For some, making a mix is as easy as compiling a list of random songs, and just burning them to a blank disc. Oh how wrong they are. There is so much more to it than that. Some might even say that there is an art to it. I would be one of those people. You can't just take a random list of songs and put them together without thinking about what sort of message you're trying to convey with the mix. As Rob Gordon said in High Fidelity:

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.

He's right, there are a lot of rules. Since I enjoy the art of the mix so much, i thought i would share some of my own rules for making mixes. To make this easier on all of us, I'll split the discussion into five separate types of mixes. There are obviously other types of mixes you might want to make, but I believe these five genres are the most popular. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.


1. The Archive Mix: This would be your average everyday "this is what I'm listening to this week/month" mix. The only real rule when making this type of mix is that is must include music that you are listening to at the time. You should generally confine yourself to a certain time frame such as music you are listening to that week/month/season. This type of mix works best when one is consistent with it. It's always nice to be able to look back over the last couple of years, and see what you were listening to a certain time. I did this for a while when I was in university, but haven't been very good at keeping up with it. I started making monthly mixes again in January of this year, and so far so good. Cameron Crowe, former writer for Rolling Stone magazine, and director of such movies as Almost Famous, and Say Anything has been making mixed tapes of the music he is listening to every week since he was a teenager. Now that's dedication!

2. The Theme Mix: These types of mixes have to have a theme that strings the songs together. The theme can be something very obvious, not so obvious or super creative. For example, you might choose to go through your CD collection and pick out every song with a girls name in the title, then make a mix from that. Or you might make a "Hair Metal Bands That Don't Suck" mix. Maybe you like songs about robots, so you make a mix centred around a couple of Flaming Lips songs. Or maybe you might put together some songs that remind you of someone or something. Happy/sappy/mad/sad mixes are often theme oriented too. My favourite theme mix I ever made was titled "A Day In The Life", it started with "From the Morning" by Nick Drake, and ended with "Lullaby" by Pedro the Lion, and in between it had songs that conveyed some thoughts and things that I was going through that day. It turned out pretty good. I'm currently working on "The Greatest Concert Ever" mix, taking a bunch of great live recordings and cross fading the crowd noises so it sounds like one giant, impossible concert.

3. The Romantic Mix: So you like that cute blond that sits beside you in Math class? You've liked the same girl since you were in grade 7, but don't have the guts to talk to her? Need a creative gift for the girlfriend? Flowers are too cliché? Chocolates have too many carbs? Then why not say it with a mixed CD. I have to be honest with you here, I don't have too much experience with this type of mix, but that doesn't mean I don't have some rules for it. First of all, unless you are certain this person has at least some feelings for you, you probably want to be pretty careful with your song selection. Coming off as some sort of crazed stalker just isn't cool at all. Keep it light. You should always include some music that you know they like, even if you don't, but it's also good to school them a little bit on some really good tunes they might not know. And for the love of all that is holy, do not do any voice over on the mix! "This song reminds me of the way your eyes look in the early evening light..". Gag. Let the music do the talking.

4. The Road Trip Mix: I suppose this could have been included under the "Theme Mix", but I felt it deserved its own category. There is nothing that can ruin a good road trip more than crappy music. And there is nothing that can catapult a road trip to "best road trip ever" status better than a solid mix. Before even beginning your road trip mix, you have to consider who is going with you. Is it your significant other? Your college buddies? Just you? Your audience matters. You want to keep your listeners happy. For example, if I was planning a road trip with some of the guys I used to hang out with in high school, I would absolute have to include "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison, and "Beth" by Kiss. Now you may scoff at those choices, but the inclusion would guarantee a raucous sing along, and some wicked reminiscing. Generally, I like to start off with some rocking tunes, then slow it down for a bit, and finish big and strong. Classic rock and 80's cheese metal are essential to a good road trip mix.

5. Cool Music You Want Your Friends to Hear Mix: There is nothing better than turning your friends on to some good new music that you "discovered". With this kind of mix, it's good to know what kind of music your friends like as it will give you some guidelines to work with. Do they only listen to top 40 drivel? Then you've got lots of room. If you only listen to top 40 drivel, then you should just skip this type of mix. When I'm making one of these Cd's, I like to stay away from the singles from the album, and generally pick some of the other tracks. I usually include more than one song by a particular artist as well. It gives your listener a better idea of what the artist is really like.


So there you have it. A short overview of my art of the mix. Of course, I don't think I know everything about the mix. It's always good to check out what other people might think about it too. The Art of The Mix is a great site with a ton of play lists and there are a lot of other sites and discussion forums out there that delve even further into the topic. There really is nothing quite like a good mixed tape. Now go and make your own.