The mixtape will always have a place in my music collection

'A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do
'A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do

Advances in technology heralded the end of the mixtape, the most intimate and personal of musical mementos. But is it making a comeback?

'A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do'
‘A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do’

Like some sort of minimalist muggins who watches too many TV property shows, I recently embarked on a “decluttering” mission.

One thing I couldn’t bring myself to declutter (OK, throw out – let’s stop dressing it up with poncey buzzwords) were my old mixtapes. I’ll probably never play them again. Indeed, I’ve barely got the means to do so – my last remaining cassette deck nearly got decluttered too. But just rummaging through them sent me tumbling down a retro rabbit hole.

There were tapes made for summers, Christmases, road trips, festivals and dirty weekends. Tapes I made for old flames, with special emphasis on meaningful lyrics that I hoped would do some of the hard work on my behalf. “I’ve made you a tape”, after all, was once a key weapon in a young blade’s seduction armoury. There were tapes made for me, to woo, educate or entertain. Inlay cards referenced long-forgotten in-jokes. There were even a few tapes from friends who’ve since passed away. Gazing at them was emotional enough. Playing them would’ve sent me full snotty blub-face.

Read the full article by Michael Hogan at the Telegraph here

Looking for a cassette? Why not browse what we’ve got here at eil.com

Shop for these and other rare vinyl records on RareVinyl.com
Got vinyl records or a Record Collection to sell? Sell to Vinyl-Wanted.com

Be the first to comment

We want your comments please!