The Forgotten Art of a Mix Album
by DJ YB

So, your twentieth birthday is coming up soon, eh? No? Then, how about you and your boyfriend's second anniversary - how far is that? Just around the corner? What do you think would your beloved one buy you as a treasured gift this time? Your favorite flowers again? Heart-shaped box of chocolates? Cheesy over-the-top Bollywoods? He's not that creative of a person, is he? Not the brightest of the flock, yes? He never initiated anything remotely romantic, eh? That's okay - most guys nowadays are like that. Is he into music? Yes? What kind? Diluted 'angry' nu-metal? Radio candy pop jingles? Ambiguously gay boybands? Sensitive Indon rock? Raihan?

Why not ask him for a personalized mix CD this year?

You are not exactly sure what that is? Well, ask him like this, "In one CD full of specially selected songs, express to me your most sincere feelings towards our relationship". If he is the typical male person that you poor girls fall easily in love with, I am pretty sure he is either going to (a) dump you immediately for the bimbo next door, or (b) give you his favorite rap-metal album and recommend you the loudest, most nonsense track. It's that two, or he would wet his pants.

Making a personalized mix album is a forgotten art, a lost skill. Not everyone can do it, and even those who can is never guaranteed to master it after the success of their first mix CD. The very personalized nature of this art makes it so hard to master - not only does it require the CD mixer (called the 'CD DJ') to have an extensive knowledge, experience and collection of music, but also the strong ability to research and find the proper playlist of songs for the person the mix CD is to be given. Adding to that a specific theme, as such as 'How I Feel Towards You' and 'Songs of Our Monkey Love', this business of initially a simple task of recording songs onto a blank tape becomes the gargantuan burden of caressing the sensitive soul of a beloved via the incoherent lyrics and danceable choruses of popular artists.

As of this summer, mastering this challenging art is my prime obsession. To make sure that this musical goal of mine will not go down the waste drain by the end of the summer, I have stepped up my efforts in increasing my music collection, which at this moment is already around 130 plus CDs, and also in doing that, expanding the variety and range of its genre and subgenre, from the rare kinds of X-IDM (i.e. Experimental Intelligent Dance Music) and psychedelic ambience, and to the more common kinds of garage rock and gangsta rap. Every few days in a week, I would spend hours and hours in the three most favorite record store in the Dinkytown area, rummaging through their huge CD collection, old and new, common and rare, searching for anything and everything from front to back and front again. In doing this, I hope that, soon enough, I will reach the grandmaster levels of the legendary bedroom DJs - the likes of Josh "DJ Shadow" Davis, Mix "Master" Mike and the Avalanches.

Thus, please forgive me for abandoning you, my dear old interest, for I have a new hobby now.

p/s: Anyone wants to be my first test subject for a personalized mix CD?