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CDswap is back like it’s 2019, oh it its 2019. Anyway it’s back.

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What better day than #bluemonday to swing the doors open to the CDswap salon for the first meet of 2019. For our new members we come to you from the wonderful world of the nineties, before Spotify playlists, when CD burning was a thing. It’s still a thing everyone! The idea is fiendishly simple: choose twelve tracks around a theme and pop them on a CD. Post them to a couple of other people, listen to theirs, then review online. As ever @kid-dynamite and your good self are your hosts.

So what’s the theme this time? We are going into colour people. Or rather in homage to a certain reissue we are going White. Get your musical mojo working on all matters white, colourless and pale. Artists called white, tracks with white, lyrics about pale riders, er…white albums…even an album you’ve got on white vinyl.
Schedule, full details etc in the comments, where all you need to do is post a comment and you are in.

2

Comments

  1. 1 Sign up by the closing date by just letting us know in the comments to this post. Sign up for CD swap three: White, closes in mid-Feb, Valentine’s Day to be precise.
    2 We will then pair everyone up with two other people – you compile a CD (more later) and post it to two others. So post two out, get two back. You swap your addresses via DMs so no-one except your pairs need know you live at 10 Downing Street @philipmaybot.
    3 Your CD: one CD only. 12 tracks only. Theme: White. Please rip your files without track or artist names so your partners can listen without prejudice. Artwork is up to you. MP3 tag is a free PC programme that allows you to strip all the artwork and info from your MP3 file.
    4 DM us your track listing. DON’T POST IT ON THE SITE.
    5 CDs to get to your partners in the mail by the middle of March (we will give you a gentle reminder on the blog).
    6 You can then let the world know what you thought of the CDs you received in a megapost. Posting of reviews by mid-April.
    7 We will post track listings at the end of April and watch the recriminations/accolades fly.

    Shout out to @lemonhope for reminding us it’s time. And by way of a gentle pointer if it’s your first swap, we love the obscure, the new discovery, the deep cut and the lost classic on the swap. No need to take up one of your 12 precious tracks with, for example Procul Harum. Dig dig dig!

  6. I’ll join in again – a quick check tells me that there are very few Swedish tracks in my collection that I can use for this theme, so expect an international mix this time!
    * audible sigh of relief from the swap regulars* πŸ˜€

  8. I think it should have been blue for blue for hashtag blue Monday, and white potentially too close to cold.
    Anyway I’ve got some free time at the moment so I’m in, confidentiality in the MM house may be tricky but we’ll manage it somehow.
    Mrs MM xx

  26. Just in case you missed it in my reply to lemonhope’s comment further up the chain, I’ve cast aside my earlier flounce about the theme and decided to participate after all. You lucky people.

    Ergo, I am ‘in’.

  27. Right, I’ve got a shortlist of 28 (with the theme stretched to breaking point in a few cases, naturally) and I’m drawing a line under it at that point.

    Probably…

  29. Okay, we know MM said Valentine’s Day in the original post, but it seems people are getting itchy to start making some discs, so please consider this a reminder that if you’re on the fence let me know by the weekend, and I’ll start matching after that.

    Last call for sign ups, last call for alcohol, last call for your freedom of speech. Drink up. Happy hour is now enforced by law. Don’t forget our house special, it’s called a Tricky Dicky Screwdriver. It’s got one part Jack Daniel’s, two parts purple Kool-Aid, and a jigger of formaldehyde from the jar with Hitler’s brain in we got in the back storeroom.

  30. I love this point in proceedings: carefully selecting the perfect twelve tracks for the best mix ever; grinning with inner smugness over the ‘oh-so clever’ links to the theme – and basking in just how cool a taste in music the mix clearly demonstrates.

    Allow me this deluded, perfect moment…

    …before it all goes ‘pear’ when we realize everyone else has chosen something better, something far more clever, and clearly has a better taste in music .

      • Mine are already done. But only because my computer acted a bit strange a few times this week, and I wanted to burn the CDs quickly in case it would give up on me! The good thing about that was having to make my final choices fast, no time to overthink it. But if I’d thought about the swaps as a way to impress people with my excellent taste, I would have chosen very differently in every swap so far! πŸ˜€

  31. I’ve worked out the first 2 to give a sort of “quiet/epic” introduction.
    I think the rest of the tracks are just going to be chucked on in whatever order they fall
    (just need to get from 35 to 10, and avoid the obvious)

  32. okay, pairings are about to follow. Two groups of four this time, and the rest are the usual threes. I think I’ve avoided repeating any previous pairings but holler if I’ve let some through. Please contact each other with names, addresses, PIN numbers, etc and get burning!

    • Just sent out address details. In individual messages as I’m having one of those days and couldn’t work out how to send a private message to multiple targets.

      I’ve got my shortlist down to 24 at the moment. Probably won’t get a chance to finalise it this weekend, but next weekend looks likely.

    • Burned mine at the weekend.

      Just need to fashion some appropriate artwork now that won’t look too bad when printed on the dodgy B&W printer at work, which should be less of a problem this time of course given the colourless aspect of the theme, and they should be in the post by the end of the week.

      Brace Yourselves.

      • Finally stuck them in the post last night. Wasn’t getting the opportunity to get out and buy padded envelopes, so – rather than delay further – I improvised something with some leftover cardboard, hopefully they’ll survive the trip πŸ™‚

        • I should mention that I have deviated (of course) from the rules to a degree in that there are more than 12 tracks on there. The first 12 though are the ones that I would’ve chosen if I’d stuck to that rule, so technically they’re the only ones you need to provide any feedback on.

          Though of course you’re free to go wild and review the whole thing if you feel sufficiently inspired/traumatised by the experience πŸ™‚

  42. He he, not a bit of it, it was just the interminable wait for your car to be returned before you gave me your opine on mine…… πŸ˜‰
    To be fair, I felt someone else should also get to hear where old genres go to die…..

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