WIEN33 is an ongoing series of direct to vinyl recordings. Artists are invited to record 7 inch vinyls, 33 units and each one by one, making each vinyl one of a kind.
Host is VINYLOGRAPH, a space for live recording that uses a lathe cutting machine built by Natascha Muhić & Christoph Freidhöfer in 2014. They based their design on the technology of recording booths popular in the 1940ies, but improved specific aspects and made the machine fully automatic. Since building the vinylograph a diverse range of vinyls have been cut in the multi-purpose space in the center of the 5th Viennese district – most direct to vinyl and in very limited series. Aras Seyhan is the sound- & recording engineer who is responsible for transporting the sound from the instruments/artists through the vinylograph and onto vinyl. A task that can sometimes be a bit tricky since the machine is a prototype that unfortunately may run into some minor difficulties.
Cut with a lathe-cutter from the 1940ies, the vinyls are mono and have a distinct vintage sound.
The series WIEN33 is curated by Clemens Radauer, a cultural historian and music aficionado, who has been working in the music context for almost 25 years. He invites artist from different backgrounds – from literature, to experimental music to jazz – active in Vienna or close to the Viennese scene.
The artists have full freedom in deciding how and what they want to record… some choose to record one song 33 times and leave the flip-side blank whereas some choose to record 66 different tracks on both sides. Clemens also designs the covers for each recording and decorates them each by hand, making them one of the kind just like every vinyl.
Each recording session has been an amazing, intense and a once-in-a-lifetime experience both for the recording artist and the WIEN33 team. And we are looking forward to many more.
Vinyls are available for sale at the Vinylograph Bandcamp page or directly through the artists