A Million Love Songs Later ; Should You Judge a Would-Be Partner On What's in Their Record Collection? And Can You Find Romance Through a Shared Ipod Track- Listing? We Sent Our Reporter Claire Rees to Try 'Speed Taping' - the Latest Concept in Modern Dating Where Your Taste in Music Can See You Brutally Dumped Before the Second Drink Taste Stinks - It's Not and Pathetic

Wales on Sunday › August 23, 2009

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Summary

"YOUR music taste stinks - it's not going to work," - harsh words, especially given you only met the person two minutes ago. I'm at Speed Taping - the latest, and most specific, concept in speed dating - where you're judged, swiftly, not on how you look, how easy your chat, but on how cool your record collection is. It's an idea that seemed perfect for a music bore who doesn't see anything wrong with rating a guy on theirs, or dumping them if they don't have one. I know I'm no music expert, and my own desert island discs are probably so maudlin they'd send many castaways walking into the waves, it's just I have a very particular love check list when it comes to what music makes a man tick. To me, a love of music says a man is intelligent, sensitive, cultured and worldly, and a love of the right kind of music means he's likely to have at least some understanding of some of the things going on in my head - plus he won't ever embarrass me at a house party.

So the prospect of a dating event where you get to weed out the Cascada lovers and the ones who want Aerosmith's I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing at their wedding, before even having to make an excuse about the next date, sounded ideal. But two minutes in and it was looking unlikely the man of my music dreams would turn up. Speed taping, as Oxjam Cardiff, who organised the charity event for Oxfam are calling it, is where daters take a mix tape or CD (it's too much of a new idea for them to insist on newer technology) full of their 10 all- time favourite tracks.

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A Million Love Songs Later ; Should You Judge a Would-Be Partner On What's in Their Record Collection? And Can You Find Romance Through a Shared Ipod Track- Listing? We Sent Our Reporter Claire Rees to Try 'Speed Taping' - the Latest Concept in Modern Dating Where Your Taste in Music Can See You Brutally Dumped Before the Second Drink Taste Stinks - It's Not and Pathetic

They're then left alone with a stranger at a pub table - this time in Dempsey's Cardiff - for four minutes during which time they rate each other on their most beloved songs, before moving on for even more honest evaluation from more strangers. At the end of the night, those with match...

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