Finding your groove: getting into vinyl with Audio-Technica
I’d like to think that I could’ve been friends with the late Hideo Matsushita, founder of Japanese Hi-Fi powerhouse Audio-Technica. If I could, I’d travel back in time to 1960’s Tokyo, where a young Matsushita curated “vinyl listening sessions” at the Bridgestone Museum of Arts, exposing visitors to the sounds and possibilities of high end audio and the warmth of vinyl records. I imagine sitting with him in a mod coffee shop, listening to the stories of what he witnessed in those sessions, the conversations he had with visitors, and what ultimately motivated him to head back to his small apartment above a ramen restaurant and start an audio company of his own. In the histories I’ve read regarding AT’s humble beginnings, Matsushita’s motives seem clear. Produce high end audio at affordable prices, bringing audio excellence into spaces and to customers that simply didn’t have access to it before. His first two products, the AT-1 and AT-3 phono cartridges did exactly that, and...
Dec 6, 2023
June: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda (a cover of the song by the marvelous Nina Simone). Love his vocals and the band just playing their hearts out. I like this energetic take on the song compared to the more slow, sad, and somber original. Of the many, many covers, this is probably my favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu9QH71YKQw
July: Raphael Saadiq and Rob Bacon doing a NPR Music Tiny Desk concert. I cannot tell you how many times I have started my workday with this video. Watching these two guys play guitar and sing is just a pure treat. Especially considering how long their music careers span and how little people talk about them. Raphael just has amazing vocal chops and an aura about him that pulls you in.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aFj4IYHnZ8