Heres a true story worth reading that goes back nearly 50 years.
The Original Mixtapes
(a true story that happened almost 50 years ago.)
In the late 70s I was University in South Africa.
Despite apartheid we were still able to access records. There was a brilliant store across the road from the uni called Street Records owned and run by a guy named John Ackerman. He ran a record library out the shop too.
And that’s how this story begins.
In those days cassette tape was the listening standard and steakhouses were the chosen popular eating places. They used to play the albums of the week as the music standard. A ‘Pre recorded’ tape as they called them cost about $20 a pop.
The problem was they would literally wear the tapes out physically and definitely mentally fit the staff who were listening to the latest album over and over again.
At that time I had a huge tape collection of music being able to hire records, and then record them on my home hifi gear that included 2 turntables and several cassette decks . Sweet vintage kit - we are talking 50 years ago.
So I spoke to John to see if I could hire more than the 3 records limit but agreed I’d only keep them over night. All set.
What happened next opened up a lucrative and illegal side hustle that I’m going to share.
I’d go home blitz through the haul - pick tracks and then get into it
Using chrome and later metallic master cassette tapes c90 I’d set the recording off and then one play the records alternating between the turntables and doing a fast cross fade from one input to the other at the end/ beginning of the next track. Beat matching hadn’t been hatched. The recording was running hot and there was no stopping the train.
Crazy stress.
Once complete I then would duplicate the master in real time on my rack of cassette decks.
Once I had 10 tapes done , track lists written by hand in the sleeves I was ready to go sell.
To whom ? The steakhouses at $10 a pop.
The offer - the latest groove different artists so you won’t get just one bands stuff - mixed - and twice as long as the ones you’re buying.
And they went like hot cakes.
Wherever I went I’d be harassed for the next one .
I was making serious 70s side cash for a student. And it lasted a good while.
Until I got shut down.
They were arresting people for illegal taping. It was all over the papers and Tv. That’s when my mother figured out what I was actually doing flipping tapes in and out of my machines day and night.
Then it was over .
Many years passed. CDs superseded cassette and at my first opportunity I transferred the master cassettes that I could find to CD.
And tonight I was trawling through my quite large CD collection and found MIX 10. Recorded on a C60 tape .
And now I’m sharing the story and the sounds of that time 50 years ago.
If you enjoy it, know you are complicit.
No track list - have fun Shazaming.
