INTERVIEW: MIXTAPE MAGIC
ADAM SHAW IS BEHIND THE BEST AMERICAN RAVE MIXTAPE CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE
I love listening to old rave mixtapes on YouTube, especially Midwestern ones from the 1990s. It’s probably because it was a scene that I was old enough to be aware of but too young to directly participate in. I could go to record stores and read zines and listen to radio shows, but my only entryway into raves themselves was through watching Dateline NBC exposes. Unlike all ages punk shows, I just didn’t have the ability to figure out how to get to Even Furthur. And by the time I was old enough to start going to raves, the scene was already on its last legs. It’s funny, or maybe depressing, but though I’ve been adjacent to a pretty popping NYC techno community for the past decade, I’ve been much more interested in listening to old mixtapes and combing through the archives of the MWRaves listserv.
Anyways, in my rave journeys through YouTube, one archival mixtape account has kept coming up, again and again: Mixtape Magic. For over a decade now, Adam Shaw has been uploading rave mixtapes onto the internet. There are currently almost 2,000 tapes available on his channel. We are talking the good shit: everything from classic 2nd wave Chicago house to techno to gabber to jungle to turntablism. All styles. If it was happening in the American rave scene back in the day, it is likely represented. There are too many standout tapes to mention.
Also, I know I’m far from the first person to acknowledge this, but the comments on these videos are wild and inspiring in their own right. A random one taken from John Kelley’s “Funky Desert Breaks Vol. 2” clip is below:
When the sun slowly came up... and no resemblance of any structure was in view, except maybe a rock formation and sometimes hundreds of bouncing people just enjoying life... The freedom from any restriction of expectation would heighten the chill of being among strangers sharing this secret remarkable moment at our highest vibration among the vast desert's beauty. I remember his sets, oh how he understood the feeling of the desert. Thanks, John Kelly
Adam was kind enough to answer some questions and bless us all with a list of his all-time favorite tapes, which is better than anything I could muster.
You’re from the Midwest, right?
Yep.
Where did you grow up?
Born and raised in Northern Minnesota. Moved down to the Minneapolis area when I was in Junior High.
When did you start going to raves?
1994.
When did you stop?
Hit the Midwest party scene pretty hard from ‘94-’01, then I slowed down when I started having kids. Never fully stopped, just scaled back to a handful of parties per year when my oldest daughter was born.
What year do you think the Midwest rave scene peaked?
"Peak" might be different for everybody, but personally, I'd say ‘95-’97 was pretty much the peak. Map point/underground events were still going strong, club events hadn't fully taken over yet, and social media wasn't really around yet to ruin the intimacy of the experience.
Do you have any memorable raving experiences you feel like sharing? I know this is a loaded question that might be hard to answer, but what was the best rave you ever went to? Were you able to attend any of the Furthur weekends in Wisconsin and Illinois?
Best party would probably be the first one I ever went to, because the experience was so new to me. It was ‘94/’95, my buddy picked me up from work, and said "I'm taking you to your first rave.” I had no idea what the hell he was talking about. It was a map point event, that had two different points we had to stop at, and it took us all over the Minneapolis area. We finally ended up at the space, and it was a roller rink two blocks from my work. The party was called Slip, and the only name I can remember from the flyer was DJ Slip, a Minneapolis-based techno DJ. At the time, I was in the middle of a pretty long heavy metal phase, and this new experience blew my mind. I didn't know what the hell I was listening to, but I loved it. That experience kicked off a pretty crazy four-five year stretch of hitting as many parties and after parties as I could handle.
As for the Furthur parties, I can vaguely remember being at a couple Wisconsin campout parties back in the ‘90s, but can't remember if it was Furthur, Rave Em and Bail E's, or a different one. Unfortunately, a lot of that era is a blur for me.
Where were you buying your mixtapes back in the day?
Any place I could get my hands on them really. Parties, record stores, tape swaps, mailing lists, the DJ’s themselves, etc.
Did you also collect vinyl?
Yes. Started collecting records in ‘95/’96, took a break when my daughter was born, and picked it back up again a few yrs ago.
Have you been adding to your collection this whole time, even after you stopped raving?
Yep.
What prompted you to start the YouTube channel?
As time goes on, these tapes are becoming harder to find. I was looking for a place to store/host old skool rave era mixtapes, so they could be preserved/shared/enjoyed for future generations.
Since then, what has the reaction been?
The response has been amazing. It was never my intention for it to grow into what it's become. Music has such a profound impact on people, and the memories that they attribute with these tapes is what makes it worth it for me. I've heard some pretty awesome stories from people about how a certain tape, or a certain track from a certain tape impacted them.
Do you have any favorite comments that have been left on any of your uploads? Any user-submitted memories come to mind?
As for channel comments, the most popular is "this tape was stolen out of my car at a rave.” (I think having your car broken into outside of a party was a right of passage.)
But, this is by far the best/most meaningful comment on my channel. It's from an old Frankie Bones mixtape called "Fantasy Trance” and really shows the connection people had/have to these old tapes (from user WhateverW0rkS):
I dont know who runs this channel. But I love you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for finding this and uploading it. Before tonight, the last time I listened to this mix was on New Years day 2001, driving home with my best friend(This was the drive home tape for years). 30 days later I put my only copy of this time in his casket at his wake. Tonight I will play this over and over till the soundbar explodes. So offing happy right now.
Do people send you tapes to digitize?
Yes. I offer tape digitizing services to anybody that wants to send me their tapes. I do not charge for the service, and all tapes are returned, if they want them back.
I love your descriptions of the tapes. You refer to a lot of them as favorites, but do you have any all-time favorites? The favorites that are better than all the other favorites?
Yes I do. Just like others have reached out to me to share their personal stories about particular tapes that had a big impact on them, or got them through some tough times, I do have a handful of tapes that will go to the grave with me.
House
Mike Huckaby "KISS FM London" (1996)
My #1 favorite house tape of all time. Recorded live on Sarah HB's radio show on KISS FM.
Mike Huckaby "KISS FM Berlin" (1996)
Recorded on the same UK tour as the London tape.
Glenn Underground & Boo Williams “Strictly Jazz Unit” (the entire series) (1996/1997)
‘90s Chicago house at its finest.
Paul Johnson "I Need Another Plan" (1996/1997)
Bumpin’, thumpin’ Chi-Town house from one of the greatest ever. Probably PJ's most popular tape ever released.
Terry Mullan “Live at Equal” (1996)
House and acid from a ‘90s Midwest party legend.
Ghetto House
Ralph Lauren “Ghetto Booty” (1995/1996 I think?)
Ghetto house from Apollo's alter ego.
Techno
Terry Mullan "New School Fusion" (the entire series)
Acid, house, techno, breaks, you name it.
DJ Apollo (Mpls) “Bass In Yer Face” (1996)
Techno and hard house from a Mpls staple. This is the first mixtape I ever owned.
DJ DRC, every tape this woman has ever released. Seriously.
Acetate “Live at Voodoo” (1996/1997)
Excellent hard techno recorded live at a party in Chicago.
Jungle & DNB
Personally I think this is the single greatest jungle/DNB tape ever released...... Ever.
Dieselboy "Witness The Strength" (1995)
2nd greatest jungle/DNB tape ever released.
The Jungle Book “Volume 1” (1997)
Highly sought-after six tape set of Chicago Jungle/DNB. This set put Chicago Jungle on the map.
Phantom 45 “Dry Gulched” (1998)
Hard and dark DNB. Opening track sucks you in, and doesn't let go.
Super dark DNB on this one. Halloween vibes for sure.
I could keep going, but this is a pretty good list of tapes that really mean a lot to me.
There's currently close to 2,000 mixes posted on my channel, with more being added regularly. However, to avoid a copyright strike, and having my channel deleted, some of the audio from my uploads may be muted.
Mixtape Magic on YouTube