As all the coolest cats already know, Emika has very recently flown from the Ninja nest and started her own music label.
Here at Binary Feedback we’re of course absolutely stoked to stay involved with this diverse artist as she continues her musical voyages. But equally happy to suggest and hook up with the one and only lathe LEGEND Mr Simon Davey (The Exchange) to handle the lacquer cutting from our digital premasters.
Simon is both a very humble and a very humbling guy, and it’s been great to hang out and ‘talk shop’. Even in a few sessions I feel I’ve gleaned a lot of insight into the world of vinyl translation especially on LPs where I have a lot less experience. However a bit of a bombshell was dropped on our last session. The Exchange was to shut its doors after nearly three decades of cutting excellence in Camden, London.
Here’s some words from the man himself.
It doesn’t happen often, but if I’m lucky, every now and again I have the privilege to work on music that not only has on board a great artist, but an amazing writer, producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer all in one neat, tight sounding package.
Every time I press ‘play’ at the start of a new Emika vinyl mastering session I think ‘Hey she’s done it again, she’s flipped it and come up with something new!’.
I have been lucky enough now to work on a few of Emika’s vinyl releases and along side me during every session has been Rich from Binary Feedback. I realised straight away that he has an extremely important role to play as mastering engineer to Emika’s music, and is a master of post production, capable of achieving both dramatic and fine subtleties during the mastering.
Like I said, it doesn’t happen often but when you hear a perfect pairing of talents, it’s beautiful. Emika’s music and Rich’s mastering skills go together like hand in glove.Before the original Exchange mastering studios moved location, which incidentally may I say, has now expanded into three, separately run studios, I was lucky enough to cut the vinyl of Emika’s ‘Klavirni’.
This is a perfect example of a ‘vinyl friendly’ sound. Klavirni just goes to prove that if you get the recording, mixing and digital mastering right, and master it to vinyl properly you should have yourself a great sounding piece of vinyl.Check the album out!
As we speak ‘The Exchange Vinyl’ studio is being lovingly put together with all the original Exchange analogue, valve equipment which is being overhauled and reinstated in its new home. Hopefully I will be ready to cut some great sounding records by March. If you would like to have your vinyl cut in the UK’s only professional ‘vinyl only’ mastering studio, I would love to do it for you.
After nearly thirty years of being a slave to the lathe I still get goosebumps putting the needle in the groove and listening to how my clients music changes for the better on wax. It’s like listening to the music for the very first time!
Simon Davey
The Exchange Vinyl
simon@theexchangevinyl.london
So I guess we were pretty fortunate to be able to have cut one of the very last LPs at The Exchange in Camden. You can listen and download one preview track from the LP here courtesy of DJMAG.
The Klavirni LP will be available – on vinyl with an accompanying printed score book, from Emika Records on 26th January 2015.