Mixtapes

“A mixtape or mixed tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto a compact audio cassette,” or so goes the opening line to the Wikipedia definition of a mixtape.

But if you were born in a time when there were real mixtapes (read 80s and pre-80s), before CDs, then you know they are much more than that. A mixtape in high school was the only way to really communicate your heart to that girl you’ve been crushing on all year, even if it is comprised mostly of black metal, with a hint of Alice In Chains. The mixtape is a vibe, it’s a moment in time, it’s a window into a self or an emotion expressed through song to another. It’s personal, it’s private and it’s specific. The art of making a mixtape was immortalized in 1995′s Hi Fidelity by John Cusack and his archaic lists of top 5s that we (still referring to people born in the 70s here) identified with in one collective ironic grunt.

Oh but there’s even more to it than wearing your heart on your sleeve via New Order, mixed with the Cure on the slow jam side, and 2Pac with Rage on the fast side. Mixtapes have long been used by DJs to audition for club gigs, build hype, get fans, make a few bucks and break new vocalists. Not to mention that remixes were created on mixtapes by the likes of Grandmaster Flash, DJ Shadow, DJ QBert and all the old boys who used quick cuts and vocals over loops to make remixes and mash-ups of songs.

And they’re still used today. Hometown hero, Drake was nominated for two Grammy’s on the strength of his debut mixtape, before he even laid out a professional album of any kind, and DJs both fledgling and seasoned vet alike still put out mixes in the blogosphere for promo use, and of course lovers still make mixtapes in lieu of ballads. Hell I made one just to write this article: it’s a mix of punk rock and reggae, from the Descendents to Black Flag to Sister Nancy and Toots & the Maytals.

I caught up with a few local DJs, producers, bloggers, club owners and record labels and asked them how the remember mixtapes and where they see their influence taking us in the future. Here’s what they had to say:

David King & Cailen McQuattie: Editors and Founders of music blog, Sallaciousounds.com

Anna Von Frances: Do you think mixtapes are still important?

David King: Yes of course they are. It works 2 ways. A great mix can propel a DJs career forwards. Great DJs can propel artists careers forward by including them in a mixtape. Example: Skream including Zeds Dead.

AVF: Where do you think they are going? Are we going to see more releases? Less?

Cailen McQuattie: So I see about 5-8 mixtapes a week, and I just don’t have the time to listen to them all. Unless the tracklist has something new on it, I usually don’t even go through it. If the tracklist has something on it I don’t recognize, and I think I might want to listen to it, I’ll skip through it, see if the feel is something I’m in to, and then I’ll  actually listen to the whole thing. This is just my filtering process, and the way I deal with the volume. I am also more interested in listening to artists that I’m already in to than I am new artists. I try and hit up every channel of discovery I can. The highest ratio of listens to songs I like comes from recommendations by friends, which in a sense is what a mixtape is.

Nav Sangha: DJ (Nasty Nav), label owner (Nasty Mix) and club owner (Wrongbar):

Nasty Nav: I actually started DJing cause of mixtapes. Never wanted to be a DJ, just made pause button mixtapes of my soul/funk 45 collection for some girls that worked at a bar down the street from the record shop I worked at. They played them at the bar and some people that threw warehouse parties heard them and asked for a copy and then they booked me to DJ! I played at an afterhours at King & Niagara for a couple of months without knowing how to DJ. I kept clearing the floor for a few weeks, until I finally figured out how DJing live is very different from making mixtapes, bought turntables and learned to mix.

DJ Lil Jaz / eljay II  DJ for K-OS. Producer:

AVF: Have you ever made one?

Lil Jaz: Definitely. I’ve won awards for my mixtapes, as well it being a chief source of income at one point in my life.  Mixtapes were an essential promotional item for DJ’s to showcase the music they play, as well as their creativity in crafting the mixtape on top of being promotional items for the artist’s music.  Crafting a mixtape was more than just a playlist of new songs.  It was a way for a DJ to show his/her mixing and selection skills.  Now you have vocalists making mixtapes to showcase their talent.  Essentially, the scope of the mixtape has grown and evolved, but it’s purpose remains the same.  To maraud for ears.

AVF: Do you think they are important to put out as promos now versus back in the day and why/why not?

LJ: I have always been a supporter of the mixtape as a promotional item.  Although, the form and function of the mixtape has evolved over the past decade, it still remains a great promotional piece for both dj’s and artists.  Mixtapes were banned in Canada as the record labels went to war with dj’s to control their content.  Canadian Record labels were not happy in seeing mix cd’s in stores.  They felt that dj’s were giving labels music away or selling music therefore directing revenue to the dj rather than artist and record label.  Somewhere along the way, the labels forgot the benefits mixtapes had in promoting artists music through the popularity of their local dj.  It was rumoured that they would take legal action against anyone caught selling a mixtape.  Much like how the recording industry in recently past went to war on downloading.  See the parallel?  Now, music is given away for free everyday.  Ironic isnt it?

AVF: Anything you’d like to add (especially about making mixtapes for girls in high school a la Hi Fidelity) please do.

LJ: A mixtape can be as simple as a song playlist or mixed masterpiece to an ep or album.  From personal remixing, to something to dance or vibe to. But a mixtape should have a purpose and/or theme tying together the music on the mixtape. It should reflect the personality or personal taste or personal expresssion of the maker of the mixtape.  In the end this is what separates great from good; personality.

DJ/Producer St. Mandrew/Teenage Riot

AVF: Do you think they are important to put out as promos now versus back in the day and why/why not?

St. Mandrew: Well the term mixtape is used loosely now. I’m not sure how many are actually on tapes. These days they’re done digitally and are available for download. As a promo thing it’s good because you can share it instantly with anyone. In regard to dance music, the usefulness of a “mixtape” in its promotional sense really depends on your level of notoriety. If no one has ever heard of you then the best thats going to come out of it is local bookings and some turned heads. People might download it all over the world if its good, but its not like they’re going to fly you out there.

It’s different for a well established artist. They already have a fan base who will not only listen to the mix, but will try their best to like it. the artist can  get away with more by taking chances in selections and fans will follow; they can use the mixtape to demonstrate their current “sound” and they have more of a chance to educate their audience.

One downside to online mixtapes is how over saturated it is. Everyone wants to be a DJ and so everyone wants to put out mixtapes. I feel bad for local promoters and club owners who get tagged in a million garbage mixtapes every month on Facebook by people who should not be DJing. The ratio of good to bad mixes that I’ve downloaded is not pretty, but i guess thats how it goes with anything; You’re always going to have to search for gems.

AVF: Drake just blew up on a mixtape, do you think success like that in such an old medium says anything about the current state of technology and underground music or where it’s going?

St.M: The beautiful thing about rap music is its the rapper himself that is the instrument. It’s more of demo tape and less of a mixtape. With traditional mixtapes its putting different artists music together. Sure he rapped over other peoples beats, but all the flow, all the lyrics, all the wit, that was all him. It was a perfect way to show how talented he is at relatively zero cost.

The internet and current underground music are best friends. Years ago it was like underground music was actually underground and you had to go into a sewer to find it. I feel like the internet has put it on the same level as commercial music, just on the other side of a fence.

AVF: Anything you’d like to add (especially about making mixtapes for girls in high school) please do.

St. M: Haha. Oh man. The amount of thought and time that went into those…carefully selecting each song and putting them in the perfect order. Being a teenage boy you sometimes aren’t the best at truly expressing yourself with words. The mixtape could do the talking. I remember making one tape for a special girl that was all rap on one side and all house on the other. The tape itself was pretty much like a story explaining us. When I asked her if she listened to it she was like “yeah, its so awesome. thanks so much”, but she sounded so dumb and naive. In my head I was just thinking “DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND?!”. haha. I wish I could listen to that tape now.