--Making mixes sans spotify--
Updated: Mar 14, 2026
Music | Making | Radio | Dis/connection |
Making a mixtape every season is my project for 2026. I go over the 'why' for my mixtape project in that section of my website. This note is about the process of making a mixtape.
Finding songs outside of the algorithm
For this project, I wanted to minimize my use of Spotify. Not because I'm a Luddite (well, maybe I am), but I've had Spotify for years, and can count on one hand the number of beloved new artists I've found through the app. The algorithm just feeds you more of what you like. Spotify sells your attention, not music, so its suggestions are meant to be as inoffensive as possible to keep you on the app listening and contributing to their user data. I've found the experience of finding music on there safe and stale. It's made me musically lazy, and has largely left me locked in my current sonic space. In summary, I'm out on Spotify.
Finding new music off the algorithm requires listening to lots of stuff, and seeking out new ways to explore genres and sounds. For my Winter mixtape, songs came from two primary sources:
The first is independent, human-curated radio stations. I'm suprised way more by these than I am Spotfy playlists - sometimes that's amazing, sometimes its jarring. I'm always on the lookout for more DIY/independent radio stations, so let me know if you have good ones. Here's a few I really like:
Station |
City, Country |
|---|---|
| KMHD | Portland, USA |
| Radio Alhara | Bethlehem, PSE |
| Bad Radio.biz | ??? |
| NTS Radio | London, UK |
The other main source of new music was from The Wire Magazine. The older I get, the harder I find it to read on the computer, so I was searching around for interesting music magazines. I ordered this one and really love it.
Always working on listening more broadly.
Materials & Equipment
At first I thought that it would be fun to relive my youth with a 90's 3-piece stereo, but I kind of want my tapes to sound good. So, I bought a re-belted JVC TD-W444 on ebay. I also got some blank 60 minute cassettes. That and an aux are really all you need.
I found a J-card Illustrator template on the internet and used my work Adobe subscription to design it. Simple this time, might incude more writing on the next.
What's next
Everything is together and "mixed" (i.e. I added some fades), so just needs to be recorded. Then, it's time to share. That'll be at 8PM on March 18th on my site - click the record.