Erinnert ihr euch noch an Kassetten? Dieses hoffnungslos romantische analoge Format, das es einem im Handumdrehen ermöglichte der Liebsten, Freunden oder auch Verwandten nicht nur eine Freude zu machen, sondern gleichzeitig auch noch eine musikalische Lehrstunde zu geben, inklusive Coolness-Statement! Was war das schön! Wir huldigen nach wie vor dieser Leidenschaft und stellen euch mit unserer Mixtaping by Strangers-Reihe nicht nur tolle neue Künstler vor, die über ihre Mixtape-Vergangenheit und -Vorlieben berichten, nein, wir lassen sie auch extra für euch eine kleine Liste zusammen stellen, auf dass ihr schwelgt in für euch neuer Musik, musikalische Einflüsse entdeckt und die Leidenschaft zur Mixtape machen, weiter geht! Repeat & Rewind inklusive! Für Tape 20 haben wir die Kanadier von The Lytics an die digitalen Tapedecks gebeten, die zuletzt schon mit ihrem neuen Album die Genre-Grenzen von Hiphop, Rap, Soul, R’n’B und Pop einrissen und derzeit ausgiebig auf Tour hierzulande zu sehen sind! Push Play!
Have you ever done a mixtape before? If yes – when was the first time and for which person? If not – why not and for which person would you do one?
I once did a mixtape for an ex-girlfriend. It was a selection of different songs i was listening to at the time. I remember specifically that it featured Raphael Saadiq’s ‘Still Ray’, ‘I gotcha’ by Lupe Fiasco and ‘Hollywood Divorce’ by Outkast. I’m pretty sure she lost it almost immediately and I was super disappointed, cause i put all this work into a mixtape she barely heard. I was pretty sad about it for a week or so, cause I couldn’t afford another cd to make her a new one at the time because packages we’re like $20 and I only made $6.50 an hour at KFC. A week later, i got a ride home from her place by her brother and he had it bumping in his cd player. We had a good laugh and I felt a little better that at least someone got to enjoy it.
Which format would you prefer for your mixtape: Cassette, CD, digital playlist?
I never understood the cassette thing — Its obsolete technology for a reason. I think CD’s still make a little more sense cause it’s nice to have something physical to hold, though digital playlist is likely the most logical choice. In any case, i’m going with the CD.
Insider tips that the listener won’t know or mainstream hits?
I want insider cuts, b-sides etc.
Sad/emotional or dance/party songs?
Depends on the day, though emotional songs usually win out if i’m alone.
Listing songs one after the other or planning a tonal climax?
Part of the beauty of mixtapes is the art of curation and lots of that comes with arrangement. DJ’s are necessary cause they know when to play what song when to keep an event moving, so to me, you gotta have an order.
About the cover: self painted, a picture stolen from the internet or a simple set-list?
My covers as a kid were always set-list. I think you could save that for the inside and paint a cover however.
If you could choose an artist/band, who should do a mixtape for you – which one would it be and why?
I’d love to hear what someone like Solange would do. She’s got super eclectic tastes by the looks of what she’s put out to date, so i’d like to see what it would come out like.
The Lytics Tour:
29.10. Halle 02, Heidelberg
31.10. KGB, Langenberg
01.11. Salon Hansen, Lüneburg
03.11. Skaters Palace, Münster
04.11. Weltempfänger, Köln
05.11. Bla, Bonn
06.11. Nr.z.Pl., Bielefeld
07.11. Druckluft, Oberhausen
08.11. Kantine am Berghain, Berlin
09.11. Wagenbau, Hamburg
10.11. Lux, Hannover
