Day 11 - The pencil & the cassette
Everyone that grew up in the 80’s and 90’s is very familiar with the relationship between a cassette tape and a pencil. Those born later, maybe not.
Play something with album art that has hand-written or drawn elements, preferably with pencil. (Yes, I know, the pencil is not for drawing on cassettes. For shits and giggles, you can also stick a pencil into the spindle hole of your record and spin it around if it makes you feel better.)
Day 12 - The world music mix
“Music of the soul” – Winston, as he hands over a mix CD containing tracks from Mulatu Astatke and other Ethiopian artists to his neighbor Don Johnston, who is about to embark on a quest to find the son he just found out about, Broken Flowers (directed by Jim Jarmusch, 2005).
Play something by an artist that is anything other than from an English-speaking country, or that is in a language other than English.
Day 13 - Ugh, another mix…
“Hey Ricky, what'd you do this weekend?”
“Well, Friday night I stood outside your window - in the pouring rain - screaming your name for several hours. And then I spent all of Saturday and Sunday making you this great "Janey I've Been Desperately Trying To Tell You That I Am Madly In Love With You" ummmm... Mix Tape for your birthday.”
“A mix tape? Awwwww that's so sweet Ricky. See you in English.” Janey takes mixtape and adds to stack of many others Ricky has already given her, Not Another Teen Movie (directed by Joel Galen, 2001).
Play something that’s been issued or reissued multiple times… anniversary editions, deluxe editions, 33rpm, 45prm, remasters, audiophile pressings, colorways galore… how many versions do we need? Alternatively, play something you have multiple copies of.
Day 14 - The single band mixtape
“Oh yeah. I made a very good mixtape of Sting.” (Eat Pray Love, directed by Ryan Murphy, 2010)
When you really liked an artist, you often wanted to listen to more than just the albums. Maybe you also wanted your friends to check them out. So, you went through your collection and created a mix of your favorites. And you throw in a few deep cuts, B-sides and remixes in there too, because it’s all good. In that context, I remember also going to friend’s houses to compile tracks from my favorite bands off 12” singles I didn’t have.
Play a greatest hits or compilation album by a single artist. Alternatively, if you ever created one of these mixtapes, play an album by the artist featured on that mixtape.
Day 15 - That extra space on the tape
Did you ever take the time to plan out a mixtape? You get a nice TDK High Output D90 cassette, write out two lists of songs, careful to add song durations up to fill out the 45 minutes of each side, and then you get to work with the dubbing. But when you get all of your songs on that first side, you realize there is still a bunch of tape remaining. There was always extra space. Often minutes. So you scramble to find the perfect song to squeeze into that space…
Play an album with a great side-1 ender track.
Day 16 – Not enough space on the tape
“So, I've been making her a mix tape so she will know how I feel.”
The song is just about to finish and the recorder snaps off as the cassette runs out of tape.
“Ah, shit.”
– Charlie’s voice-over, as he is sitting in his room creating a mixtape on his double tape deck, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (directed by Stephen Chbosky, 2012).
…and sometimes, there just isn’t enough space to fit the perfect song you want on the tape.
What do you mean the single isn’t on the album? Play an album that didn’t include, at least upon initial release of the album, a single – or specific mix of a single - released around the same time (or play that single instead).
Day 17 – Bootlegs
Cassettes were used to tape live concerts to create bootleg tapes that would be traded among fans.
Play a live album, with imaginary bonus points if the album was obtained via a trade.
Day 18 - Audio code for computers
One of the long-forgotten uses for cassette tapes is as a medium to save computer programs. The first personal computer I owned was a Texas Instruments Ti-99/4A, which didn’t actually have any built-in hard drive of any sort to save your work. Sure, there was a cartridge slot for various games (I had a few – I especially remember a Space Invaders clone). But to keep the basic-programming language games I would create (yes, I’d program my own games in basic); I’d use this tape recorder that was attached to the Ti-99/4A where the programs would be saved in a sort of audio code reminiscent of old modem call-up sounds.
David, locked in an infirmary room, secretly recorded a computer code that played as the guard left the room. He then plugged the jack of his tape recorder into the door’s electronic panel and played back the recorded sounds, causing the door to open, Wargames (directed by John Badham, 1983).
Play something that makes you think of video games, preferably classic 80’s games. Or play something electronic.
Day 19 – Fast-Forward and Rewind
One of the biggest drawbacks to cassettes is the inability to easily cue up tracks like you can with vinyl, CD’s or even digital. If you want to hear a specific track, you have to fast-forward, hit play to hear where you are, and keep hitting FF and rewind until you hit the right spot. You want to hear a track again, you need to rewind and noodle around (although decks with number counters could be useful if you noted down the number where the track starts). In a sense, this quirk makes cassettes a perfect medium for listening to your mixtape as a whole. Have you driven around with a mixtape in the car, just letting it loop around multiple times in its entirety?
Play an album you feel must be listened to in its entirety.
Day 20 – The old well-worn favorite mixtape
Your favorite mixed tape
You popped it into the deck
Don't care if it's out of date
Ol' Cat Power and classic Beck
-The Tragically Hip, Coffee Girl (from We Are The Same, 2009)
Play something that has stayed on constant rotation for you over the years.
