Mix tapes and compos

Hes right you know.

I have recently been listening to a CD by a London duo called The Amorphous Androgynous.
the CD is called A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding Inside Your Mind Vol 1 & 2.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monstrous-Psychedelic-Bubble-Exploding-Mind/dp/B002KQ5QZG

What we have here is a mix of 40 odd songs (over 80 if you listen to vol 1 & 2 back to back - which might be a bit much), ranging from 60's contempory jazz, american and british psych, a bit of funk, blues, pop, and another dollop of all things obscure.
Its an extremely interesting mix of music, beautifuly mixed together incorporationg the duos various different tastes aswell as there own music at various points in the mix.
I highly reccommend it if you fancy hearing something a bit different to what you might be used to, or if you have any interest in mixing songs.
Heres a small taster



My point is this. These lot have managed to hone in on what makes a great mix of music. Listening to these compilations you never feel the need to skip through to hear the next song or find yourself becoming bored by the sometimes lengthy mix. Infact, what you are doing is looking forward to the different direction the mix is going to take.
It flows throughout, never jolting between songs in a hap-hazzard way, instead smoothly dancing inbetween songs and sounds constantly keeping you interested, and at its best completely transcends all pre conceived notions you may of had with a mix of songs that features such a varied and wide range of music; it all becomes quite mindblowing!

Making a mix tape, cd, or itunes playlist (tapes - you remember them? i want one) is somewhat of a skill.
You need to remove yourself from what you may consider your favourate songs/bands, this will only blind you from what is important and that is the overall sound/vibe of the collection of songs.
I few things need to be taken into consideration.
The occasion or the person the mix is for should be at the forefront of your mind when you are making it, even if its for yourself. Consider where you will be or what you could be doing when you want to listen to the mix. Consider the type of person and there personality when you are making a mix for someone else - throw in a few suprises but try and keep the songs close to what you know they already like. Also, if you are trying to put a message accross (do you love the girl your making a mix for, is it a mix for a mate for when they go to football...etc) make sure the songs put that message accross.

I think playing to a crowed can be a difficult thing to do. Not being a DJ myself, but by knowing a few people who are, one thing I know is you cant please everyone.
A DJ friend of mine, who shall rename nameless because I dont do plugs, told me he had become sick of people requesting songs.
He was once asked to put on something that this particular punter could "dance to". The vibrations coming out of the speaker at the time? James Brown.
So I can understand his gripe, but I guess the best way of looking at it is you arent going to please everyone with your choice of music - the world is full of idiots, and playing for them in mass numbers must be difficult.
He also told me he became sick of playing the tupes of gigs that required him to play to the numbers, playing the obvious tracks - KoL, Rhianna, Lady GaGa.
I have always thought a DJ would be a great job, but only if you could play the songs you wanted to play!
I would offer that as advice to anyone wanting to make a mix of songs either for themselves or for someone else; if you dont enjoy it while your making it, if you dont really like the songs your including in the mix, then the mix will probably end up a bit crap.
Obviously your not going to put songs in a mix for yourself that you dont particularly like, but if its for someone else or for a party or your putting together a DJ set, try and cater to the audience but dont drift away to far from what you personally like - otherwise whats the point?

The songs need to flow and grab the listeners attention. You can ruin a mix of songs by including the wrong song at the wrong time. This is something I constantly do when I make a mix.
usually when I put a mix of music together its at a social gathering of some sort, whether it be a big house party or just a small group of mates playing street fighter 2 turbo.
I will put a mix together, trying to take into consideration my own set of rough rules but there is usually 1 or 2 songs that when they come on i think "damn, that doesnt fit at all".
Shit happens.
But an easy way around this is by listening back to your mix an hour or so after making it. This will usually give you chance to hunt down any stinkers that you overlooked; "I knew it wasnt a good idea to include a Toto song..."

Like a good a album, a varied mix of songs can put you in a specific "place" while you listen to the music.
And when you have made it yourself, even better.

Can this blog be considered a lesson? A lesson in making a mix tape?
What did we learn? Tapes are extinct.

-C



Heres some music.