Sound Opinions, my favorite public radio show, is showcasing a couple of year-end mixes on this week's broadcast. But what's interesting about this episode is not so much the music, but the methods and motivations behind each mix. Chicago Sun-Times critic Jim Derogatis, considers his mixes to be simple collections of songs he likes, songs he didn't get a chance to talk about on the radio. On the other hand, Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot compiles his mixes with a bigger purpose and takes a time ordering the track list so that it fits in with whatever overarching theme the mix has. [Note: Apparently Derogatis is trying to be Kot this year and making a themed mix too. How about that?]It got me thinking; how do other people make mixes? I suppose most people relate more to Derogatis - just group all the good songs together in a playlist, burn a CD and go. But I think I relate more to Kot. I've never made a mix that tried to tell a story per se, but I do take time (too much some might argue) with the play list. I'd like to make the mix of my favorite songs- or songs that I think the receiver would like - work like a good album, with each song following another for a purpose. I try not to have two similar sounding songs next to each other. If I'm going to fill an 80-90 minute CD-R, I'd like it to be varied and weird as a classic double-album, yet have a kind of sonic flow, where one sound or mood sensibly moves toward another. I'm not looking to make a big statement about me or my taste with my mix. I just want to find a balance between variety and cohesion, and that takes time.
How do you make your mixes?
