After 30 years, Future Music magazine has published its final issue, number 414, September 2024.
I discovered Future Music on a small local place here in Ica that sold second-hand and old magazines, books and other publications. I bought the only issue that was available (issue 56), still on its bag and with the free CD, but it was a few years old. I read that magazine many times over! There was a pseudo-interview with Kraftwerk, and also a Roni Size interview from which I learnt early on the value of hard work (he and his mates working at 3 AM) and to make the most of what you have (he had a sample with a hiss, and he used it anyway).
Later, more magazines appeared and I bought as many as I could afford. The free CDs had tracks, demos and samples. One of those samples is the centerpiece of my «404 Dancing Ducks» track. My music production was limited to trackers at the time, and thanks to Future Magazine I was properly educated on MIDI.
I wanted to get my hands on the gear they reviewed: the Yamaha A3000 sampler, the «affordable» XG-powered Yamaha CS1x, the virtual analog Yamaha AN1x beast, the physical-modelling Korg Prophecy, among others.
The massively productive Mike Paradinas was 24 when interviewed, to the chagrin of the interviewer. I was younger than him and thinking «hey, so I still can make it!» I’m now 46 and owning the chagrin.
And then there were the album reviews. Oh, right, thanks to Future Music I learnt about The Blue Nile! Wow, I forgot.
I’m not exaggerating if I say that Future Music shaped my life in many ways. I still have the issues, I still have all the CDs. I’ll give them a good read again!
Thank you to all the staff, specially the ones who wrote on the issues I owned, with a big shout out to Andy Jones. You did a great job.
