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Before we go any further with this column, let me explain its
premise. Here at the Downloader, we feature musical compilations,
ala Nick Hornby’s novel High Fidelity.
These days, a girl knows a boy likes her when he
makes musical compilation expressly for her. A tongue-tied lad would
do well to have today’s lyricists sing for him what he has to say.
The selection of genres and artists chosen by the boy also lets the
girl know his musical tastes and judge if they are musically
compatible.
Some couples give as wedding tokens musical
compilations—the soundtrack of their love story.
Others make musical compilations for particular
settings and moods: dance party mixes, chill-out ambient selections,
folk acoustic, road music, etc.
I’ve had the habit of making autobiographical
musical compilations that tell the story of a stage in my life with
music. I “burn” copies and share them with friends.
People have been making their own musical
compilations since the days of analog audiotapes. But with the
advent of digital technology, it’s become a trend.
To people who missed out on the digital
revolution, here’s a primer: Recordable CDs allow you to
“burn” your own albums. With digital music players such as
I-Pods, you can share compilations that go well beyond the limits of
a CDs Software such as I-Tunes. It allows you not only to play but
also to “rip” or encode the raw digital music files found in a
music CD and compress them into file formats such as mp3.
Peer-to-peer internet downloading software such as Limewire and
websites such as PirateBay allow you to download and share mp3 and
other files with fellow users from around the world.
(All this technology has also made centuries-old
copyright laws unenforceable and traditional business models for the
music industry obsolete. Regardless, I declare: patronize Filipino
artists and buy genuine albums of their work. Never buy or download
pirated works of Filipinos. Love our own.)
There are few guidelines to making a good
compilation:
• Remember, it’s made to be shared. It’s
not just for you. Choose music that is accessible. It may be your
favorite song, but not everyone digs System of a Down’s
eardrum-busting operatic thrash metal opus “BYOB.”
• Don’t give them something they know all
too well and are probably sick of. (And if they love only that
commercially manufactured crap that’s overplayed on the radio,
then they’re not worth giving musical compilations to.) Brag about
your audiophile knowledge if you want, but it’s not about knowing
what’s cool. Challenge and educate them with music that they’ve
never heard of but will surely like.
• Be mindful of the pace and sequencing of the
song. Like a story, a musical compilation establishes a setting
(mood and genre), has rising action leading to a climax (Start with
a bang, then follow it up with an even better song, then cool off a
bit, then hit em’ hard again…), and at the end, poignant
conclusion where the listener is never the person they were ever
again.
Do you make your own musical compilations? Send
us your list. If we like it, we’ll post it. Email to rome.jorge@gmail.com
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