How to Make a Proper Muxtape

March 26, 2008

There’s nothing more satisfying than creating a mix tape of your favorite music. There’s also nothing less satisfying than creating a mix tape. Whether the tape’s for friends, a significant other, or maybe that gymnast girl you had a crush on in high school even though she never talked to you outside of biology class, making a mix tape ain’t easy. You need a certain know-how, smarts, or as the kids say, “the goods” to create the perfect mix tape.

With Muxtape, the digerati can share their mixes with everyone. But be careful. You don’t want to expose yourself as a Barry Manilow-loving musical dunce.

And now, 8 steps to a proper Muxtape:

1. Retrieve an organic espresso drink from your local independently-owned coffee house and settle in to the best seat in the shop.
2. Look around the coffee shop and quickly estimate how many people around you have poor taste in music. DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT.
3. Pop in your Bose noise canceling earbuds (because you don’t want to be seen with the “common man” white earbuds) and fire up iTunes on your Intel Mac laptop.
4. Surf Twitter for the latest Muxtape links from your friends and followers. Browse them, while quietly snarking at their lack of musical taste or inclusion of some absurdly mainstream song (uh, yeah, Spoon is mainstream now, thankyouvermuch).
5. While flipping through your iTunes collection, focus on the following types of music: foreign, shit no one would ever listen to (read: cool) and Appalachian country bluegrass. ALISON KRAUSS DOES NOT COUNT.
6. While slowly stroking your chin patchy hipster beard, find the best arrangement of songs that will get across your message to the listeners. Deep + uplifting? Fun and quirky + twisted love songs?
7. Include at least one jazz song because it proves you know your music and have good taste. DAVE BRUBECK’S TAKE FIVE DOES NOT COUNT.
8. After three hours and four double Americanos, finish up your Muxtape and post the link to Twitter and disclaim that you “just threw this together for fun.”

Good luck with yours and please post a link to it in the comments. For some inspiration and snark-fodder, check out my muxtape, Orange.

Comments

1. Simmy — March 26, 2008 at 4:26:16

   

   Hipsters don’t have chin beards.
   -----

2. Jim Ray — March 26, 2008 at 4:34:23

   

   You, sir, are brilliant

3. Ryan — March 26, 2008 at 4:49:59

   

   Fixed that for ya, Simmy. ;)

4. Renaud — March 26, 2008 at 5:52:32

   

   Ryan, you sold out.

5. Greg — March 26, 2008 at 7:53:53

   

   As much as I would love to listen to this “tape”, without the presence of any Pet Shop Boys I can’t see how that’s possible.

6. Tom Watson — March 26, 2008 at 9:59:48

   

   Hilarious.

7. Luke Dorny — March 28, 2008 at 8:40:56

   

   Muxtape is dead. Long live Mixwit
   http://www.mixwit.com/widgets/11abeaaff4fde9ab80b061e4845c4367

8. Jeremy Floyd — March 29, 2008 at 2:09:48

   

   muxtape = rock

   product placement in your post = tool

   ;)

9. Dalasie — March 30, 2008 at 6:51:37

   

   Why has no one else posted their mix?

   Here:

   http://dalasie.muxtape.com/

   Lately I’ve been into four-song mixes. The mix can be consumed in its entirety pretty quickly, and with only four songs, its character clearly emerges.  The four corners give you the page.  If a 12 song mix (or an 80 min mix) is a month, then a four-song mix is a day.  A nice day.