Glossary of Camp Mix Terminology

Check it out here!

Over the many years of creating Camp Mixes, I've developed more than a few inside-references. I've gone on too long under the simple assumption that all my friends always knew what I was talking about. Finally, I've decided to list some of the more common Camp Mix-specific terms and their definitions. This will hopefully help the general public, as well as my close friends, to have a clearer understanding of everything Camp Mix going forward.

This Glossary of Terms is in a Google Doc so that I can keep editing it on-the-fly. If you have any suggestions, or don't see a term that you'd like to have defined, feel free to leave a comment below or in the doc itself.

For easier future access, I added a link to this glossary at the top of the page. Stay tuned for upcoming posts, including the Review of Camp Mix '14, arriving next Sunday!

So This Is the New Year?

It's 2015! As stated in yesterday's post, I'm planning to make this year something special. This has nothing to do with any New Year's Resolutions, however, and everything to do with Camp Mix's 10th Anniversary. There are not many other things I've been doing for ten years, and even less things I enjoy doing more than Camp Mix. 

In 2006, Camp Mix was created at the last minute to help save a 14-year-old from dying of boredom during a 6-hour car ride. Immediately, my love of making playlists was discovered, and it soon became the clearest avenue for self-expression. Over the years, Camp Mix grew to become a definitive annual statement, a seasonal summary, a Portrait of Summer. I want to celebrate this 10th Year of Camp Mix because, to put it frankly, I'm darn proud of it. 

For the next few months, I will be documenting the accomplishments and failures of Camp Mix across its lifespan through the series entitled "History of Camp Mix." Also, keep an eye out for other articles and features, showcased right here on this blog.

It's definitely possible that additional features will find their way into the pipeline. Stay tuned!

Seeing "2015" on a calendar is going to take some serious getting used to. It just doesn't seem like that long ago when it simply felt like some distant, impossible, made-up concept. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about this date that seems so... futuristic... 

Ah, yes. That's why. Man, what a letdown.

I may not always make it obvious, but I am incredibly stoked about for the next few months will contain, whether it's right here on the blog or behind-the-scenes productions. While "Ten Years in the Making" has currently been my go-to catchphrase, I didn't actually start planning CM15 until after Camp Mix '12 was finished. Still, I have been looking forward to this for a long time. I'm hoping I'm not the only one who's excited...

Ta ta for now!

Making Appearances

Grab the official Camp Mix '14 album covers today! Finally!

2015 is just on the horizon, and 2014 is about to become yesterday. With the new year comes Camp Mix's 10th anniversary, and to help kick us off, I've once again redesigned this blog. I hope you like it! Expect a big year for all things Camp Mix, which will include a new series of blog posts entitled, "History of Camp Mix." I wonder what those could be about?

Stay tuned!

'Tember

There was a period of time in my adolescence when I would wash my hands up to 14 times a day. I would wash very thoroughly - between the fingers, under the nails - in a certain order for a certain length of time (usually 20 seconds). Apparently, this wasn't normal. A therapist told me I had mild OCD.

Nowadays, I'm not quite so obsessive-compulsive. I have developed alternative ways of relieving stress. On every year for the past nine years, there's a certain project I take upon myself that, while admittedly a bit obsessive-compulsive by way of its format, is one of the most cathartic things I do.

Camp Mix always has to, in my mind, stick to some conceived idea or theme while maintaining a very particular structure that hasn't changed much since its inception. There are always a fair amount of songs, effects, or even themes from my trackpile that get cut and are never used. Since Camp Mix '07, I've liked the idea of using a somewhat "nebulous" trackpile - no real list of songs. Basically, to just "wing it" - to not have to worry about what to cut because there's no real list to sort through. Since '12, I've questioned the need to release Camp Mix in the middle of summer, as there was no longer any Camp to go to...

So here we are, in the middle of September of 2014, and there has yet to be a Camp Mix. What could this mean? Well, it could be said that I'm embracing a completely different approach. It seems that year after year, I tend to let stresses build up which in turn tends to enable some compulsive and destructive habits. But for Camp Mix '14, I'm taking it easy. I could go on in vague verbose about what all that actually means, but I think I'll just cut to the chase...

This will be the first, and only, Autumn Camp Mix. It releases next week. That's Tuesday, September 30th.

Year Nine

I've been doing Camp Mixes for a while...

Though it feels like it has become more difficult to compile a Camp Mix with each year since having an actual summer at Keller, I also feel like Camp Mix overall has only improved. It has matured. Camp Mix '13 was my favorite so far, with '12 being my favorite before that, and so there would seem to be a pattern here. However, while it may be too early to say for sure, this pattern may not actually exist. Also, if I'm going to make Camp Mix '14 using the same process I've used to make all previous iterations, it simply won't happen.

I've been worried about this for at least the past two years. A burnout. A lack of appropriate songs. A lack of motivation. Each of these are factors that have only grown more apparent in recent years. Each contribute to a desire to not want to make Camp Mix anymore. I think to myself on an almost-subconscious level, "if '13 was the best, then '14 must be better! But how do I top it?" It just doesn't seem possible.

The simple answer is this: I don't. Or at least I don't try to top it. CM13 pulled through partly because of the challenge I had set for myself: "All songs must be from newcomers except for songs that had been released in 2013. All artists get one song (with one exception, it turned out)." For CM14, I'm going to enforce a somewhat-similar challenge, but the nature and theme of this year will yield completely different results. Do not expect fresh, young and anxious tones. Do not expect loud subtlety. And please do not expect it to blow away any of your expectations!

Although, when I think about it, all this really could come around full circle and actually create a great Camp Mix. Because as long as it's wholly different from previous years and has its own personality, then I'll probably be satisfied.

I'm optimistically scared for the future. But I've done this before, and nine years' experience has taught me to use unique circumstances to produce unique mixes. And for better or worse, Camp Mix '14 will be completed.

The Long Overdue: CM13 In Review

Review of Camp Mix - Year '13

If you do not have a copy of this year's Camp Mix but would like one, please contact me for a digital version. If you do have a copy of this year's Camp Mix but have not listened to it in a while, it may be beneficial to do so as soon as possible.

Usually, I release these reviews somewhere between October and January, but as you can see, I've been running a bit behind schedule. However, I was determined to finish it before the end of March (that way, I could say I released it in the 1st quarter).

But here we are again. Another year. Another Camp Mix. Another synalysis (synopsis + analysis -- totally should be a word). After countless proofreads and revisions, it's finally at a point that's reasonably clear and comprehensive but not too descriptive. I feel that Camp Mix '13 may be the most misunderstood so far, and therefore the most deserving of a review. I'm very excited to finally share it with you.

Review of Camp Mix - Year '13

Hiatusing

It appears I have some catching up to do.

Against most of my preconceived plans, the past couple months have kept me... well, busier than usual. 2014, for me, has been delayed, and if there was ever a time I'd wish to suspend time itself, it would be now. I duly apologize for the extended hiatus, more to myself than to whoever is reading this, but at least this time around I've had a more valid reason than mere procrastination.

Let's just pretend we're not in the thick of 2014 yet. I'd surely like to imagine this March is actually a January, and I'm sliding over my entire old posting schedule by two months to accommodate myself. What this means is that we'll (hopefully) see the mostly-finished Camp Mix in Review by the end of next week the month.

I also have one or two other article-type things planned for this month, but whether or not those will actually be completed is something I'd rather not try to predict. As far as new original music... well, let's just say I have plans...

Farewell for now. Have a nice day.

Look! A New Look!

I've been messing around with some different color schemes and I think I may have finally settled on this simpler and warmer new style. Overall, it's a completely different look and invokes, at least for me, a very different mindset...

Testing, testing... Ok, I think I like it. Although I still might add a few touches here and there. We'll see, we'll see.

I'm currently working on the write-up for Camp Mix '13. To say that it's been difficult to put into words might be a major understatement. Expect it to be vague, as always, but (possibly) nonetheless insightful.