I have always loved the arts. Books, music, movies, paintings. All hold me in thrall, and from time to time I've tried to convey what that feels like. Here are a few examples. 

(Editorial note: I can’t believe it’s been nearly 20 years since I wrote this. I think it still holds up. And The Low End Theory still is a, if not THE, seminal album for me.)

While a lot of ink has been spilled over Robert Harley’s editorial from Issue 160, I think far more important issues were raised by Bob Gendron’s editorial from Issue 159 and the response in Issue 160 by Mr. Nielson. Nielson excoriated BG for having the temerity to suggest that, to expand the high end’s customer base, product reviewers might want to demonstrate that they listen to different kinds of post-70s music, including hip-hop. 

Nielson did not stop there. He derided hip-hop as the product of “a garbage culture” and lamented that “rich suburban” kids were listening to it. I’ve waited in vain for someone to jump into the fray and set Mr. Nielson straight, but none of The Abso!ute Sound’s editors or other subscribers seems inclined to do so. Permit me to say a few words. 

Nielson’s letter certainly was racist—what exactly is the “garbage culture” he considers to have birthed hiphop? And why is it a particular problem that rich suburban kids (read: white) are listening to that music? But my main beef is his contention that hip-hop is uncreative “MIDI patch stuck on repeat” music. To the contrary, today’s avatars of hip-hop—such as OutKast, The Roots, The Neptunes, and Kanye West, among many others—rely heavily on live instrumentation, drawing from other genres like soul, jazz, funk, and rock to create musical works that are the most exhilarating, and diverse, in today’s popular music. Don’t take my word for it: Go and listen to records like Aquemini and Speakerboxx/The Love Below by OutKast, Late Registration by Kanye West, Do You Want More??? or Things Fall Apart by The Roots, or The Low End Theory by A Tribe Called Quest. All of these albums are destined to ascend to the pantheon of great recorded music of the last century, and will take their rightful place besides such hoary chestnuts as Abraxas, Kind of Blue, Revolver, Innervisions, and Are You Experienced?. BG, Greg Kot, and Soren Baker have taken great pains to point this out, but they write only for the music section— it’s high time the equipment reviewers joined the party.

Mr. Nielson’s letter proves the central point of Bob Gendron’s editorial: Too many audiophiles and equipment reviewers dismiss any music recorded after the 70s as unworthy of attention (unless, of course, the music was recorded by an artist who rose to fame in the 70s). I do not mean to denigrate 70s artists: I have, and listen to frequently, all of the albums (meaning LPs) mentioned above. But, as Gendron correctly points out, to attract new hobbyists we have to show them—using examples relevant to them—how playback over a high-end system would deepen their appreciation for the music they love (and expand their musical horizons, to boot). I speak from experience: The sampled jazz in A Tribe Called Quest’s records led me to Ron Carter (and thence to Miles Davis), Freddie Hubbard, Andrew Hill, and Horace Silver. You might say that the strange alchemy of hip-hop and the high end turned me into a jazz-head. But none of that would have happened without the epiphany I experienced hearing The Low End Theory played back through an Audible Illusions preamp, Marsh amplifier, and Aerial Acoustic 7Bs. 

So, what is the answer to this conundrum? Nielson also hates today’s movies, but permit me to answer the question with a quote from one (Mo’ Better Blues): “The people don’t come because you grandiose motherfuckers don’t play shit that they like. If you played the shit that they like, then people would come, simple as that.” 

Rest in peace, Jay Dee.

I recently had the honor of being the "tour guide" for our FGCE book club (the Maroon Book Club) review of this magnificent book. My slides from the session are here. This book is best read slowly; let it unfurl at a languid, unhurried pace, and it will reveal to you the secrets of the universe. As accompaniment, I recommend a Cuban cigar, extra viejo rum, and my Spotify playlist of Latin music made specifically for the book review.