Do You Remember Mixed Tapes?

Growing up in the music industry, I certainly had a mixed tape obsession. John Cusack’s character, Rob Gordon, explains the subtle nuances of making a mixed tape in High Fidelity when he puts one together for his girlfriend. Each song must have meaning, but the order the songs play into each other must also fall like perfect puzzle pieces:

“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. Anyway… I’ve started to make a tape… in my head… for Laura. Full of stuff she likes. Full of stuff that make her happy. For the first time I can sort of see how that is done.” – Cusack’s Gordon in High Fidelity

I can’t remember my first mixed tape, but I’m sure it was full of Mariah Carey, Boys to Men and TLC. Later (probably only a year later), they were filled with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone. As I headed out of high school, tapes turned into CDs. Those first playlists from digital files are where I shined (bright, like a diamond). I remember combining Nelly Furtado with the Beatles, Beastie Boys and Sublime. The possibilities were endless: chill mixes, pool party grooves, beach vibes, rock and techno could make the best soundtracks to any given Sunday … or road trip.

That’s why I want to share with you some of my favorite mixes I have. These four playlists are constantly updated all year long:

1.  Chill // This mix was created for quiet nights at home writing or reading next to the pool. Songs range from classics like Van Morrison to more hipster grooves like Ed Sheeran and Bon Iver.
2. Golden 2017 // Each year I have my go-to driving and all around housekeeping/dancing playlist. Some songs carry over and some I leave. Bump to this lively, poppy mix with the likes of Kaskade, Kendrick Lamar and Feed Me.
3. classic ish // This playlist is all lowercase just because the whole thing is a classic rebellion. In here you’ve got Steppenwolf, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones and little surprises like Mad Season.
4. My Favorite Tracks, Shuffled! // This is a really special one on hypem.com full of all my favorites in predominately remix form.

If you have playlists you think I’d like, share them with me in the comments below!