Jana Dagdagan

Elton? The Man Wrote A Hit Song For Me For Christ's Sake

Jana Dagdagan Jun 20, 2016 First Published: Jun 20, 2016

I'm sitting on a dark leather sofa, legs crossed, lips pursed, brow furrowed.

Glenn Gould playing Bach's Goldberg Variations can be faintly heard through a tape recorder in another room. To be more specific, a Realistic CTR-68 Model 14-808B.

"Jana, you're such a strong woman. I don't understand why you so desperately rely on Elton John for emotional support and inspiration."

Jana Dagdagan

My own. My love. My precious.

Jana Dagdagan Jun 13, 2016 First Published: Jun 13, 2016

Photo: Kelsey Ohira

May 12, 2014. The day it all began. Three major events happened in my life on May the 12th:

1. My violent hatred towards the USPS was born.
2. I spent the most I ever have, till this very day, on a yellow cab.
3. A divine pair of Technics SL1200 Mk.II turntables entered my life.

Well, they didn't exactly enter my life, per se. They were left on my (then) doorstep in West Harlem, which may give you some insight on #1. More on that later. I need to calm myself. (Sips Earl Grey vehemently in straightjacket.)

Jana Dagdagan

We Are Millennials. We Are The Future.

Jana Dagdagan Jun 06, 2016 First Published: Jun 06, 2016

Millennials areallegedlythe scum of the earth. They're a load of lazy, self-absorbed, uninformed, whiny twerps who are in for a rude awakening. At least, those are what seem to be the highlights of the fraction of internet drivel I've come across.

Jana Dagdagan

Bowie's Blackstar Bassist Tim Lefebvre's Desert Island Classics

Jana Dagdagan May 30, 2016 First Published: May 30, 2016

Photo: Michele Canova

"Punch me."

"What?"

Conversations with Tim Lefebvre are often like this. That was backstage at the Jazz Standard last week after the Donny McCaslin Group's final set. I later realized that Tim wanted me to be in a compilation of timelapse video clips involving slow motion punches. Naturally, I gladly obliged.

Jana Dagdagan

Manufacturer Meets Audio Reviewer: Not your Average Love Story

Jana Dagdagan May 23, 2016 First Published: May 23, 2016

Boy meets girl.
Boy and girl fall in love.
Boy and girl live happily ever after.

This is the traditional fairytale romance we've all been spoon-fed from birth. You know, Disney, unicorns, white picket fences, medieval castles, Ryan Gosling, etc, etc. There are many variations, but each one essentially tells the same story.

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, reality often falls quite short of fairytale, and very rarely is one story identical to the next. Modern romance is often more like this...

Jana Dagdagan

Last Trip To Other Music

Jana Dagdagan May 16, 2016 First Published: May 16, 2016

Photos: Brian Li

It's half past seven on a drizzly Friday night in New York City. I'm a little bit of a mess; soggy from the sporadic downpour, weakened by a full day's work, and still regretting the sub-par pork and chive dumplings I wolfed down earlier. All day long I've been fighting off the urge to inject myself with cold beers (preferably Guinness) and binge watch Wong Kar Wai films. It's one of those days.

Jana Dagdagan

David Binney: On Bowie and Not Being an Audiophile but Subscribing to Stereophile

Jana Dagdagan May 09, 2016 First Published: May 09, 2016

"Are you an audiophile?" I find myself yelling into my semi-functional smart phone, sitting in my dimly lit cubicle in Stereophile's New York office.

On the other end of the line is my close friend and long-time mentor, David Binney. We're FaceTiming in slow, fragmented motions as he eats his dinner in a lively restaurant before a gig in central Belgrade.

"No, definitely not." He says quite matter-of-factly. "I subscribe to Stereophile but I don't consider myself an audiophile. I wish I was, but it's too expensive.

Jana Dagdagan

Dear Non-Audiophile

Jana Dagdagan May 02, 2016 First Published: May 02, 2016

It's me, Jana. I know you're probably not reading this because you most likely don't spend your down time on Stereophile.com, but I feel compelled to write to you nevertheless on the off chance that you might. If I've managed to catch your attention so far, please don't go away.

Jana Dagdagan

A Lady Audiophile Walks Into a Bar

Jana Dagdagan Apr 25, 2016 First Published: Apr 25, 2016

Photo: Dan Havlik

A lady walks into an audiophile bar. She sees four men. They all turn to look at her.

All the first audiophile sees is some lady in a bar. He thinks nothing more. Can't be bothered. Let's face ithow often do you even see a lady audiophile?