saying it with music

In lieu of other creative pursuits, there is the appealing comfort of trying to make a good music mix. My mixes are made for friends, siblings and most often myself. But back in the courtship days the mix tape was key. It provided a way to say I like you, I get you, we have things in common. And choice selections offered a glimpse into the depth of your feeling. A you know what I mean that went straight to the heart.





Recently, thanks to delicious, I came across the blog
cassette from my ex documenting gifted mixes. Check it out for a nostalgic smile. Perhaps you have your own contribution? A mix that was amazing or totally off the mark. A mix complete with artwork on the limited real estate afforded by the cassette cover.


A new school take on the mix tape can be found in muxtape. Here's how it goes: create your mix, make it good cause you only get one, upload mp3 files and viola! The mixes aren’t embeddable, but the links can be shared with anyone, and muxtapes are available for public access. Get started here.

I've been searching through muxtapes and enjoying the eclectic selections out there. As for my personal muxtape, I'm still crafting it and heeding the advice provided in High Fidelity.


Rob Gordon (as portrayed by John Cusack): The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules.

Do you have a favorite music compilation? What makes it good?

additional muxtape info found via mashable!