5 Questions With: Mark Brown
The host of The Coventry Mixtapes Show stops by for a chat
In the middle of the pandemic, many of us binge-watched Netflix. Others test drove sourdough recipes or downloaded Clubhouse. Most of these were short-lived and vanished almost as soon as they appeared.
Mark Brown had a better idea. Enduring the 2nd lockdown in the UK, he combined his frustration at being homebound with his background as a college lecturer of radio production and a lifelong habit of making mixtapes into becoming a DJ. The result was The Coventry Mixtapes radio show.
Beginning in February of 2021, the show is still going strong.
Like many of us, he'd always made mixtapes and burned CDs for close friends. Today he shares his picks worldwide, with listeners as far afield as the United States and Argentina.
At the risk of sounding cute, the show's superpower lies in the mix. Delivering a combination that keeps listeners wondering what’s coming next and being delighted when they find out is an art. Producing a show using only today's hits or songs of yesterday would've been easy, but that's not what listeners get. Instead, it's a dynamic mix that ignores convention.
R & B classics? 80s new wave? Club anthems? They're all here. Recent weeks have featured everyone from New Edition to New Order and back again.
The songs might not look like they'd work well together on paper, but they do. Brown's knack for weaving all genres into one cohesive playlist elevates the show from nice to check out to a must-hear.
Audience participation is also part of the show. Each week a listener picks an artist/band. Brown then selects three tracks from them to play in a row.
The show airs every Saturday from 09-1100AM UK time. During the show, he engages with the audience on Twitter. For those unable to listen live, all shows are streamable on demand via Mixcloud. Click the link below to access the entire library.
You can also connect with the show (and Brown) on Twitter.
5 Questions:
1. Describe the show in 1 sentence.
A little bit of everything for everyone.
2. Growing up, what was on in your house?
The Beatles, Dubliners (my father was Irish), and The Specials. If you lived in Coventry at the end of the ’70s, you had to listen to 2-Tone. It was everywhere. This was great because their music was fantastic, but their lyrics were all about inclusivity and a great social commentary of the time growing up in the UK. I didn’t really realise this at the time, but this band and my father had a massive effect on who I am as a person today.
3. What’re you listening to these days?
At the minute, I am loving Denzel Curry’s “Melt My Eyez See Your Future.” Working Men’s Club - who are a relatively new UK band that are magnificent live. Duke Keats – is another newish artist who I’m loving at the minute and, of course, everything I play on the show.
4. What are your 5 desert island discs?
Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
Radiohead - In Rainbows
The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy
Little Simz – Grey Area
5. If you could collaborate with anyone (living or dead), who would it be?
Kanye. He can be a right plonker at times, and he makes it really hard to continue to defend him, but the man is a musical genius. In my honest opinion, him and Radiohead are the two acts that have constantly evolved the most over the last 2 decades. For years you didn’t know what type of music they would release next. I love that.
Thank you to Mark Brown for his time and for sharing his picks. Be sure to check out The Coventry Mixtapes. And thank you for being here.
Kevin—
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These tapes are brilliant, as Mark says a little bit of everything, I can't wait to see what he has to offer next, he has a very talented ear and knows what people want to hear. Great article.
So honoured to be asked to do this interview with you Kevin.
Peace and Love,
Mark