Tiny Mix Tapes
Encyclopedia
Tiny Mix Tapes is an online music
and film
webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.
, the webzine moved to its current domain in 2001. Tiny Mix Tapes is a featured reviewer on Metacritic
.
The writing staff is composed of volunteers who often use pen names (such as Wolfman, Mango Starr, Chizzly St. Claw, and Filmore Mescalito Holmes). The co-founder and editor-in-chief is Minneapolis-resident Marvin Lin (code name Mr. P). The News, Music Reviews, Automatic Mix Tapes Generator, DeLorean, and Features are handled by Squeo, Jay, Trillian, Keith Kawaii, and Mr P, respectively.
Similarly, "Eureka" consists of reviews highlighted by the site as particularly avant-garde
or experimental.
There is also a features section devoted to interviews, articles, fest reviews, as well as a "Live Blog," in which writers review live music shows. In 2009, Tiny Mix Tapes added a columns section.
As of 2008, Tiny Mix Tapes started reviewing films and now has a section devoted to film. This section also includes features on film-makers and other numerous subjects within the film medium.
, and a group of volunteers (called the "Mix Robots") will compile a track list. Due to the large volume of requests as well as request redundancy, not all requests are filled. The "Mix Robots" produce and submit track lists fulfilling the request as they interpret it. Mixtape track lists are then available on the website. Most of the songs on the mix tapes come from indie or underground bands/musicians. In 2008, Trillian, the AMG editor, was on Talk of the Nation
to discuss Valentine's Day
mixes.
. It featured 11 exclusive songs.
's Hail to the Thief
and The White Stripes
' Elephant
as part of an April Fool's joke. It published reader mail the next day.
On March 30, 2007, Tiny Mix Tapes announced it was hosting a festival in Minnesota
. At this festival, long-since dissolved indie band Neutral Milk Hotel
were billed to be "reuniting all over your Cheerios
" as the headlining act. Amidst a blog flurry, and articles disputing the legitimacy of the event in Billboard and Prefix, the festival was revealed as an early April Fool's Day joke later the same day.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, as well as its mix tapes generator.
History
Originally called Tiny Mixtapes Gone to Heaven and hosted on GeoCitiesGeoCities
Yahoo! GeoCities is a web hosting service, currently available only in Japan.GeoCities was originally founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet . In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their web pages...
, the webzine moved to its current domain in 2001. Tiny Mix Tapes is a featured reviewer on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
The writing staff is composed of volunteers who often use pen names (such as Wolfman, Mango Starr, Chizzly St. Claw, and Filmore Mescalito Holmes). The co-founder and editor-in-chief is Minneapolis-resident Marvin Lin (code name Mr. P). The News, Music Reviews, Automatic Mix Tapes Generator, DeLorean, and Features are handled by Squeo, Jay, Trillian, Keith Kawaii, and Mr P, respectively.
Content
Tiny Mix Tapes offers news, music reviews, movie reviews, and columns. The "DeLorean" section reviews music released before Tiny Mix Tapes began that may no longer be popular, albums that the writer believes are "classic" or influential, or older music that is significant to the writer.Similarly, "Eureka" consists of reviews highlighted by the site as particularly avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
or experimental.
There is also a features section devoted to interviews, articles, fest reviews, as well as a "Live Blog," in which writers review live music shows. In 2009, Tiny Mix Tapes added a columns section.
As of 2008, Tiny Mix Tapes started reviewing films and now has a section devoted to film. This section also includes features on film-makers and other numerous subjects within the film medium.
The Automatic Mix Tape Generator
The Automatic Mix Tape Generator, or AMG, was created to offer two-way communication with the website. Started in 2002, readers may submit a title or the theme for a mixtapeMixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
, and a group of volunteers (called the "Mix Robots") will compile a track list. Due to the large volume of requests as well as request redundancy, not all requests are filled. The "Mix Robots" produce and submit track lists fulfilling the request as they interpret it. Mixtape track lists are then available on the website. Most of the songs on the mix tapes come from indie or underground bands/musicians. In 2008, Trillian, the AMG editor, was on Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation
Talk of the Nation is a talk radio program based in the United States, produced by National Public Radio, and is broadcast nationally from 2 to 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Its focus is current events and controversial issues....
to discuss Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
mixes.
Chocolate Grinder
At the beginning of 2009, Tiny Mix Tapes began a feature podcast called Chocolate Grinder. Published approximately twice a month, each installment sees a writer collecting ten brand new tracks they want to shed light on and mix it as a continuous stream or download. The tracks are posted for stream or download in a single continuous file with a unique name.Benefit Compilation
In April 2009, the site began selling a benefit compilation CD/LP to benefit the victims of the War in DarfurWar in Darfur
The Darfur Conflict was a guerrilla conflict or civil war centered on the Darfur region of Sudan. It began in February 2003 when the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army and Justice and Equality Movement groups in Darfur took up arms, accusing the Sudanese government of oppressing non-Arab Sudanese in...
. It featured 11 exclusive songs.
Humor and politics
Tiny Mix Tapes is often noted for its inclusion of humor into its news section, meant to be subversive, satirical, and absurdist. It also tends to include politics into its news, mixing industry news with its regular music news. In 2005, Tiny Mix Tapes published fake reviews of RadioheadRadiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
's Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief
Hail to the Thief is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Radiohead, released in June 2003 through Parlophone Records. After two Radiohead albums that featured heavily processed vocals, less guitar, and strong influence from experimental electronica and jazz, Hail to the Thief was seen...
and The White Stripes
The White Stripes
The White Stripes was an American rock band, formed in 1997 in Detroit, Michigan. The group consisted of the songwriter Jack White and drummer Meg White . Jack and Meg White were previously married to each other, but are now divorced...
' Elephant
Elephant (album)
Elephant is the Grammy winning fourth album by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. Released on April 1, 2003 on V2 Records, the album marks the band's major label debut...
as part of an April Fool's joke. It published reader mail the next day.
On March 30, 2007, Tiny Mix Tapes announced it was hosting a festival in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. At this festival, long-since dissolved indie band Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
were billed to be "reuniting all over your Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios is a brand of breakfast cereal by General Mills introduced on May 1, 1941 as the first oat-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal. Originally named CheeriOats, the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945 because of a trade name dispute with Quaker Oats. The name fit the "O" shape of the cereal pieces...
" as the headlining act. Amidst a blog flurry, and articles disputing the legitimacy of the event in Billboard and Prefix, the festival was revealed as an early April Fool's Day joke later the same day.
External links
- Tiny Mix Tapes website
- The Guardian: "The Guide: www.tinymixtapes.com/amg", by Johnny Dee, June 4, 2005
- Herald-JournalSpartanburg Herald-JournalThe Spartanburg Herald-Journal is a daily newspaper, and the primary newspaper for Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States.It is part of the New York Times Regional Media Group.- History :...
(Spartanburg, SC): "The mix has been nixed!", by Alexander Morrison, February 13, 2005 - Concord Monitor (NH): "Mixtape madness", by Vanessa Valdes, June 16, 2006
- Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia): "Playlist", September 21, 2005