Four discs are in the works, and I noticed that I’m tempted to put the same songs on many mixes. Partly this reflects the fact that I love those songs, but it also stems from an unwillingness to subject these mixes to a rigorous programmatic form. One pair of CDs is for a move — since the move has happened already I’m roughly theming them as “departure” and “arrival” or “homesick” and “new home,” but many of the songs are similar artists or tracks I’ve used before.

Another factor is that most of the people for whom I make mixes have different musical tastes than myself, so I’m always looking to introduce my favorite artists that they probably haven’t heard much from. But there’s a limit to introductions — I’m unlikely to put Aphex Twin, Karlheinz Stockhausen, or Perotin in a mix unless I’m sure the person is going to like it. So the mixes tend to be rather conservative. I’m hoping to break out of this mold, maybe after the next few get finalized.