There are a million reasons to love the summer, like enjoying warm evenings outside, seeing people in skimpier clothing or driving with the windows down. Unfortunately, those can also be reasons to hate summer, as in the swarms of mosquitoes that roam the summer nights, your overweight and hairy neighbor who insists on mowing the lawn without a shirt or the guy at the stoplight who wants everyone to hear him rocking out to Limp Bizkit.
But my favorite reason to love summer is the summertime mixtape. About this time every year, I get the urge to start making my own mixes. Making a mix is, as John Cusack says in ""High Fidelity,"" ""a very subtle art. Many do's and don'ts. First of all, you're using someone else's poetry to express how you feel. This is a delicate thing."" Here are a few of my rules for making a kickass summer mixtape.
First of all, I like to pin down a reason or a theme for the mix. This usually helps me narrow down the song choices. It could be something as simple as ""songs that will keep me awake through the mindless oblivion that is the Indiana toll road"" or something really specific like ""songs that make me think about kickball and my eighth grade lunchroom."" Maybe the most common way to do this is to make a mix based on a specific mood that you're feeling. Who hasn't made a breakup or depressed mix? You can make mixtapes for specific activities, like lawnmowing or making out in the backseat. Topical mixtapes are always fun, like ""songs about oral sex,"" or ""songs by guys who claim to get more oral sex than they actually get."" Oh wait, I think I might have just repeated myself. Another interesting challenge is making a mix around some specific word that has to be in the title or the lyrics. But sometimes the best mixes end up being full of songs you just love to listen to.
Second, pay attention to the transitions between the songs. This is what separates the true mixtape artist from the hacks who just burn discs. Sometimes, songs flow well from one to the next, despite differences in style or genre. Other times, you will have two great songs that just don't sound right next to each other. It's not difficult to tell whether two songs flow together, you just have to listen to the transition.
My third rule is to show some musical diversity. I know you may really love bluegrass or funk or ska, but 70 minutes of any genre can get monotonous. Throw in a song or two that you like from a wildly different genre. Maybe fit a Frank Sinatra tune between songs by Nirvana and the Meat Puppets. Another way to add some spice to a mix is to use songs ironically. Throw a Britney Spears song in with some favorites, or maybe use part of a Fray song as the outro to your ""hardcore gangsta rap '09"" mix. Or, you can use old songs to break up the newer tunes on your mix. Normally, adding a Beach Boys or Roy Orbison song not only adds some chronological variety, but also can change the mood.
My last rule is to pay attention to the presentation of the mix. The details of the presentation depend on what you're going to be using the mix for. If you are giving a mix to a girl you like, you may want to spend some time preparing some liner notes or cover art, not to mention a better name than ""Summer Jams '09."" But if you're just looking for something to listen to on the way home, you probably don't need to worry about a clever name.
So, this summer while you're stuck at a stoplight and a Limp Bizkit song comes up, do the people around you a favor and turn the music down slightly.
Have a sweet summer mixtape of your own? Share it with Dale at dpmundt@wisc.edu.
