Artofthemix.org

One box of my old received mix tapes

http://www.artofthemix.org/FindAMix/getcontents2.aspx?strMixID=127583

I used to visit this website all the time in the days when I made and exchanged mix tapes (and cds) with people. In fact when I met someone new, often a music enthusiast themselves, one of the first things we would do to cement our new acquaintance was to exchange a tape or cd of our favourite songs. You can read a lot into a person by hearing their top 20 favourite songs I believe.

I used to spend a lot of time on this site browsing through all the indie playlists, then listening to (and downloading) songs on Kazaa and Winmx. I discovered many loved songs on this site, including songs by The Decemberists, The Shins, Pedro the Lion and a myriad of other indie bands.

The dawn of the digital age has inevitably seen a diminished number of mix cds (and even tapes) exchanged, which I find rather sad. Of course you could send somebody a Spotify playlist but it does lack the magic of mix cds with their smudged handwritten playlists and rough handmade artwork. Also by creating your own playlists, you're more likely to stick to your own tastes and the music you know you'll like, rather than listening to somebody else's choices and opening yourself up to different sounds.

artofthemix is a mix-loving community of people who upload mix tape/cd playlists. There is an active forum and a search engine so you can see which playlists your songs appear in. The site is linked up to Spotify and Amazon in case you want to buy any of the songs, or indeed the whole playlist. However when I used the site a lot in the mid 2000s, if you were interested in somebody's playlist you could arrange a cd swap via post. I suspect that there are people on the site though who would be game for an old-fashioned mix cd exchange with a stranger. Waiting for the postman to put a new mix cd through my door is certainly a little pleasure I'd happily welcome back into my life.

The Importance of My Holiday Playlists

I have spent about 6 hours listing, washing and packing for my holiday.

I have spent about 12 hours listening to music, trying to find songs I like for my holiday playlist.

My holiday playlists are very important. They'll become the soundtrack to my trip and evoke a montage of memories of my adventures many, many years later. The Playlist has become something of a holiday ritual for me now. I start hunting for songs weeks in advance, find out if there are any local bands I like, ask for recommendations (thanks to James, Alv, Kevin and Tom who contributed this year) and so forth. The list is at least as important as the clothes and chargers I pack in my suitcase.

There is one rule for the playlist: all songs must be new to me. No old favourites or current iPod playlist players. I think of the playlist as a tabula rasa for all my travelling memories to be imprinted upon-I'm a firm believer that music is one of the best preservers of memories.

The Last Waltz makes me think of dancing around Venice, 505 by the Arctic Monkeys reminds me of landing in LA one night with the whole city lit up and spread out further than I could see. Flamenco reminds me of the orange trees and mosaics of Seville. All of my adventures can be conjured up by a handful of special songs.

There are no rules for what songs can apply. Generally the playlists are comprised of:

• New songs I have fallen in love with
• Songs which I wouldn't usually give a chance, but think I could bond with outside of my normal routine
• Songs which match the country, mood or landscape of the trip

My Iceland playlist is as follows. Most of the tracks are on my iPod (I know a couple Alv recommended are not as the band she suggested is Swedish and I couldn't download the songs easily)

Solefald – Loki Trickster God
Shimmering Stars – I'm Gonna Try
Chapel Club – Five Trees
Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks
Foster The People – Waste
Sigur Ros – Gobbledigook
Gus Gus – Purple
The Drums – Money
Warpaint – Krimson
Garmarna – Vänner Och Fränder
Garmarna – Gamen
Asobi Seksu – Perfectly Crystal - Beach Fossils / Spirit Animal remix
Wild Nothing – The Witching Hour
The Shins – Spilt Needles
Abney Park – Herr Drosselmyers Doll
Ladytron – Moon Palace
Blood Orange – Can We Go Inside Now
The Drums – In The Cold
The Drums – What You Were
Beach Fossils – Calyer
Bombay Bicycle Club – Bad Timing
Bombay Bicycle Club – Beggars
Zero 7 – Swing