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Vinyl carver sparking a craze for cutting records at home

Using a diamond needle, lathe-cutters can turn blank vinyl discs into your very own record – with a pressing run of however many or few you fancy. We report on a booming business

It was a retirement project “to keep me out of mischief and give something back to the local scene,” he says, but Downing has since put out 75 records, from the wonky weirdo punk of Dearthworms to the psychedelic krautpop of Sister Wives, which he personally cut in his shed at the bottom of the garden. The enigmatic Sourisseau in Germany may be the only place to buy a freshly minted machine, but with more people refurbishing and selling older models, records are becoming more readily affordable in small batches from an increasing number of sources. As well as serving smaller record labels, many lathe-cutters also sell direct to artists, who cannot afford to go to a large pressing plant that requires a minimum order.

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