I was deeply saddened by the news of Steve Job’s passing.  I received a text from my brother-in-law telling me what had happened, and I immediately knew it had to be true.  Steve certainly didn’t look himself as of late, and the quiet whispers of his on-going cancer treatment center visits, compounded with the fact that he once fought and defeated Pancreatic Cancer, only supported my initial thought.  Pancreatic Cancer is a notoriously tough cancer to battle.

Over the passed couple of days, I’ve been thinking about his legacy and his contribution to our field of music and to the overall quality he has inspired in everyone’s technological lives.  The man was a generational talent who will forever be mentioned in the sentences with Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison as a person of special ability and more importantly relentless personal conviction.

I recently saw a speech by Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 at a Commencement ceremony, where he sited death as a motivator and as a source of bravery.  I was immensely inspired by the speech and I think you should watch it. (STEVE JOBS SPEECH).  It takes someone with courage to continuously challenge and reroute conventional wisdom, but Steve Jobs recreated it every time.  His lawless passion for his craft is something to marvel at, if not emulate.  Of course his ongoing desire to succeed is merely a result of his remarkable vision, if not personal sacrifice.

Mr. Jobs, you will certainly be missed not only with us at Rukus Avenue, but every person on this planet.  For us, your Apple products are omnipresent in our studio, and our music blares loud on iTunes, connecting it to everyone around the world with one click.  For us, you opened up avenues and inspired creativity, and for that I would like to say Thank You.  Thank you for making our lives much easier, and thank you for making our world that much smaller.  Your mind will be missed, but then again, if there’s someone that can figure out a way to come back….he might just be it.  Introducing….. iBack.

Sammy Chand