I'm new to the whole mixtape thing, just now dipping my toe into the water - last year I was hooked by the free releases of The Weeknd and Frank Ocean and other Odd Future mixtapes. Yep, the "hipster R&B"/"PBR&B" stuff so often dismissed (as in one pompous Guardian thinkpiece) for fusing genres together. To quote Simon Munnery via Stewart Lee, if the crowd's behind you, you're facing the wrong way - I can't wait to see what this new blend of the always interesting and envelope pushing sonics of R&B production with lyrics that mean something other than "tits + expensive booze = good" has to offer, not that the likes of the Weeknd are short on celebration of that stuff either. The mixtape is something that appeals to me, and the more reading I do into it the better it gets. It appears mixtapes have been around since the 70s when people would record Kool Herc's shows and circulate them, and serve as a way for little known acts to get their name out there.
Now of course, the mixtape is an industry within the industry, with even the biggest acts like Kanye and Lil Wayne (who is inhumanly proliic) churning out mixtapes. This serves two purposes I can immediately think of - it bridges the gap between the major labels and the indies, giving something back to the fans who buy the tickets and merchandise and look the other way when David Guetta's involved. Mixtapes are a good place for less radio and user friendly material, room to experiment where "official" releases are (understandably in this climate) packed with hits. Well, in theory they're packed with hits and not stupid guest skits by Chris Rock and filler tracks but the reality is often different.
The other one is that on a mixtape, a free release, its possible to do things that haven't been possible since at least the mid 90s. The Bomb Squad's densely layered productions would not be possible in 2012, not without a budget even Jay Z would baulk at. Neither would Paul's Boutique, Entroducing, name your own sample heavy classic. They would all cost silly money to make now - not on a mixtape.
More on this as I learn, just almost writing this down as a record of some ideas I can come back to
Now of course, the mixtape is an industry within the industry, with even the biggest acts like Kanye and Lil Wayne (who is inhumanly proliic) churning out mixtapes. This serves two purposes I can immediately think of - it bridges the gap between the major labels and the indies, giving something back to the fans who buy the tickets and merchandise and look the other way when David Guetta's involved. Mixtapes are a good place for less radio and user friendly material, room to experiment where "official" releases are (understandably in this climate) packed with hits. Well, in theory they're packed with hits and not stupid guest skits by Chris Rock and filler tracks but the reality is often different.
The other one is that on a mixtape, a free release, its possible to do things that haven't been possible since at least the mid 90s. The Bomb Squad's densely layered productions would not be possible in 2012, not without a budget even Jay Z would baulk at. Neither would Paul's Boutique, Entroducing, name your own sample heavy classic. They would all cost silly money to make now - not on a mixtape.
More on this as I learn, just almost writing this down as a record of some ideas I can come back to
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