From mixtapes to playlists, sharing your tastes in music has been a gesture of love for every generation. Whether it’s dedicating songs to your lover on the radio or carefully constructing the perfect playlist for them, there’s something for every moment, mood, and person. Especially in today’s world, music retains its original purpose: communication. 

In that spirit, the advent of modern technology and streaming services has led to sharing playlists and Spotify blends with your loved ones. But, let’s go back to the beginning. The 1990s saw a surge in exchanging mixtapes, encapsulating a kind of love that words would never do justice to, giving birth to what we call “the playlist” today. Having curated and received endless mixtapes, Aastha Atray Banan, editor of Sunday mid-day, shares, “making a mixtape for a boyfriend or even your friends was an act of showing effort and love. Sometimes the mixtape was made up of only love songs, sometimes party songs —  in college, I once made mixtapes amounting to four hours for a house party.” Unlike a playlist, mixtapes took a lot more physical and mental effort without an algorithm guiding you, says Banan, adding, “It was hours of work — to decide what song goes after another — almost like a DJ making a good mix.” What made mixtapes ideal gifts, Banan says, was their tangibility. “Birthdays, of course — but really, any moment where I wanted someone to feel special, I made them a mixtape.”

Aditi Shorewal, Communications Lead for Tinder in India and Korea