Ken Kessler

London, United Kingdom

Writer at Freelance

Senior Contributing Editor at Hi-Fi News and Record Review

Featured in: Favicon

telegraph.co.uk Favicon

economist.com Favicon

standard.co.uk Favicon

wired.co.uk Favicon

expansion.mx Favicon

gq-magazine.co.uk Favicon

wallpaper.com Favicon

therake.com + 7 more

Articles

Audiophile: Digital, April 2025

1 week ago | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

John CaleShip Of Fools – The Island AlbumsEsoteric ECLEC32881 (three discs)Easily the most talented musician from what I consider an overrated band – Velvet Underground – Cale has delivered around 25 solo albums, of which this box set contains three of the best. Following two each for Columbia and Reprise, his trio of releases for Island – Fear (1974), Slow Dazzle and Helen Of Troy (both 1975) – were issued in just over a year, attesting to insane productivity that didn’t sacrifice quality.
Audiophile: Vinyl, April 2025

1 week ago | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Patrick LeonardIt All Comes Down To MoodRuudy 6 Recordings (n/a cat. no.; two discs, 180g vinyl)This stunner features immaculate pressings with lacquers cut at Bernie Grundman’s by Chris Bellman, while the mastering was one of the last tasks to be undertaken by the legendary Bob Ludwig before retiring in 2023. The sound quality? Casino Royale level.
Audiophile: Digital, October 2024

2 weeks ago | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Various ArtistsAudiophile Masters Vols IX and XOctave Records OCT-0050/OCT-0051There’s plenty here for those who want to learn how PS Audio’s Octave Music division is contributing to the ‘audiophile albums’ canon. Though not as themed as the Art Of HiFi titles on this page, these come across a bit less like label samplers from the Octave catalogue than most general compilations.
Hi-Res Downloads, September 2024

Nov 25, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Giovanni Guidi, Et AlA New Day (88.2Khz/24-Bit, Wav)www.ecmrecords.com; Ecm 2808Of late we have been sampling the ECM back catalogue in these pages, enjoying the way recordings getting on for half a century old spiff up in new hi-res digital versions, but here's some brand-new output, recorded in summer 2023 by label head honcho Manfred Eicher.
Audiophile: Digital, September 2024

Nov 25, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Dr. JohnIn The Right PlaceAnalogue Productions/Atco Capa 006SaWhile many audiophiles have a tendency to default to vinyl if that was the original format, this SACD is so deliciously musical and involving that they'll have to leave their biases at the door. From the opening notes of 'Right Place Wrong Time', the sheer impact of the sound is so bracing that you have to remind yourself it's New Orleans funk and not Metallica with the volume at 11.
Audiophile: Vinyl, September 2024

Nov 25, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Shelly Manne & His Men At The Black Hawk Craft Recordings/Contemporary Cr00601 (180G Vinyl) 'Who's the greatest jazz drummer?' always boils down to Messrs Blakey, Rich, Roach, Krupa, et al, but I have a soft spot for Manne, not least for his classy work during the sessions which delivered this first of four LPs. Sonically, it oozes valve-era early stereo - the presence of Victor Feldman on piano will trigger memories for fans of 1970s/1980s audiophile vinyl - this sublime album captured when...
Angle poise

Nov 20, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Acoustic Research launches a range of electronics that aims to combine good looks, useful facilities and fine sound. Ken Kessler hears a selectionFor as long as hi-fi has existed, consumers have been forced to choose between pure sound quality and ergonomic/aesthetic delight. In short, the best-sounding equipment has always been either spartan, ugly, expensive, or simply a pain in the butt to live with or to use.
Audiophile: Digital, August 2024

Oct 29, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

John PrineJohn PrineAnalogue Productions/Atlantic Capa004SaPart of the 'Atlantic 75' celebration, John Prine's eponymous 1971 debut is one of the albums also benefiting from the label's collaboration with Analogue Productions. I'm not sure if we will see it as a 2x45rpm LP, which AP is undertaking for select titles, but the SACD is more than sufficient proof it's as worthy sonically as it is artistically.
Audiophile: Vinyl, August 2024

Oct 29, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Willie Colón/Héctor LavoeLa Gran Fuga (The Big Break)Craft Recordings/Fania Cr00728 (180G Vinyl)Lest the forbidding cover puts you off, this is no jail-break, criminal-turned-angel epic but a joyous celebration of salsa from two of its most important practitioners. Trumpeter/trombonist/vocalist Cólon, recording since he was 15, teamed up with the late vocalist Lavoe in 1971 to produce this thematic mix of original songs and cover versions from the pen of Tite Curet Alonso.
Vinyl Deluxe

Oct 23, 2024 | hifinews.com | Ken Kessler

Indulge yourself with linen-wrapped slipcases, in-depth liner notes and heavy art-card covers as Ken Kessler brings you 20 of the best deluxe reissue LPs coming your way... With the vinyl revival now so firmly established that new pressing plants are being built, the competition has heated up regarding mastering, pressing techniques, vinyl thickness, playback speed and, as seen here, presentation. Deluxe packaging and pressings cost more, so it is applied mainly to milestone albums.

Contact details

Emails

[email protected]

Socials & Sites

Try JournoFinder For Free

Search and contact over 1M+ journalist profiles, browse 100M+ articles, and unlock powerful PR tools.

Start Your 7-Day Free Trial →