Monday, January 31, 2011

Mixtapes and Alexandra

Today my friend Alex stopped by to drop me off a mixtape (really, a mix CD) of songs for my trip.   We promised that we'd trade CDs a couple of days ago, and I still have to make her one!  She's also going on the Eurail trip with me, so I have to think of something really, really good... anyone have any ideas?
I don't often make CDs like this.  For one thing, I think that sharing music is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone, so I try and choose carefully.  I also think a lot about how the album progresses from one song to the next - is there a story or decent flow?  Are they all in similar keys or tempos or something, or are these just songs that they would like?  I know my father used to make mixtapes (actual mixtapes, with cassettes and everything) for my mother when they were dating.  For a while, my friend Mike and I used to trade song lists (something that I almost forgot about).  Those were, at the time, just lists of songs I liked or was listening to, but I think that if I made him a CD, I would put way more thought into it.  So I have to think of something great for Alexandra...
Do you guys make mixtapes for your friends?  Do you just put a lot of songs together that they would like or do you think about a concept or the flow from song to song?  Do you make them for everyone or are they only for special occasions?

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