Hot on the heels of their excellent new album, Critical Equation, Dr Dog and PIAPTK collaborated on the WORLD'S FIRST ZERO WASTE Record, made out of old Laserdiscs!
These were a ridiculous amount of work to make, and every single one had to have the grooves cut in real time, the front cover modified to be Christmas Themed, the back cover modified with old wrapping paper, and the backside of the one sided laserdisc adorned with a beautiful (well, some are more beautiful than others), Christmas Tree.
We only made 100 of them!
Read the press release below to learn about them. PIAPTK's good buddy, Nolan Reece (who has worked on a ton of movies you've definitely seen and loved), came down and filmed a documentary about the process.
This will officially be released and put up for sale on Sept 28, 2018 and will ship out the first week of Octoberish, so that you will be ready to drown out the retail store cacophony of crap Christmas songs with Four original Scott McMicken Merry Masterpieces!
PRESS RELEASE:
Michael Dixon and Dr Dog Team Up To Create The World's First 100% Post Consumer Materials and Zero Waste Vinyl* Record!
Environmentally-conscious artist, Michael Dixon (Mobile Vinyl Recorders/PIAPTK Recordings/Lathecuts.com) has collaborated with Philadelphia Indie Pop band, Dr Dog, to create the world's first “Net Positive Environmental Effect Playable Vinyl* Record”.
The new record, which will be released on Sept 28, 2018, is a 4-Song Christmas EP entitled “Oh My Christmas Tree” that was created using the 100% solar power grid at Sky Bar in Tucson AZ. Each record was cut in real time onto 12” Laserdiscs, the obsolete video technology from the 80s and 90s.
Each disc is a unique and playable art piece, with the original Laserdisc covers artfully modified to reflect the Christmas theme by Dixon, Dr Dog singer/guitarist Scott McMicken and their friends. Every record was made using only post-consumer waste products (laserdiscs, house paint samples, scraps from sign vinyl, center labels, etc) sourced from thrift stores, garage sales, swap meets and free piles. The backside of the one-side discs are hand painted with Christmas Trees.
By giving these old waste products new and collectible/usable life and keeping them out of the landfills using absolutely nothing purchased new, the record is considered to be the first “net positive environmental effect vinyl* record”, an oddity in an industry that requires huge amounts of energy and generates tons of plastic and paper waste as a byproduct of production.
The “Oh My Christmas Tree” Laserdisc EP is playable on any turntable, and is of reasonably high fidelity, usually with only a light white noise audible below the audio that is an unavoidable (but unobtrusive) quirk of the strange medium.
A documentary short about the record and its' production process is being directed and produced by Nolan Reece (who was worked on Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avatar, Rampage, etc).
*The term “Vinyl Record” is technically a misnomer because these records are not made of Polyvinylchloride. It is being used here as popular short hand for an audio disc played on a turntable.
1. The Gift Machine - New Tangles LP Preorder!
If you've been following PIAPTK for a while, you remember the excellent (and sold out) "Four Way Split Northwest" with Gift Machine, Graves, Karl Blau, and Nate Ashley. And you probably fell in love with the lo-fi harmonies of the Gift Machine's Dave and Andrea Matthies. The San Diego via Pac NW couple have cooked up a brand new LP of 13 tunes, which were mastered at Abbey Road.
Black Vinyl is unlimited, and there are 100 copies of the purple vinyl, available only here. Any orders for the purple vinyl placed before October 19th, 2018 will receive a bonus 5" lathe cut with the unreleased song "It's All Too Soon". We will only be making as many lathe cuts as there are preorders BEFORE the release date!
THE PRESS RELEASE:
The Gift Machine "New Tangles"
Release Date: October 19th, 2018
File Under: Indie Rock
PIAPTK 253
“the gift machine recalls a lo-fi Beatles or Velvet Underground in
a laid-back mood. Dreamy stuff. - KEXP
The seventh full length studio record from West Coast
psych-pop stalwarts the gift machine unnrolls like a languid beach
break, wrapping the listener in soft-edged, heady warmth. The swell
builds and the record slides into a churning glide that radiates easy
confidence with the harmony vocals of husband/wife team
Dave and Andrea Matthies at the forefront.
Initially founded as an outlet for the solo work of songwriter Dave
Matthies, the gift machine soon mutated organically into a
near-collective of Washington State luminaries. Matthies ran
KNW-YR-OWN Records with Bret Lunsford (Beat Happening, D+)
in Anacortes, WA from 1998-2006, and collaborated with a long
list of NW notables including Karl Blau, Phil Elverum
(Microphones/Mount Eerie), Little Wings, Laura Veirs, the Graves,
Thanksgiving, Your Heart Breaks, the Murder City Devils and many more.
More than anything, New Tangles comes across as an honest work, art
created for its own sake out of some primal drive that pushes those of a
peculiar bent to form something from nothing more than hunch and
inspiration. “We (obviously) have no grand career plan or expectations”
laughs Matthies. “We make this music for us. I hope the sincerity of the
songs and the playing come through. Producing our own music and
releasing it on small labels has allowed us to keep progressing. I think
each gift machine record keeps getting better and better because there
is no pressure.” In an age of target-marketed music made by committee,
listening to a record this comfortable in its own skin is deeply refreshing;
and something we could all use a little more of. With luck, the gift machine
will keep on giving for years to come.
Lathe Cut Camp 9! Dec 8-10, 2018 Tucson, AZ
Lathe Cut Camp #8 sold in four days, so I'm doing another in December.
We've done 8 sold out Lathe Cut Camps, and are constantly getting asked to do more. So, come on down and enjoy the 60 degree Tucson Decembers and learn how vinyl records are cut!
Here's the Pitch:
(THIS CAMP FOCUSES ON NEWBIES AND THOSE WITHOUT MACHINES, BUT WHO WANT TO LEARN AND SEE IF INVESTING IN A LATHE IS A GOOD FIT FOR THEM, OR THOSE WHO RECENTLY ACQUIRED A LATHE AND WANT TO LEARN THE SECRETS!)
YOU ALSO GET TO CUT YOUR OWN RECORDS AND TAKE THEM WITH YOU!
December 8-10. (Sat and Sunday are the important days, Monday is just additional practice and cutting of attendees records, in case you have to leave early)
THERE ARE ONLY 8 SPOTS AND EVERY PREVIOUS CAMP HAS SOLD OUT!
Spend three days in scenic Tucson, AZ learning (almost) everything you need to know about DIY Record Cutting! The focus of this camp will be on mono "semi-professional" machines, with particular focus on Presto 6Ns, which are one of the most common and "industry standard" vintage machines around. You can do some amazing things with these incredible machines, and I will show you how.
Bring your own music and we will put it onto discs for you to take home. We will touch on professional record mastering/pressing, but my main interest and experience, and the focus of this camp, will be on the more DIY and experimental side of the hobby. There are only 7 spots available, so buy early because every previous camp has sold out!
Perfect if you are interested in:
Vinyl records and how their masters are cut
Learning how this strange black art works
Buying a lathe to make your own records
Ordering lathe cuts from a lathe cut service
Cutting your own music to disc
Topics covered:
The science behind vinyl record cutting
Lathe Operations and equipment
The pressing process
Lacquer dub plate cutting
Experimental and alternative materials (plexiglass, laserdiscs, picnic plates, etc)
Please Note: You are responsible for your own transportation to/from Tucson and your accommodations. However, the hotels here are pretty damn cheap (DO NOT book a hotel on Oracle Rd unless you enjoy the company of tweekers and ladies of the night).
RENTAL ROOMS AVAILABLE: And, if you want, I've got a cute mid-mod casita mother in law next to my house that I rent on airbnb, that can be yours for the whole stay (you can come in Friday night and stay until Tuesday, or longer if you want) for an extra $150, or a shared room in my house with a full size bed for an extra $100.
BUY A SPOT AT LATHECUTCAMP.COM!
RECORD LATHES FOR SALE!
I've sold 8 lathes in the last month, but I still have a few for sale. HMU if you wanna cut your own records!
EMAIL ME ABOUT RECORD LATHES HERE!