Mixtapes????

Before MP3 players. Before CD burners even. DJs made mixtapes. By taking your favorite songs you felt sent a message, and mixing them together on a 60 minute recordable hi-fi audio cassette. Many mixtapes were designed for road trips, parties or sitting alone in a darkened room. The best mix tapes could be appropriate for any of these activities. Mixtapes could be conventional, by counting songs you felt should have been included on that Greatest Hits albums from your favorite band. Or, it could highlight the breaks and the second half of your favorite tracks. The beauty of a mixtape is it can be as plain or outlandish as you are willing to make it. Regardless of your intentions, the mixtape requires careful planning and flawless execution. Nobody wants to wait for the mixtape to buildup. CD burners have helped to ease that problem. A mixtape deserves full tracks with clean breaks between each. The pause button is crucial to efficient breaks. By completely stopping the tape you may lose space in the lag time it requires to restart. A long pause can distract your listeners. The mood is set quickly with the choice of first song. An effective mixtape flows smoothly through different tempos, styles and moods. Sometimes even genres. Dodgy song choice could lead the mixtape recipient to spend precious time fast forwarding through songs. Effectively missing the intended message. *We at collegedj.net would like to give all up and coming djs a small but important piece of advice.* Save the slower songs for the ends of each tape side. Each side should begin with something upbeat and end on a quieter note.

-DJ Kid Relly

DP would like to add.........

The mixtape game has also been influenced by digitization and the internet. Has anyone made an actual “tape” lately? The mixtape game has gone digital. Your favorite artists have mixtapes available on their websites and these days you can make your own mixtape online. You can even create your own radio station/jukebox online. The mixtape game is changing. The best artists, djs and dj crews are still reaching their fan base and are broadening their ‘web cred’ by using the internet to reach new people. Here is a look at some new dj technology that can help you upload your cuts to the web.

-DP

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