With nothing as exciting as snowboarding (see Mixtape 14) to look forward to, I thought I’d turn to one of the simple pleasures in life. As an unashamed foody, there’s nothing that helps me unwind quicker than rustling up a hearty meal. But some people aren’t quite as enthusiastic. As the latest Delia series testifies, [...]

As I applied the finishing touches to my own mixtape challenge and turned my thoughts to a theme for James, my mind felt fuzzy, filled with thoughts of only one thing… my impending jaunt to Chamonix for five days of fun on the pistes. Therefore, the obvious choice of theme to challenge James was “songs [...]

sin 1a. transgression of God’s known will or any principle or law regarded as embodying this. 1b. the condition of estrangement from God arising from such transgression. 2. any serious offence, as against a religious or moral principle. 3. any offence against a principle or standard. 4. live in sin. 5. to commit a sin [...]

While travelling on the charming, sweaty and unconsiderably packed Tube this morning, I found myself questioning exactly what I was doing there and why I was putting myself through this excruciating A to B necessity. Sanctuary, my friend, could only be found in the form of the tiny black and silver box residing in my pocket. Yes, that would be my ipod. Therefore, my challenge to Ste takes the form of “songs to travel into work to”.

words: Tom Harrison
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Having once relished the opportunity of writing a mixtape feature, I now find this task extremely difficult. Beginning…

The (good) shoe now being firmly on the other foot, I find myself in the position of power. So it is then that I pass the baton onto Tom, and entrust him to explore the rich seam of “songs from television adverts”. Knowing that Tom has recently moved to pastures new in the wonderful world [...]

Having been praying for my name to come out of the hat (FA Cup draw stylie, I’m informed, though what with my rather serious lack of football knowledge Goodacre could be having me on there) for the feature I’ve been itching to try my hand at, when the time came for me to choose a [...]

Having moved abode again for the third time in as many years, you’d have thought that the process would have been refined down to a slick transfer of boxes from one location to another…however, that’s not the case. Moving still requires hours of packing and ferreting, and a copious amount of swearing and drinking powerful [...]

Inspiration for this fortnight’s mixtape struck as I was walking my dog and listening to a bit of The Rolling Stones. As I stooped down to pick up (in a bag, not with my bare hands) a lovely steaming pile of doggy do-do freshly excreted from my lovely hound, the smell was so overpowering that [...]

Mixtapes are going twice-monthly as of August, and after the intense journey Neil took us on last month with his response to Dan C’s theme of “songs to commit a crime to”, it’s time to celebrate your fortnightly dose of lovingly-curated soundtracks from the Motel’s able crew with a complete 180-degree turn from Mixtape 6. [...]

Neil’s mixtape challenge is quite simple. He is to devise a brilliantly inventive mixtape that would be playing in the background were he to be committing a dastardly criminal act. Murder, arson, benefit fraud, and all the other transgressions of which Neil has first-hand experience (Allegedly – Legally Antsy Motel Ed), fray the very fabric [...]