The concept behind the international mixtape project is simple and neat: every month, each participant receives the name and postal address of another person who's involved, whereupon they have the rest of the month to send that person a mix tape or cd; their details having been provided to someone else at the same time, they can also expect to receive a mix themselves on more or less the same schedule.
So, having signed up earlier this month, I've been thrown a bit of a curveball by this first mix, which is just what its title suggests - soul and disco stuff which I assume is period authentic (who would've thought that Barry White would one day make it into my cd collection?). This isn't the kind of stuff I've ever listened to at all, and to be honest, this mix hasn't done much for me - though I do like "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, which I think is probably a bit of a classic of its genre, and also the Eddie Kendricks ("Girl You Need A Change Of Mind") and Voyage ("Souvenirs") tracks. But ultimately it's all about being exposed to music that I wouldn't ordinarily hear, and on that count I can't complain at all.
(from Ric in Portland, Oregon)
