’90s MINUTE MIXTAPES

’90s Minute Mixtapes are a throwback to the era that saw the height of the Mixtape.  In the ’90s the technology existed to combine vinyl, cassettes, and CDs into a mix, making everyone an at-home DJ, with an arsenal of music at their disposal.

Typically running 90 minutes (45 to a side), these mixtapes were made for a variety of purposes: the classic road-trip mix, the work mix, the workout mix, the sleep mix, the bus mix, and, the mixtape of all mixtapes, the ‘I like you but I don’t know how to say it in words so here is a mixtape of how I feel that hopefully will make you fall in love with me’ mix. (It rarely worked – but led to some great mixes!)

While these mixtapes may have focused on the music of the ’90s, it was not uncommon to see songs from widely different eras and genres making their way into the mix.

And so it will be with our ’90s Minute Mixtapes.  

Expect the unexpected.  Just 90 minutes of great music.

(Read more about the inspiration for ’90s Minute Mixtapes)

’90s MINUTE MIXTAPE vol. 1

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The first installment of the ’90s Minute Mixtapes is representative of a common tape I may have made for anyone back in my teens.  Not necessarily for a specific purpose, or to impress a certain someone, but more of an overall selection of some of my favorites at the time.  Of course, there was always a goal to hopefully introduce the listener to something new and bring them on board to some of my favorites, breaking their enslavement to the radio top 40 and hair metal.

Vol. 1 kicks off with one of the most overlooked and underrated bands of the era, Blind Melon.  I always spread the gospel of Blind Melon (still do!) in the efforts to educate that they are so much more than “the bumblebee girl song.”  “The Walk” is one of my favorite tracks from their sophomore album, “Soup.”

We then venture into the softer side of Jane’s Addiction with their classic anthem, “Jane Says,” before heading into some of the lesser-known territory of my all-time favorite band, The Cure (but still pop enough for the newly initiated) with a “Japanese Whispers” track, “Love Cats.”

What follows is a window into the ’90s, with The Breeders, The Sugarcubes, Tori Amos, Mazzy Star and The Cranberries representing the strong female presence in the music of the era (along with a throwback favorite from Blondie.)

Along with more mainstream acts like Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and Pearl Jam, you’ll hear some of the genre’s undergound powerhouses like Fugazi and Dinosaur Jr.  There’s also a sampling of Hip Hop, with a taste of the Native Tongue Possé courtesy of De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers, along with some classic Beastie Boys.

The result, I hope, is a classic representation of a well-rounded ’90s Mixtape.

ENJOY!