Welcome to the first official CTEP post concerning 2022! We are living in the future now, apparently, and without the benefits of being a Jetson! Anyway, we wanted to take a moment (the Royal we) to thank all of you who take time to read this publication. It means the world to us (the Royal us) that anyone would read our write-ups once, never mind with regularity!
We’re behind on our own deadline with this post, as you’ll notice that it’s February. If you’re a new reader you may be unaware, but this is our thing. We’re not proud of it. We’re hopeful that we can return to our original schedule as the good DJ O’K intended.
We’ve been doing this thing, whatever it is, since 2017. So, allow us to reiterate the general idea:
Step 1. Make a mix-tape
Step 2. Mail it to us
Step 3. Receive a tape in return
Step 4. Enjoy and repeat
Submissions are opened on the first of the month and wrapped up on the 20th. Your tape will be sent off to another exchanger somewhere out there in the world and it could even be included in our monthly write-up!
Now, on with the stuff!
Raddest Tape:
January’s Raddest Tape came from a regular exchanger who submits gold with great regularity. This tape is truly a clinic in genre-less-ness and its equal parts mojo and flow. Tapes like this take you on a wild ride from one extreme to another, with a completely natural feel. It kicked off with a super Alternative number from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and before long we explored the realms of pop, funk, soul, blues, and rock. I was pleasantly surprised when we landed in Eldorado, visiting Boy Blue from E.L.O. Many of the songs are trance inducing, making this a fun listen. Side B begins with such a song, which you could perhaps call World Music, but it’s really a stank funky groove track if you ask us. Then it’s back on the sonic trail with pit stops for classic pop/folk, world surf, garage, and beyond before wrapping up with a bizarrely true, yet far out cover of These Boots Were Made For Walkin’. If you ever receive a tape from this guy in the exchange, you are very fortunate!
CTEP’s Contribution:
This one has become a special tape for us at the CTEP! We say some shit like that every month, but hey, we gotta produce paragraphs, baby! Seriously, this tape is a pop friendly listen that incorporates elements of rock, soul, indie, blues, etc. We’ll be the first to admit it, sometimes our tapes lack cohesion, but this one has a nice listenable flow between tunes. Check it out for yourself online at the link below. The only way to have a chance of getting this only copy for your tape deck is to send us a tape!
We’d like to say that we started making this tape back in January, just before a certain musician, comedian/podcast host, and streaming service messed up our mix. We were listening to it on there yesterday, but as of today Stills-Young Band material has also been pulled. You can’t get the full listening experience on Spotify, but that’s all the more reason to send in a tape!
Here’s a link to a complete Spotify playlist!
CTEP’s Monthly Tape Exchange: January 2022
| Side A: | Side B: |
| NRBQ – Ridin’ in My Car | Professor Caveman – Tocca La Guitarra |
| Steve Forbert – Romeo’s Tune | Moxie – Too Early, Too Late |
| The Stills-Young Band – Long May You Run* | Dennis Wilson – Rainbows |
| Neal Francis – You Can’t Stop the Rain | John Cale – Barracuda |
| Daniel Romano – All the Reaching Limbs | Liquid Smoke – Warm Touch |
| Joe Ely – The Road Goes on Forever | Muddy Waters – Electric Man |
| Nick Lowe – Crying Inside | Pokey LaFarge – Fuck Me Up |
| Bill Haley & His Comets – Rock Around the Clock | *Not on Spotfiy |
It only takes one song to change your life. Please enjoy our humble offering, this month and every month!
Respect,
DJ O’K
Cassette Tape Exchange Program 