Aside from occasionally breaking the fourth wall, the thing that set the movie apart from other chick flicks are the characters and their passion. To most people, the protagonist and his music-obsessed entourage are just another group of characters penned by a scriptwriter. I, on the other hand, was a little awestruck by the familiarity of their dialogue and worship for songs and artists. Rob (the main character) and his cohorts go about their day working in a record store living life not much different from normal people. What makes them different is that the soundtrack, which is usually somewhere behind all the important issues and problems of daily life, is up front and center stage. Much like the record store, this blog is a place to make and talk about mixtapes..
Mixing Tapes for Dummies
Let's leave the movie-reviewing to imdb, and get down to mixing tapes as a creative activity. Music is an important part of daily life. It changes moods and gives inspiration. A single song can change the course of someone's day. Like any other destiny-manipulating hobby, creating mixtapes is a challenge that requires psychology and ingenuity. It doesn't just stop when the track ends, the conclusion comes after the concept is over. Between the start and end of the list is a rollercoaster ride of carefully placed emotions (unless of course it is an album of downtempo electronica boredom or a black metal barrage of ...black metal).
It starts with conceptualization. This is as important to the mixtape as an objective is to a thesis. This is where the fun begins. There is no challenge in making a "feel-good" mixtape. Just the same, there is no fun in making a German Neo Punk Fusion playlist. Although it is generally better when there is more than one artist in the set of songs, a little continuity isn't bad. It takes the right mix of variety and similarity to make a manageable but challenging playlist.
Every mix-tape maker has their own style of mix-tape making. Some go all out at first go with balls-to-the-wall musical fury. Some like to progress. I personally put songs that need time to grow as the starter. Sometimes I put an obscure song I personally like, just to impose my taste on the listener. Nothing is more satisfying than balls-to-the-wall imposition through good taste.
After that is where the mix-tape maker uses all types of tomfoolery to manipulate the listeners groove. He could either compliment the first song by building it up even more or surprise the audience with a somber piece. A follow through is strong, but so is a Pacquiao-like punch from a wild angle. "Para sa 'yo ang Laban na 'to" may be a bit too wild angled for any playlist, but it is proof that the element of surprise alone can make a hit.
A good end to a playlist is one that leaves the listener's face peeled off, muttering expletives as the tape runs out. An end that leaves the audience hanging is good too.
"The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do. It takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don't want to blow your wad. So then you gotta cool it off a notch." -Rob
Breaking the fourth wall - I have always wanted to use this term publicly but have never had the chance. Thank you for letting me use the term and explain it's meaning in this blog...- is an example of breaking the fourth wall.
Balls to the wall - is a term I encountered in my many journeys in amazon. It was used to describe an obscure south african psychedellic rock group that went by the name suck. *May the image be stuck in your head as well.
Amazon
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