Amidst the din of more power and dynamics, Jeff Rowland strives to restore some quiet in music reproduction. He talks to Jeffrey Tan.
IN MANY WAYS, JEFF ROWLAND amplifiers reflect the designer himself. After all, Rowland believes that designing audio equipment should be no different from any other creative activity. It must embody the spirit of the designer. "High End should be the product of one man’s vision – how he experiences music. I build products to satisfy myself, not a market." Audio is an art, and like all art, an expression of the creator. Which is why Rowland doesn’t believe in the big corporation approach to collective design. It was precisely the need to get away from the corporate world which eventually gave birth to Jeff Rowland Design.
"We always have to follow our path ... I felt that this was really what I wanted to do very deep inside."I really felt I should reach out on myself and start a business. That was a real turning point – you’re on your own ... That’s when I think the more artistic appreciation came. I had a nice feeling for music, but I didn’t go deep into the music. It was more technical. And that was when I started getting really involved in the artistic value. It was almost like the parts ..." He recalls walking down the aisles of surplus stores, surveying the rows of electronic components, and having a deep appreciation for the parts. "I felt it was a pity that these parts were not doing something ... instead of sitting on the shelf by themselves, in a way dead. I wanted to animate them. I wanted to bring them together and make them sing." That was kind of the beginning for Rowland, when he started to really feel the potential of taking those parts and putting them in some whole that had life. This was in 1980.
Before that, by his own admission, Rowland spent ………..
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