With Valentine's day approaching, you may find yourself scrambling to find a gift for your friend, crush or even significant other. Scramble no more! Everyone appreciates a good mixtape, especially one with significance and a thought-out playlist of songs.
It is relatively easy to make a platonic mixtape for your friends that just includes an awesome mix of songs. However, making a mixtape that is intended to show your true feelings for someone is more of an art. The proper art of compiling a mixtape that will profess your undying love for that certain someone is just a few steps away.
- Pick Your Medium
Generally this is a CD or a playlist sent electronically but it could be a chance to get really creative. Set up a scavenger hunt with QR codes that they can scan in order to listen to a specific song or even play them all by hand for them; the possibilities are endless!
- Pick a Theme/ Genre
Some great themes are unrequited love, general attractiveness, or celebration of time spent together depending on your situation. Make sure to not overstep any boundaries or make things awkward with something too serious for the situation. Selecting a theme and a genre will make it easier to compile your list of songs. When it doubt, always go indie and deep.
- Choose the First and Last Song
You don’t want to start too heavy and emotional, so pick an upbeat track that you know they will love and that portrays your message a bit more subtly than a ballad. Your last song is your last chance to make an impression so here is a good place to bring out the big guns. Pick the perfect song that portrays your feelings and elicits emotions in order to end with a bang!
- Decide the order of the rest of the songs
There are many things to keep in mind here. First is the no repeating artists rule. Now there are a few exceptions; complementing songs, band vs. solo artist’s work, and instrumental. Deciding this is up to you, but my personal favorite is to descend tempo and mood, then raise it again, and then descend once more leading to the last track. This is all up to personal preference.
- Add Variety
Once you have a seamless mix of songs that are all similar, throw in some variety. This is the perfect time to add dance-worthy songs that are just for fun! I save this for last so I can make sure the other songs really work together before adding the interesting stuff into the mix. Make sure your mixtape is not too long. Less is more in the art of mix taping.
- Finishing Touches
Whatever you choose as a medium, you HAVE to have a written playlist that pairs with it. Get creative with your art skills here and slap some artsy quotes (see gif) to pair with your sick mixtape. Also, name your mixtape. Always include a Vol. number to let them know there will be more, always err on the side of too many puns rather than not enough, and always aim to make everyone else who sees it jealous they didn't get one of your awesome mixes.
Once you have your flawless mixtape, don't be afraid to make an extra copy for yourself. You put in the work so enjoy your tunes! Mixtapes are a great way to send certain messages and give a heartfelt and personal gift for whoever you have in mind.
