Interview Perfecting your mix-tape with Wendy Littlepage

A perfect mix-tape is more than just a collection of songs; transitions, storylines, and even audience consideration are all vital components, according to Wendy Littlepage. For those equally devoted to the art of a good compilation, Littlepage has created the Mix Tape Club. Formerly housed at the now-defunct East Colfax boutique Chielle (co-founded by Littlepage), the club was recently reborn at Fashion Denver (1070 Bannock St., 303-842-7298) to connect audiophiles with other High Fidelity-loving types. The guidelines are simple: Make a mix-tape (or CD), drop it off, and pick up a stranger’s compilation. Littlepage gave The A.V. Club some of her rules for mix-makers, including tips on the importance of song order and how not to reveal unrequited love through your choice of tunes. 

Know your audience
Wendy Littlepage: Mix-tape club is fun because your audience is whomever, so you can be a little more selfish. But, for instance, I make mixes for my brothers and I don’t fill those with love songs; that 16 Horsepower song, “Nobody ‘Cept You,” would not be a brother song. I also always remember when I make mixes for people that I have crushes on to think about what kind of response I want. Know how much you want to put yourself out there if you’re making it for someone. If you’re giving a mix to someone who you don’t want to think that you’re in love with, maybe don’t put the Pixies song “La La Love You” on it.

Think about your theme or storyline
WL: For mix club, we give themes [January’s is “Songs That Got You Through 2009” —ed.], and some people take the themes very literally. We’ve done themes like “In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb,” so I’ve had mixes that had roaring lions at the beginning and then quiet sweet songs that sounded like animals playing at the end. But then I also had one that was super death-metal at the beginning and then really emo, sad music at the end.

Create good transitions
WL: I think transitions are important. You sometimes need to have an intentionally abrupt transition that says, “Maybe I let you drift a little while you were listening, but now I’m going to bring you back into it.” That can be just an arresting song; it doesn’t have to be loud or crazy. It can be one that you have to pay attention to. In my radio days, I used to like to do twin spins of songs that amused me, like songs about underwear. The Pulp song, “Underwear,” and The Magnetic Fields song, “Underwear,” go so much better together than you would have ever thought.

The most important song is the third song
WL: This is my friend Karen’s rule. She says the third song is where the listener is either going to commit to listening to more or they’re just going to kind of let it go. I like it when it’s a song I don’t know at all, but I immediately love. I think the best ones are those unexpected songs that make you go, “What else do you have for me?” or “How did you know I loved this song?”

Listen to the whole thing all the way through at least once
WL: Sometimes there are songs that are wild cards and sound totally out of place. Maybe there’s a better song you can put there. That goes both ways—when I first get mixes, I listen to them all the way through at least once.

Include a playlist
WL: Some people only include an e-mail address, but I think not telling people what songs are on there is kind of evil.

Go in with open ears, and then pay it forward
WL: This is what my friend Anne says. I think it’s what mix club is about. It’s about finding new artists that might not get radio time. It’s where I have found some great people to buy music from and share music with.