One of my first memories with music– real, good music– was my dad burning CDs off his crummy laptop. He had a whole zip-up filled with the things, all decorated, each name proudly emblazoned in almost-dry Sharpie. He would burn them for me, too, if I asked– sitting at the dinner table, dictating the songs I wanted, I watched him rip from sites I don’t remember the names of (with assurances to little me that it was perfectly legal and we were not going to jail, don’t worry), and in a matter of minutes, voila! Music I could hold in my hand, touch with my tiny fingers, and later, pop in the family car’s CD player and know that the mixtape was truly mine.
So, of course, when I heard that the first event in WIUX’s yearly Pledge-a-Thon was a CD burn, I rushed to check it out! I didn’t know exactly how it would work, but as I walked into the Collins Commons, it quickly became clear. $5 later (donated to help keep our beloved station up and running), I was standing in line. WIUX directors turned volunteers for the event sat at a long table, each at a station with a laptop with a plug-in CD player, taking playlist requests and burning them onto CDs. I met with Noah, our engineering director, who patiently and valiantly worked out some kinks in the process (the specifics of these kinks unknown to me) and, in a few minutes, voila once more!
The next part was the decoration station. First, you’d pick out a case– there were clear cases and multicolored. I feel I should point out that I spoke to Vi, our special events director, about my excitement for these multicolored cases, and they did pick those out specifically. Very cool, Vi! There were also permanent markers in a plethora of colors to choose from, sprawled out along the table. You could pick colored paper as well, to make a little cover for your CD, or write out your track list, or whatever. I saw that some people had label stickers, and I couldn’t find those, but they had to be somewhere in the crafty mess!
I’d say this event was on fire– haha, because we were burning– due to the sheer amount of people there! Half of the Commons was filled to the brim with people all showing up for the event! The line by the burn station was more of an awkward clump, but our volunteers worked tirelessly to help fulfill everyone’s CD dreams. Since there were so many people excited about the music they were taking home with them, I decided to chat with a few of them and find out what they were burning and why. After all, with my happy memories associated with playlist making and CD burning, I wanted to know what music made everyone else happy, too.
Kristina Kourelis Fredriksson (she/her)
Kristina made a CD with a “synth pop, electropop, indie sleaze… kind of vibe” called “Kiss All Hipsters.” (Already, you can tell this playlist will have phenomenal vibes.) Her standout tracks included “1724” by Sohodolls and “Napoleon Baby” by Sohodolls. When I asked her if she liked Sohodolls a lot, she told me they were “like half the playlist,” which is completely fair!
Oh, one super special thing about Kristina’s CD is that a lot of the songs she included in this playlist are going to be on her setlist this week for her B-Side show, Snail Mail! Be sure to check it out this Saturday at 7pm (EST)! And, every Saturday after that, for good measure.
Matthew (he/him)
Matthew did not craft a mixtape or playlist, but rather, burned the entirety of The Glow Pt. 2 by The Microphones! This album is his favorite of all time, but he couldn’t find a CD of it, and so, he burned his own. (Note: I did later overhear a friend of Matthew’s say he found it online for $15 dollars, but Matthew remarked that at WIUX Pledge-a-Thon, he only had to pay $5). Also, an important part of the CD burning process was that he got to draw his very own cover.
He wanted me to mention that Phil Elverum (of The Microphones and Mount Eerie) is the best artist ever! He also said he has a strategy for having a burned copy but still supporting his favorite artist– he’ll be simultaneously streaming the album whenever he pops in his CD. This, of course, makes him a super nice guy. (His words originally, but I mirror the sentiment.) Very cool, Matthew!
Alicia Medina (she/her)
Alicia printed her reading playlist, which she said was “fall vibes :P” (emoticon included!) Because it was her reading playlist, she drew a bookshelf on the cover, which she passed around to different people at her table, letting them add things here and there. She truly created a bookshelf by the people, for the people!
Chloe (she/her)
Chloe was very excited to show me the cover art for her CD, which, she wanted me to emphasize, features Lana Del Rey. Her standout tracks (and reasons for putting them on her amazing CD) are as follows:
A song by Salem– one of Lana Del Rey’s exes, so this was a natural choice
Floe (Remix) by Philip Glass– “He’s the GOAT,” and she used to fall asleep to him as a kid (which I thought was very sweet)
Garlands by Cocteau Twins– “Because it’s fire”
Disparate Youth by Santigold– it reminds her of fall
Ssx by The Hellp– this song makes her want to listen to her CD!
Mia Fisher (she/they)
Mia’s CD is a gift for their girlfriend, as the two of them will be celebrating their anniversary! Since they’ve been together a year, Mia compiled a song for each month that they’ve been together, each reminding her of that month. Isn’t that genuinely, genuinely the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard? Congrats to Mia and Girlfriend– hope she likes the CD!!!
Austin (he/him), Maris (she/her), and Carter (he/him)
“Twea” or “Tweatober” was a collective effort. No, I don’t know what “Twea” means either, and I didn’t get to find out. But that’s alright– an inside joke should stay inside a friend group, so that it stays special! The cover art, simply reading “twea,” was meant to remind its viewer of Brat by Charli XCX, but in a pale yellow and surrounded by autumn leaves. The trio wouldn’t stop giggling while showing me their standout tracks, and when I said that I loved them, they said I didn’t have to lie. They also told me this playlist was just a bit of everything, which is a great way to make playlists! This was clearly a playlist meant to just be silly and fun, that doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest, and that makes everyone who listens to it giggle, too.
Sophia Brooks (she/her)
Sophia created the “Cheshire Cat Mix!” This CD has a bit of a bittersweet story– Sophia loves living at Collins LLC due to its amazing community, but she can only stay for one year. She’s going to be loath to leave, and so, to commemorate her time there, she put together the “Cheshire Cat Mix” (named after the cafe in Collins’ Commons)! She loves to make monthly playlists, and so, this CD serves as a culmination of the months she’s lived at Collins. Sophia, I’m sure Collins will miss you, too!
So, there you have it. A successful night of fundraising and music, bringing people together through little plastic discs. This is what WIUX is all about, isn’t it? The many ways we can share music with each other, as well as appreciate it ourselves. So, to everyone who came to CD Burning, thank you so much for your donation and support– you’re keeping the dream alive! And, special thanks to the WIUX members who made this night possible!
If you’re interested, WIUX is having more Pledge-a-Thon events all week to support the station and all its lovely members. Check out our Instagram page for updates (@wiuxfm). Thanks again everyone!!!
Wait. You want to hear about my CD, too? Oh, I guess we have time!
Laszlo Huening (he/him)
Laszlo’s CD is based on his favorite book series, Heaven Official’s Blessing. He already had a playlist of songs that reminded him of the book, along with OST pieces from the animated TV adaptation, but was able to condense them into a solid hour and thirteen minutes of CD magic. His standout track is “Oral” by Björk and Rosalia. Since these books are his favorite thing in the entire universe, and he loves to collect physical items relating to it, he thought there was no better way to celebrate both his love for playlist making and for this series than to have a CD! (His decorations were a tad lacking, though, so no images are available!)
There you have it.
