I made my first mixtape in 2017

“Why?” I hear you ask. Why would an early teen, tech-savvy teen born at the start of the streaming era create a mixtape… on a cassette tape? Why would you spend a day neglecting your blog because you had to record it all over again? Why would you want to listen to something with numerous technical imperfections such as the fact that the classical music that I recorded over can be heard faintly in the background, numerous skips on the CD songs? Why would you put in that effort?

My answer is because I can. No but seriously, there’s a couple reasons:

1. IT’S PHYSICAL

I own this mixtape. I own it and it is a physical thing. The same cannot be said of a Spotify or Youtube playlist, can it? Having a tape feels so much better.

2. I ACTUALLY PUT WORK INTO IT

The fact that I actually put work into it makes it so much better, because while it may not sound perfect, I had to work on it and it feels like it wasn’t just a quick thought that I can finish in a couple minutes

3. THE SOUND QUALITY IS MUCH BETTER

A lot of people say Tape sounds terrible. People are ignorant. If you use metal tapes with a good stereo system, it sounds just as good as vinyl. Regarding dynamic compression and lossless sound, the audio quality may seem like a minimal change that only an audiophile could notice, but that’s not true. To sum it up, it just feels more free, rich and warm, where digital files feel claustrophobic, sterile and bland.

Here’s some pictures (Because my parents are paranoid they made me censor my name):

Tracklisting:

A1: Was He Slow? – Kid Koala

A2: I’m Not In Love – 10CC

A3: Love Is The Sweetest Thing – Jim James

A4: So I’m Growing Old On Magic Mountain – Father John Misty

A5: Earl Grey (Stuck In A Groove) – Girl Ray

A6: BOOGIE – Brockhampton

A7: LMK – Kelela

A8: Spirit In The Sky – Norman Greenbum

B1: Bedward The Flying Preacher – Singers and Players

B2: I can’t Give Everything Away – David Bowie

B3: Mina Lisa – Nat King Cole

B4: So What – Miles Davis

B5: Is It Too Late? Duke Edwards and The Young Ones

B6: Melting – King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard

B7: Psycho Killer – Talking Heads

Everything was recorded directly from vinyl to tape deck except for tracks B4 and B5, which were recorded on CD, and A6, which was recorded off YouTube.

Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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