Mix Tape Revival: Yeti Records Brings Back the Lost Art of Cassettes

Does your heart ache for the lost days of the mix tape? Do you yearn for the unparalleled beauty of the perfect compilation on cassette? Then we have good news for you, music-head. Yeti Records at Nicollet Avenue and 35th Street is bringing it back.

What makes this throwback even better is that you don’t need a sentimental lover or obsessive friend to receive one. It works like this: 

To get one, you simply need to give one. Pretend you’re making it for an unrequited love, your soulmate or yourself. Include track listings and try your hand at some cover art as well. Drop off your musical creation at Yeti Records and then take home your favorite mix tape from the collection. Find one with tracks you already love or expand your musical repertoire by choosing something completely unfamiliar. It’s Yeti Records’ old school way of connecting local music lovers.

And none of your newfangled compact discs, future kid. We’re talking authentic mix tapes here–cassette tapes. Don’t have cassette tapes? Can’t bring yourself to tape over your Ace of Base mix? You can pick up cassette tapes at Yeti Records. If you’re also in need of a cassette player, there’s a chance you’ll be able to pick up one of those as well at the record store, though owners Jake and Lisa Luck noted the retro players are difficult to find and sell quickly.  

The mix tape exchange was Lisa Luck’s idea. Three years ago, Luck, a visual artist, ran a similar program through the mail with friends. The exchange at Yeti Records was launched in mid-February and the store received about 20 mix tapes in the first week and a half. 

Yeti Records sells all used records except for its selection of local music. Local music is important to the couple, as Jake Luck is a member of the band Gayngs. Hailing from Milwaukee, Luck moved here for the music. Originally from Connecticut, Lisa Luck moved to Minneapolis for Jake. The newlyweds opened Yeti Records in October, an endeavor that was the realization of a common ambition for the two music lovers. 

“We used all our wedding money to open the store. We took our honeymoon in Hayward, Wisconsin,” Lisa Luck said. 

They named the record store partly for Lisa, whose maiden name was the mouthful Yednorowicz, and nickname was Yeti.

“First of all, it’s just a cool word, and there’s a record called 'Yeti’ that record nerds are into, but mostly it’s just her nickname,” Jake Luck said. 

The mix tape exchange will be ongoing (“Forever,” Jake Luck said, conjuring memories of The Sandlot). Just drop your mix off at the shop. Jake and Lisa Luck have been participating in the exchange as well. The couple collaborated on a Valentine’s Day mix last month:

Love & Sex Mix Tape: 

His

A. Love:

Les Jerolas: L’amour et Moi 

Marv Johnson: Don’t Leave Me 

Dian James: Welcome Strangers 

Joe Tex: Hold What You’ve Got 

The Yellow Pages: Never Put Away 

George Harrison: If Not for You 

Lee Hazelwood: Sand 

Un Homme et Une Femme

B. Sex:

Jane Birkin: Jane B

Vampyros Lesbos: The Lion & the Cucumber 

Psych Out: The Love Children

Tommy James: Crimson & Clover 

Carl Douglas: Witchfinder General

Serge Gainsbourg: Je T’aime...Moi Non Plus 

Hers

A. Love

Don Covay - You’ve Got Me on the Critical List 

Joe Simon: My Adorable One 

Little Eva: He is the Boy 

Inez Foxx: He’s the One 

Harry Belafonte: Sweetheart from Venezuela 

Tiny Tim: Strawberry Tea 

Carlos Lyra: Se E Tarde Me Perdoa  

Texas Jim and his Westerners: Too Much 

B. Sex

Mavis Staples and William Bell: Strung Out 

Lovin’ Spoonful: Lookin’ to Spy

Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose: Treat Her Like a Lady

Moe Koffman Quartet: Alone Together 

Fats Domino: Blueberry Hill 

Beatles: Helter Skelter 

Lonnie Mack: Suzie Q

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo: Talk Like Sex 

Check out Yeti Records’ Mix Tape Exchange blog to view track lists and cover art for the mix tapes making their way into the record store.

Also visit Yeti Records on Record Store Day, April 16. Yeti Records will be having a dollar sale in celebration of bringing the masses back to independent record stores.