Stephen Mejias

And so, I turn back to the VPI. Or the Nitty Gritty.

I sent some crazed e-mails to my audiophile friends, all like: <i>Dude, I'm at my wit's end over here. I can't make sense of any of it. I know so-and-so uses a VPI and what's-his-name uses a Nitty Gritty, but what's YOUR method? Huh, huh, huh?</i>

<i>"I can't see anyone getting into analog without a record-cleaning machine."</i><br>
<b>&#151Michael Fremer, <i>Stereophile</i>, Vol.19 No.6, 1996</b>

Try this:

My interest in New York City salsa and Cuban son was fueled in part by <a href="http://www.descarga.com/cgi-bin/db/catalog?adYB2HaU;;654">Descarga.com<…;, an impressive resource for all things Afro-Latin. The Spanish word "descarga" means <i>to unload</i>, but, in musical terms, is Cuban slang for a hot and riotous jam session. You'd often hear about guys getting together in the streets or on the beach for a wild, time-stopping <i>descarga</i>. Providing in-depth interviews with musicians and producers, well-informed think pieces, hard-hitting reviews, and tons and tons of great music, Descarga.com is a great destination for music lovers.

Recent CD purchases that I need to buy all over again on vinyl, in alphabetical order (obviously):

On Saturday, I accompanied my 14-year old sister and her friend to the <a href="http://www.thebamboozle.com/home.php">Bamboozle Festival</a>, held at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Saturday was cold, windy, wet, and gray&#151not the best circumstances for an all-day outdoor festival. On top of that, I had a shocking hangover&#151a gift from the previous night spent with my 26-year old sister and her husband. I wasn't in the mood.