Art of the Mix

Author: Sarah Jo /

"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." ~High Fidelity~

The art of the mix tape is indeed a delicate one. Although it's really evolved from mix-tapes to mix-CDs or mix iPod playlists, the principles are the same. A mix can say so many things in so many ways. Music speaks to me anyway, but there's something almost magical about listening to songs that have been hand picked for you. I've had mixes to cheer me up, mixes to drive by, mixes that sing me to sleep, and mixes that make me think. My best relationships have started with mixes. They've made me change my mind and they've gotten to my heart before normal words could. I love making mixes for my friends to share the music I love. It's a part of me I can try to describe, but why do it that way when you can pop in a cd and hear part of me in audio form? I have a feeling I'll keep making mixes for a very long time. I like to try to be articulate and I like to write, but 9 times out of 10 a mix says what I'm trying to say much more completely.

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