I like to make playlists. Playlists not to be played on shuffle, but to be enjoyed in sequence — like the continuous, cyclical, and reversible staple of the 80s, the magnetic tape cassette. The Mixtape, predecessor to the CD and the album-concept shattering mp3 music player. The format that required sitting by the radio waiting to tape the request you called in or bootlegging an entire mix from your collection — until the advent of the internet and the iPod.

Now, the iPod Playlist that’s capable of shuffling randomly unlimited tracks into a seemingly concise compilation that’s really just computer hap. My single “running” playlist of a couple hundred high bpm songs can be shuffled into a nearly infinite number of uniquely ordered jumbles. Also useful for parties.

The new standard changed the game of music listening and sharing. If everyone still had tape players or even cd players, I’d be making those to share. A great resource that’s popped up in this tradition is the site 8tracks, where people create mixes with this in mind.

Anyway, I’ll be sharing with you and the internet those playlists here on my blog as I make them. Often they’re made for a friend or with a theme in mind.

This one was made for my friend Sarah while abroad in Paris as she cared for two Frenchlings by day and explored the City of Lights by night.

The Voluntary Parisienne:

Message to Sarah accompanying the playlist:

“Those songs are pretty much ones I can imagine listening to around Paris set at night and in a soft shower, glistening and reflecting the lights. Try it.”