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BOTH SIDES OF THE SURFACE was birthed out of its predecessor, ON THE VERGE. OTV was an e-mail format exclusive publication, making its debut in January of 1999 and surviving a three-year bid of rants, raves, Web site 411, top tens, a slew of opinions, and tons and tons of music reviews. initially, it was released on a two-week basis. then every three weeks. finally (like someone with some sense), i settled on a monthly schedule.

after graduating from college, i needed something to keep my mind occupied and out of trouble. it was after a failed attempt in the late fall of 1998 to build a Web site that the seeds were planted for OTV. the musical focus was (and still remains) predominantly electronic and lesser-known urban genres, released both independently and on major labels. the reviews within OTV's three years of existence covered a vast array of genres: techno, house, drum and bass, soul, jazz, funk, hip-hop, avant-garde, and the occasional rock release as well.

personally, i listen to a little bit of everything, and i wanted something that would educate and excite people about new music, as well as encourage readers to listen to something unfamiliar to their ear. and most importantly, ARM PEOPLE WITH INFORMATION ON WHERE TO FIND THIS MUSIC. at the same time, i wanted to talk about music with a sense of passion and not just opinion, not a "i like/hate this because of A, B, and C" sort of thing, but not be too heady or artsy or snobbish with it all (although it can be easy to fall into those leanings when you really care about music).

this is what i had been working to accomplish with ON THE VERGE. i'd like to think that it was somewhat successful. hopefully, BOTH SIDES OF THE SURFACE will build upon the foundation that was laid with OTV.