On the other side of the spectrum is this fancy hardcover ("coffee table") book. Mostly photos and little text, it depicts 27 current-day hip-hop creators in their personal studios. Shelves full of vinyl, turntables, old and new samplers, various instruments, and headphones dominate these classy shots. Among the studios we visit are places where Dan the Automator, Chief Xcel, DJ Shadow, Mario C, Cut Chemist, KutMasta Kurt, Madlib, and DJ Premier work their magic. It's fantastic to get a glimpse into the environments in which these guys work, how they decorate (or don't), and how they lay out their workflow. If that ain't enough to make you want to see this book, a bunch of the featured folks appear on an exclusive mix CD by DJ Ransom, but one of the coolest things here is a shot of Fat Jack's duct-taped Alesis monitor. Oh yeah. ($29.95; www.crookneck.com)
Media | No. 65
Follow the Music: The Life and High Times of Elektra Records in the Great Years of American Pop Culture
by John Noll
In 1950, a nineteen-year-old college student with an interest in electronics met another student in his dorm who had a vast collection of folk records. Having not heard this kind of music before, Jac...
_disp_horizontal_bw.jpg)