vinyl drag

Vinyl Drag is an experiment. An experiment that takes place on an unsuspecting slab of 12” vinyl.

We all know that vinyl records are vulnerable, and need to be treated with respect. Keeping to this rule I’ve always been mindful of the way that I handle all records that I come across. Now it’s time to see what happens when I don’t follow the rules. Below you will find recordings that serve as a document of degradation. Every week (or so) since October I have been using this page to post an audio recording of a 12" record that has been intentionally abused.

As with all blogs the posts work backwards with the most recent post at the top and the original track at the bottom. Click to hear the original track.
Alternatively, you can click here to be presented with just the audio posts.

Apr 20
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[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

This is an audio document of the progressive deterioration that took place on the vinyl. Here I’ve stacked every recording that I made since October on top of each other, so they play in sync.  Creative fade-in and fade-out techniques were then used to create this track that starts from the first ever recording and gradually degrades over time to become the final recording I made.

I really love this recording, and it really makes this whole project so much more rewarding for me. I must mention that the motor on my turntable, being like everything technological, is prone to slight shifts in it’s performance and ultimately the speed that it turns the platter will vary slightly with every recording. I took a great deal of time getting the recordings as close to perfect synchronisation as possible, but due to the fluctuations that can occur from heat, and probably many other depending factors the record will never spin at exactly that same speed twice. This is most noticeable at the end when the piece ends a few times. You’ll hear what I mean.

Enjoy.