There are two main reasons why I never miss an issue; 1. To read the writings of Barry O' Donoghue & Richard Brophy. While the majority of individuals who review records for Hot Press are chancing their arms these two guys really know their stuff. They are consistent, knowledgeable and they constantly push excellent music. They choose to highlight records, labels and artists that are musically relevant as opposed to merely fashionable. They'll give a quality record a quality review regardless of whether it's underground or over ground, Irish or International etc. The only drawback is that they restrict themselves to their one (admittedly quite large) area of expertise - dance music. If the magazine had more writers of this calibre covering other genres of music other than the electronic kind then I feel that many of people’s criticisms of the magazine would become redundant. 2. To get my blood boiling. The majority of the remaining reviewers who contribute to the magazine are so ignorant they are actually inspiring. It's all well and good reading the thoughts of musically educated critically sound individuals. After all you need the recommendations of people whose taste you can trust. It eases the ordeal of sifting through all the dross in the record shops in the hope of finding something worth listening to. But every now and again you need to be exposed to the opinion of someone who is totally clueless. The best way to cement your own views is to have them challenged so that you're forced to justify them. And no-one will challenge your preconceptions about music more then the journalists who work for Hot Press. For an example you need look no further then the comments of Craig Fitzsimons in the current issue "Anyone in their right mind would concede that, aside from the fleeting glories of the Tricky/Massive Attack heyday, British rap and hip-hop has had hopelessly little to offer". Now I can't think of any other magazine on the market which would voice the opinion of someone as hopelessly thick as Mr Fitzsimons. Any editor worth their salt should ensure that their journalists have at the very least a basic understanding of what they're writing about. If Craig's knowledge of British Urban music extended beyond the likes of 411 and Big Brovaz then maybe he would have heard of the likes of The Nextmen, The Creators, Mark B, Blade, Tommy Evans, Braintax, Fleapit, Rodney P, Skinnyman, Skitz, TY, Jehst, Aspects, Dizzee Rascal, Quantic, Aim, Blak Twang, DJ Format, Fallacy and Fusion, Funky DL, Keno-1 & The Hermit, Harmonic 33, The P Brothers, Phi Life Cypher, The Headcase Ladz, The Herbaliser, Richy Pitch or Danny Breaks? Maybe he would be aware that the best beat boxer in the world Killa Kela is British? As are the ITF & DMC winning DJ's Woody, Mixologists, Plus One, Tigerstyle and The Scratch Perverts. Even if he had no prior knowledge of the genre a quick Google search would have introduced him to numerous websites dedicated exclusively to British hip-hop. But it becomes quite clear that Mr. Fitzsimions research skills don't extend far beyond the contents of the Irish top 30 when he make's this baffling observation "Rodney (Roots Manuva) doesn't quite have the awesome gravel-throated delivery of 50 Cent". Any person who thinks that 50 Cent is "Awesome" and possesses superior delivery skills to Roots Manuva is either immature, deaf or just doesn't have a clue about music. Luckily for Hot Press this conveniently accounts for the vast majority of our country’s population. That's why the magazine’s so successful. Their writing staffs are not comprised of musos writing for other musos. Their writing staffs are comprised ordinary ignorant people who like bland commercial music writing for ordinary ignorant people who like bland commercial music. They're chronicling the tastes of the lowest common denominator. Without realising it I have built up a peer group of individuals who actively seek out new vibrant alternative music. Hot Press gives me a chance to hear the opinions of people less fortunate then the ones I chose to associate with. It provides me with a valuable insight into the tastes of your bog average pig ignorant Joe Soap. When I read Craig Fitzsimions article it left my blood boiling. It left me seething with rage. It sent passion coursing through my veins. It made me rifle through my record collection in search of countless albums and singles which I knew proved him wrong. It made me re-affirm my already strong views on the current state of British hip-hop. It reminded me just how offensively stupid the majority of people are. It convinced me once again that I am doing the right thing when I play new alternative music in my DJ sets because if I don't push this music then Mr Fitzsimons certainly won't. It made me spend a full hour hunched over a keyboard writing this post. How many magazines provoke a reaction like that? I seldom have the misfortune of encountering people with such a sparse musical knowledge as the likes of Craig and his Brethren. As a result I rarely lose my temper and argue passionately about what means the most to me, music. As I don't wish to start spending a sizable amount of my time arguing with idiots in person I’m left with one option; to continue reading their opinions once a fortnight in Hot Press.