A5 · Mixtapes
The lost art of the mixtape
Before playlists, there was a pause button and a lot of patience.
Liner notes by Mina Hollis · 6 min read
Making a mixtape used to take an afternoon. You recorded each song in real time, timed the gaps and hand-wrote the inlay card. Every tape was a small labour of love for one specific person.
A mixtape is a letter written in songs.
You can bring some of that care back to any playlist: make it for one person, keep it to a tape's length of about 45 minutes, think about the running order, and write a short note explaining why each song is there.
Mixtape rules
- Make it for one person
- Keep it around 45 minutes
- Open strong, and end on a song that lingers
- Write a note
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