Two Sides, Two Tapes is the
theory of
mixtape structuralism that posits a
mix tape to be more successful when each side is distinct in form and feel.
There are two primary places to listen to a mixtape— the home and the car. In home
tape players, especially cheap
boom boxes, the
cassette must be flipped manually, providing a break in the music. In car players, or home stereos with
auto reverse, the break is noticable, but not as important. But with that break comes the opportunity to start anew, similar to the feeling of flipping an album over, a moment of interactivity, of kinetic communion, of general assent to continue with the mix. You're asking permission at the end of a side.
Thus, with every mixtape, there is the decision whether or not to maintain the
side a mood on
side b.
What does this mean if you choose the Two Sides, Two Tapes theory? Well, first off, you have to start over. The second side should have some connection to the first side, so as to reward the continued listening. Otherwise, your tape will be one that is played and rewound, which over time damages the tape. It is
your mix's life at stake!
This is why most adept
mixtapers end their first side with a slow
fade out: so that they may begin side two with a growing
fade in.
One easy way to adhere to the Two Sides, Two Tapes doctrine is to have different
genres of music on each side. This is especially effective to show someone a
path into new music or genres. For example, a tape with
Miles Davis,
John Coltrane and
Wayne Shorter comprising one side can be artfully wedded with a side of
Fela Kuti,
Konono No. 1 and the
Anti-Balas Orchestra on the other. The
African- inflected jazz of the
a-side will relate well with the
Afrobeat of the
b-side, while remaining discrete compositions.
Other easy Two Sides, Two Tapes mixes are to separate things based on geography (
Athens, Ga. musicians on one side,
Austin, Tx. musicians on the other), language (
Serge Gainsbourg in
French on one side,
English on the other), or subject (winter songs on one side, summer on the other).