially for having Massive Attack, IAMX, etc., I think it’s cool.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 am
I’ve got to say I’m a bit of a mixtape enthusiast myself! Mixtapes most certainly do ROCK! Love your track selections by the way ;)
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:13 am
[...] Arsenic of Destroyx.com posted about her love of mixtapes, which I have to agree with. Even though the format has changed (it’s still nice to bust out [...]
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:41 am
I think the best mixtape I’ve ever made is the party one, that is tailored to the music tastes of the people I normally party with.
It contains a lot of The Clash and The Cure, and then some Annika Norlin and some Die Ärzte which my friend from Germany made me put in. There’s also “100%” by Angelspit ^_^
Also, I remember making a mixtape of alternative music with a clear rhythm, that I meant to introduce to my synchro swimming team (we use music during our shows)
Unfortunately, they didn’t like it :/
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:46 am
I am super suprised to see some songs and bands I love on your mix. I when backstage to meet the Deftones on their tour for that album. I had a great conversation with Chi about his dreads and Rastafarian’s belief in only cutting them every 7 years. Very Rad! And I thought only New Englander’s loved Sonic Youth, You amaze me!
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:17 am
My friends and I often exchange USBs and put our music on so that we can share and hear new things :) Playlists for particular activities are something I’ve always done too, I have ones for when I find it hard to sleep and I usually whack on some Skinny Puppy very loudly when I have to clean the kitchen or tidy my room, it keeps me going!
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:13 am
I miss my walkman :(
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:57 am
That is one hell of a mixtape. I love about 90% of what you have on there.
I still have my walkman actually, but it’s seen much better days - it lives in the closet now. It’s an all black one since I’m so freakin’ dark! Raar! XP XD
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:08 am
I remember I use to make stencils and me and my friends would spraypaint designs onto our walkmans.
I’ve been one for playlists. I especially like making “Industrial Jogging” mixes. They do the trick to get the blood pumping :D
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:28 am
OMG I used to have a walkman! Unfortunately it broke and yeah cassettes went out of style.
I’ve never received a mix tape but I have gotten a mixed cd. Unfortunately I didn’t really like some of the music in it but I still really appreciated it becasue I knew that the person had spent some time on it and that just makes it worth it.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Thi makes me sad =/
My Cd player is broken so im unable to make any mixtapes. I have atleast 20 in my room. Although i have never recieved one form another person :p
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm
some good suggestions here.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Amelia , i am sure u will love this ;)
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hypebeast/feed/~3/HzAqsQ-i66I/
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Ahh I love your song list, I can connect to lot of artists of it as well, Pogo and especially its lyrics totally gives kinda Nostalgic feeling imo, and I’m in love with IAMX’s whole K+S album at the moment :D
The Great Destroyer makes your heart sing?? Haha.
I also like doing USB mixtapes, it’s real fun, still yet without big packaging though. The cassette style stick is awesome :)
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:44 am
I still make Mix Tapes all the time :)
I have so many around my house, it’s awesome! :)
I have different tapes for different moods, too
But i make Mix CD’s too, for my friends, and broaden their musical horizons, so to speak!
They appreciate it when i do stuff like that for them
Oh, and one of my friends has found so many new bands she loves through my mix tapes and CD’s [and now she steals my iPod every other day, so we've taken to switching out iPods, too] I got her into Angelspit by doing that!
And i used to love my Walkman!
It was a black Sony, and i loved it, i still do!
then i got my CD Walkman, and eventually *only last year* got my iPod
I still like to use the other two, though!
xx
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:25 am
Your mixtape selection = *swoon*
I would only add Lullaby by Queens of the Stone Age… the USB mixtape is the best (reusable)! I still make mix-cd’s though.
xoxo
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:10 am
i’ve never been too into creating mixtapes, but i’ve been wanting to get into it recently (especially after i saw Nick and Noras Infinate Playlist.. the entire concept was just adorable to me) but i really doubted my ability to create something as intense as the main character Nicks…
but recently, i was in a car with my good friends Ana and Kyle and Kyle casually challenged ana and i to make a mixtape for him that he could only listen to on a chilly december night at two in the morning, preferably right after the snow fall… i think he meant it as a joke but of course we immediatly took up the challenge and began arguing about possible songs. so far we’ve only come up with ‘Once upon a December,’ from the Anastasia soundtrack and ‘Waiting for the Night’ by Depeche mode…
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Ah, I love mixtapes! You’re so right about them being time capsules. I was cleaning my room out the other day, and I discovered a box full of my old mixtapes. All these memories came rushing back (particularly that one about getting my walkman confiscated at school….). I spent so many hours compiling songs to make the ‘perfect’ tape!
Only a short while ago I was thinking about mixtapes, and so I made t-shirts and a badge for my online store to pay respect to a pastime that many people forget about in today’s world. (http://www.zazzle.com/i_made_you_a_mixtape_shirt-235994154715533638 )
I almost feel sad to think that there are kids who missed out on the joy of mixtapes!
January 24th, 2009 at 2:56 am
Videokid- Zoog and I stayed for the whole film, but I can not say I enjoyed it… I think Pierce Brosnan scared me.
Zenovia- Online mixtapes… that’s a cool idea actually.
Twisted- I’m glad you like my selection! You must have good taste. hehe.
Mahlin - Your tape sounds great… I like the thought of doing synchronised swimming to alternative music, it’s a pity that your team didn’t dig it.
Samantha Darko- Heh.. my music taste is WIDE.. and random =). You got to meet the deftones! Fuck that’s COOL… I LOVE sonic youth.. they are my favourite band of all time! We must be musical taste twins!
Kari- Hehe.. I like the idea of cleaning to Skinny puppy… exchanging USB sticks is a cute idea too.
PIG - I don’t know where my old walkman is! But I don’t think it works anymore. =( I’m glad you like my tape!
aL3x- industrial jogging… that’s freaking awesome. I need to make a tape for hooping.
Val - It’s the thought that always counts with the tapes, even if you don’t enjoy the music.
Vustoxular- aww… that sucks, one day you can make one I’m sure.
Rebecca- Thanks sweetie
Murderfreak Ray - OMG>.. how do you find this cool shit ray? I FUCKING LOVE THIS. I NEED IT. I will now figure out how to procure it!
NachtDigital - I love Pogo.. it’s such a beautiful song. It always reminds me of summer in Berlin. Don’t you think Trent sounds beautiful in The Great Destroyer?
Blitz- Yay! I’m glad you are a mix tape person too.. that’s so awesome that you like them so much!
birdie- I have to listen to that song.. I haven’t heard it yet! I’m glad you like the mix
Rae- That’s a good idea for a mix tape. It’s got a cool mood to it, I can imagine a lot of cool tracks to go on it!
HeartGrenade- Hehe.. you got your walkman confiscated at school! That’s so hardcore =) I used to hide mine in my blazer pocket.. hehe… Yeah I feel sorry for the people that never got mixtapes, they are so special to me! BTW I love that mixtape t-shirt.. that’s so sweet =)
January 24th, 2009 at 10:42 am
:O I used to make mixtapes all the time. I used to get so angry when the tape ran out of space (is that what it’s called? lol). The progression to mp3 players is kind of sad considering playlists are not even used anymore. It’s so much easier to go to your menu on your mp3 player and play one artist or one genre.
I don’t make mixtapes anymore. :( but I do have a playlist with The Misfits, Megaherz, M.I.A and In Flames. :D Hearing M.I.A and In Flames one after another is quite interesting. haha
January 24th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Hehe yeah. Even though Digitalism are form Hamburg, the song is simply Berlin haha. Reminds of it too when I was there in summer.
Of course this genius’ voice is great in TGD :) Just thought of the song’s content being not so happy as he’s running amok there haha.
January 25th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Memories! Sigh! In highschool my best friend at the time used to make me tapes of cool stuff all the time, and I’d make them for my friends when I wanted to introduce them to something I thought they MUST hear :)
The sweetest thing ever was years ago when my boyf at the time and I recorded some songs we’d written together, using a shitty tapedeck. Our flatmates were all Metal Boys, but often we’d here our chillout/classical “recording” come on in the loungeroom. How heartwarming is that!
I still have a tape player…I must make an exercise compilation for when my new hoop arrives! It’s amazing how motivating music can be. I too HATE cleaning, and need a good song or 5 to get going!
Oooh… I love that Massive Attack song too.
I love how music can provide a soundtrack to any mood or situation. Cool post!
January 26th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
I need to make a new mix! I keep meaning to make a sing along mix for driving time.
PS - find the PJ song “Crawl Home” from the Desert Sessions. It is seriously her best song ever.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Mixtape for the broken-hearted… I might just need that, since i’m planning on breaking up with my boyfriend (who loves me…too much). He might even like the music (he doesn’t like my taste in music..though I like…almost everything. He doesn’t like my favourites; Emilie Autumn and Angelspit. Sigh)
Interesting dose of destruction. Thanks!^^
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
i work a dj in s trip club and i’m always looking for new music and make stripper dance on new song ..i change their set list very regularly!
some nice song on the mixtape :)
February 24th, 2009 at 2:38 am
I remember the very first mixtape (of sorts) that I made in the mid-90’s, before CD burners came out, and people started doing it with CD-R’s instead.
It was of specific Broken, The Downward Spiral, and Pretty Hate Machine tracks. I borrowed the albums from my older brother, and ripped the selected tracks from all of them, to a blank tape cassette.
Maybe not exactly a “mixtape” (more like a compilation of the most recent (at the time) NIN) but still, that thing went with me everywhere I went for any reason at all. And was all i’d ever listen to, really.
It was a mix of anger, bliss, sadness, and hope.
People thought I was very, very troubled because of it. Considering I was only like 9 years old at the time, and listening to NIN as religiously as I could.
May 21st, 2009 at 3:34 am
when i was like in the 6 grade i had a sony tape player/recorder, i can record my thoughts adn stuff it was awesome i also notice it was breaking , well umm i also had a liek 3 tapes that i recorded songs from the radio ,that i used with my stereo my stereo could record songs on the radio to the tapei had from marilyn manson,slipknot,korn,Nine inch nails,kitty,skinny puppy,D’espairsray theyre very old stuff :],i would make cds then play them on the the stereo then press record where you put the tape ,well not recently i found all three tapes and one was ruined i feelt like a apart of me died lol i listened to them and it brought back memories weell the tape record i dunno i think i through it away,cuas i just started useing the stereo but it was awesome i miss my pre-teeen years