If he weren't too busy because of his newborn son, music writer Joe Muggs would probably think I'm stalking him. Truth is, I've been following him on Twitter for a while and realized we approve/disapprove of similar things in music (i.e. the music industry). I started looking up on stuff he'd written and music he'd recommended earlier, which turned out to be a very satisfying endeavor. It resulted in me listening to loads of new tunes, getting more background info on stuff I had heard before, learning new things and indulging in plain reading pleasure. The most impressive is maybe his Mary Anne Hobbs interview... If it were in my power I'd bestow on him a prize for "best music interview" for said piece.

Luckily Joe Muggs is making some of his best work accessible on his website ververymuch.com. Check this extract from his interview with Rob Gordon:

Rob Gordon: ...a good sound is hard to obtain these days. I’d like to hear a good soundsystem these days – there’s a lot of loud ones, but we have a few problems. The first problem was that Mosfet amps came in, they came in in the late 70s, and they were really loud and really cheap and whatever, but they had no warmth in the bass. Then the next stop was the disco mixer. The disco mixer had a crossfader on it but it was never going to sound as good as that custom pre-amp that you used to use, but everyone had to have one because it was the fashion. Then the next thing was the CD, that killed it. Each step you’re getting less emotion, and when you turn it up loud it sounds like a noise instead of beautiful music like you’re in heaven. It sounds like… earplugs! You see people in clubs now with earplugs! Back then you’d see people hugging the box – it’s different sounds!

... and read the full Rob Gordon interview on veryverymuch.com

What Joe Muggs does for us is a bit like digging through dusty records and reporting from cutting edge club nights at the same time. Urban UK music has been at the heart of my interest for over 15 years now. To impress me it takes someone with the ability to take in new movements and sounds with an open mind, while reporting those findings with knowledge and respect for what came before, - be it in 140 characters or across five pages. Joe clearly masters both.

I was struggling to stay creative and productive after the birth of our son, let's hope Joe has the energy to keep it up – and that he will get the sleep needed to stay on top of it! In that sense (but by no means limited to) I wish him all the best! ~

Kevin Mueller aka DJ Kev the Head was a member of the Dachstock Concert Collective between 1994 - 2006, promoter of the Echo Club (2000 - 2004) and is a founding member of the CUE Institute and the Mouthwatering Records label. You can follow him on Twitter.